Against all Odds, but Rockets can force a Game 7

    Tomorrow, the Rockets and Jazz will be playing in Salt Lake City for Game 6 of the NBA First Round Playoffs.  So the question on everyones mind is can the Rockets win and force a Game 7?

     I do not see why not, they were able to force a Game 6 by winning Tuesday, and everyone was expecting a 4-1 series win for the Jazz.  Part of this has been due to the Jazz's deteriorating offensive performance.  Each of the last three games have displayed a weakness in their offensive game that have costed them.  In Game 3, they put up a relatively strong offensive performance with a FG percentage of 45.7%.  However, they were outrebounded 43-39, an area where the Jazz have dominated due to their size advantage over Rockets players.  In Game 4, the Jazz were able to brush off a Rockets comeback, but barely.  They went 0 for 14 in 3-point shooting, which is pretty bad for a team with so many behind-the-arc shooters.  Game 5 was just the poorest offensive performance they had put on, with a FG percentage of 36.5%.  They were not blown out so bad since the Bulls did so in Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals 96-54.

    However, it is not like the Jazz are not going to be working on kinks to solve their offensive problems.  Plus, they are playing in Salt Lake City, which they have gone 37-4 in the regular season.  So the Jazz will be playing with a significant advantage again.  So what can the Rockets do?

    Well, Game 3 & 4 were close games because the supporting cast behind T-Mac has been contributing.  A huge factor has been Rafer Alston, who did not play in Games 1 & 2 due to injury.  He needs to have a big game, both offensively and defensively.  Hes known to be unstable with his shooting, having both high and extremely low field goal shooting games.  If he cannot make the shots, he needs to be setting up plays for Tracy McGrady, not shooting countless 3s that will miss.  The Rockets picked up Bobby Jackson midseason for the defensive support in the PG position, however he has shown not to be quick enough to stop Deron Williams.  Alston is not really known for his defense, but it will have to be strong to contain Williams, whose offensive power has been leading the Jazz this series.

    Other than Alston, the rest of the supporting cast has to work out their kinks too.  Luis Scola has been impressive in his playoff debut, but he gets into foul trouble too frequently, something the rookie seems to have problems in all through-out the season.  Luther Head has been a great offensive force off the bench for the Rockets the past three years, but has been non-existant in the playoffs both this year and last year.  While I am on the subject of shooting struggles, let's talk about Bobby Jackson.  18 for 58 FG shooting, along with 4 out of 21 behind-the-arc?  Hes done much better in the past, so he needs to find his shooting touch.

    While the supporting cast has to have a strong performance, it eventually all comes down to Tracy McGrady, who will undoubtedly receive all the credit for winning or blame for losing with Yao Ming gone for the year with his injury.  Hes lead the team in scoring this playoffs, but 24.4 PPG is low for his standards, and everyone including himself expects more out of him.  He needs to play like Kobe or Lebron, scoring 30 or 40 while putting up a triple-double at the same time.  All throughout this past year, fans have been discussing how T-Mac is too fragile, how he has peaked, and how the Rockets should trade him.  Well if he plays poorly, they will lose, and these talks will continue.  And do you know what else?  This could be his last season as a Rocket.

    And for Pete's sake, can they play a game where they can make most of their free throws? 

    However, these are all things they have been doing the past three games.  This is how they won Game 3, how they almost won Game 4, and how they had a blowout win in Game 5.  Can they do it again in Game 6?  I do not see why not.  This is the team that made everyone believe in them when no one did, by putting on an impressive 22 game win streak that is the second highest regular season streak in NBA History.  Their team does not consist of a bunch of All-Star players.  They win with their resilience and energy.  And they have won in Utah before.  Twice actually now.  So although it may seem biased coming from a Rockets fan, I think Game 6 is in their favor.  Tomorrow we shall know soon enough.