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Sunday January 4, 2009 0:20 AM

Bibby's Big Shot Dooms Rockets


Houston falls for fifth time in last seven games

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Atlanta - The end result was the same as the night before. But the undeniable effort and energy put forth by the Rockets made their latest heartbreaking loss far easier to bear.

Mike Bibby broke a tie ballgame with a clutch three-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining, while Aaron Brooks’ corner trey at the buzzer rimmed out, leaving Houston (21-14) to lament its fifth loss in seven games after falling to Atlanta 103-100.

Yes, it was a bitter pill to swallow for a team which fought so hard despite playing the second game of a back-to-back without three key players (Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest and Shane Battier). But the Rockets also took solace in the fact that they left everything they had on the Phillips Arena floor, just one night after turning in a lackluster effort in Toronto.

“We played hard,” acknowledged Coach Rick Adelman after the game. “Everybody laid it all out there. Mike hit a big shot, but we had an opportunity. You have to give our guys a lot of credit for the effort they gave out… If we played with this kind of effort, we wouldn’t have lost a couple of the games we lost. So maybe we’ve learned our lesson.”

Indeed, the shorthanded Rockets began the game playing as if trying to prove a point. Utterly dissatisfied with their performance the night before, Houston displayed the sort of energy and intensity that had been so glaringly absent in Toronto.

Sporting a starting line-up featuring Brent Barry and Von Wafer at shooting guard and small forward, respectively, the Rockets connected on 5 of their first 6 shots from the field while building an early 12-7 lead. And though Houston couldn’t continue that torrid offensive pace, its passion and effort consistently manifested itself in the club’s play.

Two possessions in particular stood out. The first occurred when Wafer blew by Maurice Evans for a lay-up on an isolation play which began all the way back near center court. Moments later, Yao Ming faked Al Horford off his feet along the baseline, allowing Houston’s All-Star big man to drive past Horford for an emphatic dunk which brought the Rockets’ bench to its feet in exaltation.

“We played inspired, we played with desire tonight and the will to compete,” said Rafer Alston who finished with 10 points and a team-high 9 assists. “We had a lot of energy. We got up and down the floor. The ball and our bodies were moving. That first quarter, that ball was hopping around, almost every guy was touching it and guys were getting good shots.”

Though the effort level never waned, the second quarter yielded drastically different results. Atlanta surged into the lead with an 8-0 run and kept building from there on the strength of its scorching shooting. The Hawks were 14-of-19 (73.7%) from the field in the frame, as Flip Murray (10 points in the quarter) and Josh Smith (19 by halftime) did much of the heavy lifting. By the time the quarter mercifully ended, Atlanta owned a 54-46 advantage heading to the break.

But the Rockets made sure there would be no reprise of their second half meltdown from the night before. Houston bounced back with its best quarter of the game, using a balanced attack to get right back in the thick of things. Wafer and Luis Scola were particularly solid, combining to score 17 of the Rockets’ 31 third quarter points, as Houston tied the game on several occasions before finally seeing its deficit grow to a mere two points by the time the final frame rolled around.

Not surprisingly, the last twelve minutes turned into a back-and-forth affair as both teams took turns claiming the lead. Houston snatched its first advantage of the second half on an Aaron Brooks three-pointer at the 8:42 mark and the Rockets did not trail again until Smith followed a Bibby miss with an awe-inspiring two-handed flush nearly five minutes later, giving his Hawks a 98-96 lead.

Still, the Rockets refused to wilt, even after Smith whipped the Phillips Center crowd into a full-on frenzy with yet another monster jam Atlanta’s next time down the floor. Alston was the maestro conducting the comeback, assisting on two consecutive Houston buckets to tie it, while also stripping Joe Johnson on two straight possessions; the second one presenting the Rockets with an opportunity to reclaim the lead with just 38 seconds left. But Skip wasn’t able to come through this time, as he lost control of the ball on his way to the hoop, setting the stage for Bibby’s heroics.

“That game was there for us to win,” lamented Alston. “I had a mishandle on the shot that I had – I had Smith beat and I lost the ball in my shirt as I’m going up. That game was there for us, even without two of our best players. It shows that we have depth and guys who can come in and compete.”

And it’s Alston’s last point which has the Rockets believing they can right the ship and navigate their way out of this slump.

“At least we played with energy tonight,” Yao (16 points, 15 rebounds). “We played tonight. We believed right until the last second. When Aaron shot that last three from the corner, we can live with the results. It’s just make or miss. It happens in this league every night.

“It looks a little bit different than the last few days. Now, at least I can go to sleep and tell myself that tomorrow is a new day, and start back again.”

And 1’s: Carl Landry had a perfect night shooting the ball, going 5-of-5 from the field and 8-for-8 from the line on his way to a team-high 18 points. Meanwhile, the Rockets lost despite hitting the century mark in scoring for the first time this season. They were 14-0 in such games prior to Saturday night’s contest with Atlanta.

QUOTES

Head Coach Rick Adelman:

We played hard. That’s the effort we have to have if we’re going to turn this back around. Give those guys credit who haven’t been playing, they played their hearts out. It’s too bad they didn’t get rewarded. It’s just a shame. I feel bad for our guys.

(were you trying to get your guys to foul before Bibby’s shot?)” Yeah, we were trying to, but that’s a tough call because they may get in there and then you foul them with seven seconds to go, and any foul after that it’s the free throw line. When a guy gets in like Joe Johnson was, you either grab him then or you don’t let him get into a shooting motion. There’s a lot of time left, is what I’m trying to say. When he had the ball, it wasn’t like there was three seconds left, so it’s a tough one.

(were they instructed to foul?): I don’t think Von realized it. I don’t think we communicated it well enough on the other side. Rafer knew, but it didn’t look like Von knew.

Von Wafer:

“As a team we played well tonight. I’m proud of the guys who played well off the bench tonight. They gave a great effort. (Mike) Bibby hit a big shot for them at the end. We were trying to close it off, but we were unsuccessful. You have to give the Hawks credit tonight. They hit some big shots. They’re a tough team to defend, because they are so athletic and talented. Josh Smith had a great game tonight. He kept the Hawks alive with big shots and great energy.”

Yao Ming:

“I didn’t have a good second half. The Hawks started fronting me on defense, which made it tougher for me to get the ball. Fortunately my teammates stepped up to pick up the slack, but we just couldn’t come out with the win. I think we played with great energy tonight. We definitely played together as a team. We believed to the last second that we could win this game. We can live the last shot Aaron (Brooks) took, even though it didn’t go in. It was a good look, and that’s just how it happens sometimes in this league.”

Luis Scola

We still have a lot of work to do, but if we play this way you’re going somewhere. It’s easy to get better if you play hard and leave it all on the court.

Rafer Alston

(on the Rockets’ strategy for the Hawks final possession): We were trying to get a foul. We were yelling, ‘Foul, foul, foul,’ but once the play happened, my job is to get in there and plug up the lane, make him kick it out, with the expectation that somebody would stunt to break up the rhythm of the shot. It was a good play, though, you tip your hat to them. It was a good shot.

(on why the energy level was different tonight):The difference is that we decided that’s the best way for us to play. That’s the best style, tempo and flow to the game that can best suit the Rockets going forward.

(on Von Wafer): He was great tonight. I tip my cap to him and Luther. Some nights they get DNPs and some nights they’re in the starting lineup. People don’t understand how hard that is to do.

Head Coach Mike Woodson:

(Was it a reversal of fortune from last night?): “I know how ( Houston) felt (tonight) when I walked off that floor last night. Bibby stepped up and made a great shot. Joe made a good find, and he was able to knock it down.”

”I think you can learn from our play last night. You give New Jersey a lot of credit for fighting back and making the plays they had to make, and then Vince hitting the game winner. We have to learn from that game, because we were in control, and we had a meltdown.”

“Tonight was just one of those games. Both teams wanted it. Both teams were coming in on a back-to-back. Bibby hits a great shot.”

“They’re one of the top teams in the West. A lot of the media people are picking them possibly to come out of the West, with all the talent that they have. But they’ve been banged up. I can’t worry about that, I have to worry about our team, and make sure the guys that are playing are ready to play, and push one another to win basketball games.”

Al Horford:

“It’s only fair that we’re on the other end this time. I think it showed a lot from our team, after losing such a tough game last night, being able to bounce back here at home and get a win.”

“No doubt about it. He really stepped up when he needed to. Josh had to step up, Marvin didn’t play tonight, so I think we picked up some of the slack.”

(On Bibby’s game-winner): “Such a big shot. I think we’re confident that any of our guys down the stretch can make shots. Tonight’s a fine example with Joe giving the ball up for Mike to shoot it.”

Josh Smith:

“The big plus about tonight is that we were able to hit big free throws. Last night, we shot 50 percent from the line, and this time we were able to knock them down.”

(On Bibby’s shot): “Joe got the ball out, seamed it up right, and Bibby didn’t let us down. He gave us a little prime time dance afterwards. It’s good to have a guy like that on our team, where he’s made big shots like that in the past, and he’s still making the team a whole lot better just being out there on the offensive end. He was able to get us the win tonight.”

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