Mike Dunleavy, Jr.? Meet Shane Battier

T-Mac, Luis Landry and the other Rockets host the Indiana Pacers tonight.

And I'll spare you the dramatic conclusion to any game preview - the Rockets are winning their 16th in a row tonight. Why? Because the Pacers best player has to earn his points against one Shane Battier. Oh, yeah, it turns out they already know each other. Awesome.

Back to the point though. Dunleavy has apparently learned how to not suck as a basketball player this year. He recently had a career high 36 points. And then matched it in the next game. But tonight he gets to try to go for 36 against Mr. Battier. Whose sole purpose in life right now is to make sure the opposing team's best player has a bad night.

Battier usually succeeds in these missions.

Dunleavy's only real chance? Distract Battier with trivia questions about popular television shows from the 1970s.

Seriously though - does anyone really think Dunleavy, Jr. is going to top 30 tonight? Battier has shut down Carmelo Anthony, Rudy Gay, Antawn Jamison and D-Wade (among others) within the last couple weeks. Dunleavy is not on their level.

Who else is going to score tonight for Indy? Jeff Foster and Troy Murphy are ecstatic that Yao Ming isn't playing, but they still gotta get their shots up against Mt. Mutombo. And then they get to battle with Luis Landry. So far, no one has really enjoyed that task.

If T-Mac plays nice, Luis Landry has the typical 20+ points, 10 rebound performance, Battier holds Dunleavy Jr. under his average and Rafer doesn't decide to shoot 20 times - the Rockets should be in really good shape to maintain the winning streak in anticipation of Thursday's HUGE game against Dallas.

Go Rockets. Win #40 coming tonight.

The Rockets take on the Pacers

Wow, seems like I haven't written in forever, even though it has only been a couple of days. The Rockets took a much needed two day rest and get back to the job of ass kicking tonight against the Indiana Pacers at 7:30PM CST in the Toyota Center.

Indiana Pacers: 24-36 (12-18 on the road, 12-18 at home for that matter), 4-6 in their last 10

Houston Rockets: 39-20 (21-9 at home) 10-0 in their last 10

The Pacers are crazy symmetrical this year with the same amount of win and losses on the road and at home. They've even beat some big names on the road: New Orleans by 12, Denver by 2, Portland by 6, Orlando by 6, and Toronto by 11. In their last two games they are averaging 124 points a game, of course they are also giving up 105.2 on average this season, third from last in the entire NBA.

The last time these two teams played, the Rockets escaped with a Carl Landry led victory by only 3 points at Conseco Fieldhouse. He scored 13 in the fourth in front of his Purdue coach and the legend of Landry really started to gel. It was also win 2 in a row in a streak that is now standing at 15. It was a no-effin way game, as the Pacers were making everything, but the Rockets somehow pulled it out and started to prove my prognostications correct.

My prediction for tonight? 16 in a row. Can you believe it? We will be 20 games over .500 after tonight's game, this team was 2 games under .500 on January 2nd.

Check out IndyCornrows as it is always fantastic

Recap and Preview All Wrapped in One

Last night the Rockets won a no Effin Way game. And while Simmons may be the first guy that put that concept in print (that I know of), that concept has been around since the first Madden. The Pacers couldn't miss at times last night, even when the Rockets played lock down defense on about 9 possessions last night they still seemed to score. Most of that damage came from the three point line where the Pacers shot a season high 12-24. Career .369 three point shooter Shawne Williams was 3-3. Only Mike Dunleavy, 1-4, shot less than 50% from the behind the line. Luckily for the Rockets, he's the guy that heaved the final three pointer of the game that ended it without overtime and with a Rockets win. I don't really have too much more about the game, but it sure was nice for the Rockets to pull out a game that earlier in the season they would have blown and lost by double digits. Yep, that was nice.

Here is IndyCornrows' Recap
And to answer his "question"

Was it just me, or did Tracy McGrady seem to float through most of the game? He had a few spurts here and there, but considering the Pacers troubles stopping dribble penetration I figured T-Mac would be taking it to the hole, setting up open jumpers for himself all night. He didn't appear interested in putting out that much effort. Maybe he was still sick.

No it wasn't just you, Tracy has just decided to loaf when he doesn't feel like playing, it's really sad to see.

Up next the good guys take on the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30PM CST. Did you know that Milwaukee is an Indian name? In fact, it's pronounced "mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for "the good land." I saw Wayne's World and learned that from Alice Cooper. I'm pretty sure that makes me an expert on Milwaukee and Aurora, IL for that matter too. The Bucks have one great player that gets no real recognition in Micheal Redd, a great defender (cause he's a Longhorn) in Royal Ivey, a guy that is ridiculously overpaid in Bobby Simmons, a guy that shouldn't have been drafted over Chris Paul or Deron Williams in Andrew Bogut, oh, and Yi Jianlian, a guy Yao has said he thinks will be better than him one day, luckily today is not that day. What does that add up to? Not much really except the occasional 35-40 point game from Redd.

Milwaukee: 18-29 (13-7 At Home) They are 5-5 in their last ten at home after starting out at 8-2 and settling down.

Houston: 26-20 (14-11 On the Road) The Rockets have won 6 in a row on the road and 8-2 on the road in their last ten.

The Bucks last 5 wins at home were against Washington by 3 in OT, Indiana by 12, Atlanta by 7, Miami by 6, and Charlotte by 4. There was one good team in that mix and they had to win in OT after blowing an 11 point lead in the last minute and 32 seconds. The last 5 losses were to Phoenix by 9, Golden State by 20, Washington by 24, New Jersey by 2, and Sacramento by 13. That basically boils down to complete schizophrenia and a very slim chance of beating a good team, hell a slim chance at not getting blown out by one.

The last game between them the Rockets won 104-88 on November 9th back when they were 5-1.

I'm not very good apparently at predicting scores or big games from anyone, so I'll just keep to my prediction sheet and say this will be the 3rd win of 10 in a row for the Rockets.

Here is Brewhoop.com's Preview

Rockets vs. Pacers

Tonight the Rockets take on the Indiana Pacers at 6PM CST. Basically meaning I will not see this game live. Note to self: Remember to call home and get Mrs. UofTOrange the DVR (Actually I'll call now so I don't forget). Okay, I'm back from making that important phone call, damn glad I remembered to do that. Luckily Grey's Anatomy and Lost aren't on tonight so I didn't have to get divorced for asking for her to tape the game. So back to your regularly scheduled program:

The Rockets take on the Pacers in Indiana.

Indiana Pacers: 19-27 (9-11 at Home)
9th in the Eastern Conference

Houston Rockets: 25-20 (13-11 on the Road)
10th in the Western Conference

That's right, 5 games over gets you 10th in the West, in the East there are currently two teams in the playoffs under .500, Atlanta at 6 games under and New Jersey at 7 games under. Not really a revelation, but something I cannot help but point out.

What do I have to say about the Pacers other than I love Reggie Miller? Surprisingly little, though Tom from IndyCornrows did a good job below of answering some of our questions. I really do like Danny Granger, and I thought he was the third best guy in the 2005 draft not named CP3 or DWill, but since he's on the Pacers I haven't been able to see him much. But Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy went to two of my most hated schools, so that evens out to ambivalence. I liked when the Pacers mattered, after this game I hope they find a groove.

I found, via IndyCornrows, that there is a good preview here of the game: http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/preview_080201.html

And I agree with most of that preview, Yao is going to dominate. But the part in bold below I found funny:
"I was watching video before practice and they were playing San Antonio and San Antonio was guarding him with two men and he still scored," O'Brien said. "So he's a pretty big load and they've surrounded him with guys that can shoot the three. We had not a little bit of difficulty guarding Rasheed Wallace; Yao is probably the premier low-post presence so we're going to have to figure something out before 7 o'clock (Friday) night to make sure he doesn't single-handedly beat us."

They did? Other than Steve Novak when did that happen? It can if they take my plea from below and trade for Redick though!!

Oh, and I'm sorry Jim, but Yao is going to be huge tonight. This is win 2 of 10 in a row, coming to you live on regional television at 6PM CST.

Speaking with the Enemy

Okay, so Tom is not exactly an "enemy" and he's actually a pretty cool guy - in addition to being the author, editor and creator of the best Indiana Pacers blog on these here interwebs, Indy Cornrows. Considering that the Rockets take on the Pacers tonight at 6pm CST in Indianapolis - we figured why not toss a few random questions at Tom and watch him sweat it out? Here's our Q&A... (our questions in italics)

[note, the first five questions are mine, Lee piled on with four more last night]

1. It's been nearly a year since the "whitewash" trade that brought Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Troy Murphy to Indiana, while shipping out Captain Jack and depleting possible salacious story lines for the media covering the Pacers. What's your take on the trade - was it good for the Pacers? Did it cripple your present and future? Are you genuinely happy that Stephen Jackson is finding success in Oakland?

The trade had definite pros and cons, but I really think the impact of the trade was over hyped. Stephen Jackson had worn out his welcome in Indy and he was frustrated playing in Rick Carlisle's controlling system. His nightly effort had deteriorated. I hated to see Al Harrington leave town, but for some reason he and Jermaine O'Neal never meshed on the court very well. They were great friends off the court, but their on court games just didn't compliment each other. On the other hand, Dunleavy has been incredible this season, Murphy has played well at times and not so well a lot of times. Ike Diogu was injured early in the year and has had problems since he returned. So, would the Pacers be much different today if the trade wasn't made? A little, assuming O'B was brought in. Offensively they wouldn't be any different, but defensively is where the difference would be felt. But, that's assuming Jack was happy and healthy. No one involved in the trade is worthy of a leading role on a team. Their success depends on supporting better players around them. I'm real happy Jack has found an environment to thrive in out with the Warriors. He thrives on the edge of chaos, so runnin' and gunnin' with Nellie Ball is a perfect fit for Jack.

2. Seriously, I thought Mike Dunleavy Jr. sucked. When did he become the Eli of the NBA?

Two things stick out in Dunleavy's improved play. For one, the system Jim O'Brien implemented is perfect for him. A glaring weakness in Dun's game is taking a defender off the dribble and finishing at the hoop. In Nellie Ball, if the ball doesn't go up on a shot or fast break layup, someone has to drive to the hole and finish or kick out for a shot (oversimplified, I know). So Dun was either had to launch up a shot that may be contested or try to take it to the rack. Yikes. O'B also employs a running game but when the ball is in the half-court the team runs a motion offense (at least they should). When Dun is scoring for the Pacers, there's plenty of ball and player movement. He moves extremely well without the ball, and seems to shoot much better when catching and shooting within the flow of the offense. Which brings me to Dun's second area of improvement -- shooting confidence. He came to town last year with an inconsistent stroke and I was advocating that he give up trying 3-balls. There seemed to be a yip in his follow through some nights. It wasn't pretty. This year he's been shooting with a ton of confidence and a consistent stroke. I think knowing where he's going to get his shots and being able to move into shots to develop some rhythm has helped that confidence.

3. What is the one thing the Pacers need to do to be competitive with Detroit and Boston in the East by the end of the 2009 season?

Honestly, they need to take a lead pipe to the knees of Rasheed, Billups, Tayshaun, KG, Pierce, and Ray Allen. If J.O. is healthy, that ought to even things up. If the Pacers skip the assault plan, they need to solidify their front court and point guard position, which will require a trade or two, excellent draft choices and a little luck.

4. Since we all believe Jermaine O'Neal will not be a Pacer by November of '08, what kind of package of players do you expect to get in return for him? And how much do Pacer fans regret the team not pulling the trigger on an O'Neal for Lamar Odom and spare parts trade with the Lakers this past summer?

J.O. is going to be awfully hard to move and I don't see him leaving $45 million on the table by opting out. I don't think he'll ever live up to that salary again, but I'd just be happy if he was healthy and productive again. The Pacers really miss his defensive presence. He believes he is heading into his prime years and is making sure his knee is healthy for those years, but it is hard not to think his best days are past. At this point, Kwame Brown and Javaris Crittenton or Jordan Farmar would be a great deal. The Pacers need to start over but until J.O.'s situation is resolved, it ain't happening.

5. Who guards Yao on Friday? And at what point in the third quarter can I expect that person to foul out?

I'm sure Jeff Foster will probably start out on Yao. He may foul out, but I can almost guarantee that David Harrison will probably have to play Yao at some point and he will most certainly foul out.

6. If O'Neal could have come out like Kobe did and put the past behind him and just played, in your opinion would it have made a difference? I'm under the impression that it would have, but it's possible that you just have too many front court players for it to have mattered.

I think J.O.'s attitude was fine heading into the season. The problem was he just wasn't healthy. He and the team wanted to believe his knee was 100% but it wasn't. He's maybe played five games this year where he had a bounce in his step and some lift in his jump. It is not hard to tell when J.O. is playing hurt and as valiant as that might sound, his production is awful when he's not at full strength.

7. Living in Indiana how big of a following do the Pacers have? (ed. note - my parents are actually from Indiana. And you wonder why I am such a basketball junkie? - David) It's obviously basketball country, but sometimes things don't translate to the pro game. In the mid 90s I got to go see a Pacers/Knicks game at Indiana and was impressed, but how much of that was the team playing well and how much was it blind obsession? Do the Pacers still have the hearts of the state even with the Colts being a great team? Are they equally loved?

Make no mistake, this is a basketball state but the Pacers have turned off a lot of fans with all of the off-court problems. You juxapose those problems with the Colts squeaky clean image and the Pacers appear in complete disarray. In reality, the Colts have had more off-field problems over the past few years, but never with the high profile players. Plus, the offending players for the Colts usually end up off the roster before long. When you only have 12 players suiting up they're all high profile and salary rules make it real hard to move troubled players in the NBA. There are plenty of Pacer fans that will return when they feel the team is worth rooting for and/or starts winning. Right now IU, Purdue and Butler offer great alternatives for the hoop fans around here, so there is a lot of competition in this small NBA market. They've always had that competition. In fact, in 1977, the year after the Pacers went from the ABA to the NBA, then coach, Slick Leonard, and his wife hosted a "Save the Pacers" telethon to drum up enough ticket sales to keep the team in Indy.

8. Who is your favorite non-Reggie Miller Pacer of all time and why?

I could go a few directions here, but I'd have to say Mark Jackson. He played the game with style and gave the Pacers a swagger that impacted 1-12 on the roster. Plus, in running the show he set up Reggie for plenty of big shots.

9. I firmly believe Reggie is a Hall of Famer. And considering that he is Dave's favorite NBA player of all time (ed. note - yes, this is all true) not named Robert Horry, he agrees (Dave owns a Reggie Miller jersey, I think it's the only non-Houston or SMU based jersey he has). If you were giving a speech for his nomination, what would be the first story of his game that came to mind?

Closer. Reggie was a closer for the best Pacer teams. We've all lost track of the number of times everyone knew he would shoot the game deciding shot, we all moved to the edge of our seats, he freed himself for an open shot through sheer will, now we're standing, he received a pass, rose to launch a jumper as everone raised their arms, release, odd rotation, splash. Delirium! Take a bow. Enjoy the goose bumps, Dave.

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We would like to thank Tom for taking the time out to answer our completely random and off-the-wall questions. We'd also like to thank his Pacers in advance to letting the Rockets get to 26-20 tonight! Go Rockets!