In This Life: Sports

Who Will Win the Series

Mon, 26 May 2008 14:29:49 GMT

Who will win the series? Lakers and Spurs, which team will get the NBA Western Conference Champion? Many Lakers fans believe their team will win at last. So do Spurs fans. But for me, it's hard to answer this question. Although Lakers led the series 2-0 before today's game.

I'm not a Lakers fan or Spurs fan. If Lakers win, it will be the victory of Kobe. And if Spurs do, it will belong to Duncan, I think.

And today, we must pay attention to a very important point that Spurs picked up crucial home win in Game 3.

The winners of any playoff game always give the impression that they are, indeed, unbeatable. Just as the losers look like they have no chance of ever winning. Honestly, however, virtually every contest in the money season is totally existential. It means there's no real carryover from game to game. So it was that the Spurs responder to being blown out in last game. They have changed tone of series vs. Lakers.

They did it in time, didn't they?

Today, Ginobili whom Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said such a competitor scored 30 points to lead the Spurs to a 103-84 victory over the Lakers in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. "He puts so much on his shoulders, he fights through a lot of things. He's got a lot of confidence in what he can do," Popovich said.

Ginobili, the league's top sixth man hit five of the Spurs' 10 3-pointers and got to the rim a few times to prevent the defending champions from falling into an 0-3 hole. No NBA team has ever overcome this difficulty.

Out of question, Ginobili was the key factor which helped the Spurs win today. He showed no trace of his lingering ankle injury, running, cutting, leaping and shooting with the kind of ferocious grace that we have grown used to seeing from him.

Kobe still played like Kobe, but the Lakers couldn't handle the Spurs in this game.

Now the Lakers lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Wednesday in San Antonio.

I don't care which team will win the conference champion. For the two teams and two super stars, I have too complicated feelings. I love Kobe Bryant. I also love Tim Duncan. So I can't choose which one I love more easily. But I don't agree what Bruce Bowen has been doing on the floor. It's not consistent with the meaning of basketball. But you can't forbid it according to the rules. That's the point.

And what they need most is the NBA World Champion. They have got some champions. They still urge more.

Excellent, and Also Alone

Sat, 03 May 2008 15:58:32 GMT

He is excellent, absolutely. And, of course, he is also alone. Who can be the one of that kind?

That is Tracy McGrady the one who falls down in the first-round series of NBA playoffs again.

Today, T-Mac did everything he could. I can feel that he was being exhausted on the floor. He tried to save the Rockets. He scored 40 points for the Rockets.He scored eight of Houston's first 10 points. He finished 13-for-26. He got 28 points in the first half while his highest game score in the past 5 games is 29. He tried to carry the Rockets. But few of his teammates climbed aboard.

T-Mac pushed the Rockets through the end of the second quarter, going on a 9-0 run and scoring 13 straight for Houston while cutting a 17-point lead to 58-54 at halftime. But the Rockets could get nothing going in the third quarter, scoring only 11 points while going 4-for-22 from the floor and looking a lot like the Jazz had when Houston staved off elimination Wednesday at home. T-Mac had just one point in this quarter.

On the contrary, Deron Williams scored 13 of his 25 points in this decisive quarter. The Jazz didn't want to put themselves in that situation again and snuffed the Rockets' hopes by opening the third quarter with a 20-5 run, which Williams capped with seven straight points. He made back-to-back 3-pointers and prompted Houston to call a timeout.

T-Mac came out firing in the fourth quarter. But even he, the two-times scoring champion couldn't save the Rockets. Because nobody helped him. He was just fighting alone. He couldn't beat the Jazz by himself. He fell to 0-7 in playoff series. That is what we have seen, a cruel fact.

At the moment, out of question, he is the poorest man in the world. He must be so sad today. He felt what the pain was if helpless. He saw the reality he faced again. What a pity!

Some say T-Mac is weak. Maybe. But today, no one can say that. We could see clearly that he was doing everything he could to save his team and his honour. Didn't you see that he was fighting by himself and nobody could stand up to help him? What a poor man! He exhausted himself to score points as many as possible. He run after the Jazz with his strong scoring. He fired fiercely and continuously. That's what he has done.

Nevertheless, his teammates couldn't fight together with him. They couldn't score. Meanwhile, they couldn't prevent the Jazz scoring. They were just spectators on the floor. Facing the Jazz's offense, they could do nothing. Working with these men, how could you desire T-Mac to get wins?

So what could T-Mac do except saying "I will be back"?

I believe he will be back next season. But I'm not sure whether he will get more when he fights for his dream again. I hope he would get something really meaningful one day. Because I still believe he is excellent. Although he might be alone again.

Good luck, Tracy.

We know you were hurt.

Found New Life

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:59:29 GMT

Scoring seven points in a quarter is normally nothing for Tracy McGrady.

But today, with his team down 2-0 in the opening round of the playoffs, it meant everything to the Houston Rockets.

T-Mac scored all of those seven in the final 3:29, finally snapping out of a fourth-quarter slump and finishing with 27 to lead the Rockets to a 92-92 victory over the Jazz.

The Jazz wanted to give the Rockets a sweep. Now it has been a joke.

T-Mac, who had scored one point total in the fourth quarter of the first two games of the series, said that this was a very emotional win for them. Yes, it exactly was. The Rockets needs a win more than any other team. And today, T-Mac did it very well. He was fighting like a real man on the floor.

Rafer Alston returned to the Rockets' lineup today in Utah after missing four straight games because of a hamstring injury. He added 20 points and five assists in his first game. It's not easy for him. Really very, very hard. But he made it.

Thank Carl Landry. He sacrificed his left front tooth because of an elbow from Carlos Boozer in the second quarter and was bleeding when he was led to the locker room. But he was back for the second half. When the game was nearly over, he swatted away Deron William's shot that could have won it for the Jazz. Thanks to his key block, the Rockets leaded 2 points and finally won the game.

Today, the Rockets saved themselves for a while for themselves. They are still struggling. They need fighting for their honour.

It seems they have found new life in Utah.Hope they could continue this sweet new life in the rest games, especially Game 4.

Whatever, it's a big game and a big win. And for the Houston Rockets fans and many Chinese people, at this time, it's much more helpful than giving them some water when thirsty. They enjoy it.

NBA Western & Eastern Conferences Playoffs

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:39:06 GMT

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P.S.The Jazz won the season series 2-1 and have the confidence of having come back from down 3-2 to knock out the Rockets last year in the first round. Now they will meet again. And without Yao, how many things could they do? For T-Mac and his teammates, how far will they go this time?

Will they stop in the first-round series again?

It's Over

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:00:59 GMT

Houston Rockets' remarkable ride is over.

Houston Rockets are about to close their straight wins in a few minutes. They can't drive past Boston. The Rockets lose their luck after all.

Today, the Rockets play in Toyota Center versus Boston Celtics. Though Ray Allen sits out, it's still very hard to the Rockets. Celtics have KG and PP who can both contribute a lot for the team. As for the Rockets, Yao has been out for many days because of foot injury. Now everything depends on McGrady.

But tonight, McGrady's situation seems not very good. He can't score and assist freely like what he did in the past 22 straight wins. Celtics give him so much pressure when he tries to shoot.

From the third quarter, KG began to brighten up. Meanwhile, the Rockets began to lose their direction. They seemed to close their eyes and couldn't see where the basketry exactly was. Celtics have lead the Rockets for more than twenty points. And the Rockets can't do anything to make some changes. What can they do at present?

They are not lucky any more. 22 straight wins are enough and will be recorded in the NBA history. The Rockets have made history which seems impossible to them. That's great! Now they need to think about the playoffs. They have to make some plans if they want to go further.

Tomorrow facing Hornets and Chris Paul, could the Rockets get a win?

18 - 0

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 05:29:45 GMT

Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets are making it look easy, even against the best teams in the Western Conference.

This morning, McGrady scored 41 points and the Rockets stretched their winning streak to 18 games with a 106-96 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

The Rockets have the NBA's longest winning streak since the Lakers won 19 in a row in the 1999-2000 season. Houston became just the seventh team in history to win 18 or more consecutive games.

McGrady hit 17 of 27 shots, reaching 40 points for the fourth time this season. The Rockets also made a season-high 14 3-pointers. It's hard to believe that the Rockets could rack up so many wins after Yao Ming went out with a foot injury. How did they do that?

The Rockets have won 27 of their last 30 games, the best record in the NBA since the beginning of 2008. They are setting records and breaking records at the same time. Honestly, I can't believe that. But it's the fact. That's true. We all hope the Rockets will continue their way to get more wins.

18 + n - 0 at last? 19 or more than 20 wins? Let's look towards.

I Can Play

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:14:51 GMT

Who saved Rockets today? Neither Yao nor T-Mac. It's Shane Battier! His 3-point shoot helped Rockets get a 95-93 win against Lakers.

What a wonderful play by Battier . He supplied the dagger to the Lakers' hearts. His 3-pointer from the right wing with 2.5 seconds remaining broke a 92-92 tie. He could shout to the world "I CAN PLAY" like what he does in a TV advertisement of Peak, a famous sport brand in China.

After Battier answered with his 3, the Lakers called timeout and inbounded the ball with 1.3 seconds showing. Bryant was fouled immediately and made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second. The rebound came back to him, but the ball was knocked out of his hands as time expired. Game was over! Rockets won!

Tracy McGrady scored 30 points and grabbed six rebounds. Yao Ming had 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Bryant scored 45 points, 18 in the fourth quarter. He had done everything that he could do. But basketball doesn't belong to any single man. It takes five. His teammates couldn't help him a lot. He needs better hands.

NBA Draft 2007

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:08:05 GMT

It's unexpected that two Chinese players succeeded in landing at NBA.

Yi Jianlian was selected by Bucks, and Sun Yue by Lakers. They are both very young and surely have the potential to be better. They will be the best teammates of Yao in Beijing 2008 Olimpic Games. At present they lack most in experience and consciousness. They need to surpass themselves.

I'm not optimistic about their prospect of next season. They will have much trouble in adjustment of palying basketball in America and NBA.

So good luck, my Chinese guys!

Rockets, Please Don't

Sun, 06 May 2007 19:02:05 GMT

Houston Rockets, what a nice name! And powerful too.

But yesterday, they didn't play as soon as they could.

They lost Game 7 at series. First-round loss again!

Unbelievable.

Rockets, please don't.

They had a 2:0 lead. But now they lost.

I don't know why. How can they do that?

The failure makes me very sad, deeply sad.

Yao & T-Mac, could you get the NBA world championship before you retire? You are both super stars. But you don't have the rings.

What about next year? The year after next?

You need to be more strong, both in mind and body.

Football Party

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 17:22:14 GMT

Worlds Collide

Thirty-two nations, one golden dream.

Five Players To Watch

1. Kaká, Brazil

2. Michael Ballack, Germany

3. Francesco Totti, Italy

4. Oguchi Onyewu, U.S.

5. Lionel Messi, Argentina

Five Teams To Watch

1. United States

2. France

3. Ivory Coast

4. Spain

5. Australia

Five Storylines To Follow

1. A return to normalcy.

2. Will Wayne Rooney even Play?

3. Will the Serie A scandal affcet Italy?

4. Can Spain's Luis Aragones and Ulraine's Oleg Blokin hold their tongues?

5. Mixing politics with sports.

Now it's our party of football. Let's look forward to these Fives together.

Go, Mavericks

Sun, 04 Jun 2006 17:20:15 GMT

Mavs rally to finish Suns, earn first trip to NBA Finals

It's wonderful! It's a great win!

Dirk Nowitzki shook off an awful start and the Mavericks' defense shut down Phoenix in a second-half comeback, beating the Suns 102-93 on Saturday night to win the Western Conference finals 4-2.

"That's the kind of defense we play under Avery," Nowitzki said, "and it won us the game in the second half."

Nowitzki, coming off a career playoff high 50 points in Game 5, scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half and the Mavericks clinched a series on the road for the third time in three tries in these playoffs.

"For the first time in my life," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said, "I'm speechless."

Dallas opens the NBA finals at home against the Miami Heat on Thursday night. It will be a showdown of finals' first-timers, the first time that's happened since Baltimore played Milwaukee in 1971.

"This was a special night for us," Johnson said. "We were so bad in the first half and so good in the second half. The way we turned it on from the middle of the third quarter on into the fourth was incredible."

Johnson, the NBA coach of the year in his first full season, focused on adding toughness and defense to a team known as a high-scoring, finesse squad.

NBA's MVP for the 2004-06 season,Steve Nash thought the team may have simply worn down, unable to keep up the energy that was so necessary for its success without big Amare Stoudemire, who missed all but three games this season because of knee surgery.

The Suns needed seven games to beat the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers in the first two rounds, and led at the half in five of the six games against Dallas.

"I don't know if you can pin it all on fatigue," Nash said, "but I also think it would be ignorant not to say it played a part."

Congratulations, Dallas. You paly well.

Actually, I am not the fan of Mavericks. Tracy McGrady is my favourite. However, I send my best regards to Dalls, especially for Dirk. Afrer all, it's a exciting victory whick belongs to all of the players and fans. That is BASKETBALL.

Go, Mavericks. Play for the NBA World Champion. And tell O'Neal and Wade that you are the best!

Congratulations, Houston Rockets

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 17:11:17 GMT

It's wonderful.Houston Rockets won.Yesterday, in Toyota Center Rockets got a 98-89 win over Kings.Yao ,McGrady and Barry played best.They got 69 points together and helped Houston win the first game.Yao contributed 22 points,10 rebounds and 4 assists in 25 minutes.Obviously,Yao played better and better for his high efficiency and great power.Houston's success was very inspiring.

Like the NBA players,I played basketball from Tuesday to Thursday in the afternoon.I often play as a shooting guard for years.These days I was in good condition.My held ball and perimeter shot were both very good.I jumped to shoot and scored wherever I was.I made the defenseman feel very pavid.All the others said my shots were beyond belief.I was in the focus.I found that I played like Tracy McGrady more day by day.I dare to say I can be better.Tomorrow I will still go to the playground.The hoop is my goal.

Go, Rockets. Go,young man.