3* - Houston Rockets (+2?) -104 Pinny
It may be time to pass the baton as Yao Ming is showing that he may now be the best center in the league while Shaq is showing signs that his 14 years of play have taken a toll on the big guy. His 13.7 points and 6.7 rebound per game in three games this season are not likely to hold up against Yao who has matured into a force to be contended with.
Shaq returned to play against New Jersey last Friday night after sitting out for two games with a bruised knee and went 5 for 13 shooting and many of his shots were bricks. An uncharacteristic 3 for five effort from the free throw line gave him 13 points in a game in which he fouled out with 2:36 to play. Without Jason Williams in the game, the Heat?s play has been drastically slowed down and O?Neil is a big reason for that. Flash is going to get his but so is McGrady for that matter.
Houston is playing very well right now having won three straight. Everyone on the court is contributing offensively for the Rockets and even Battier seems to have learned how to shoot the ball averaging nearly 10 points per game. Houston went into Miami in the preseason and beat Miami by 25 points in a game in which the Heat starters played the entire game and while that one did not count, it gives us a clear indication that this year?s Rockets team is much improved and matches up very well against the defending Champs giving me every reason to believe they can win this one outright.
It may be time to pass the baton as Yao Ming is showing that he may now be the best center in the league while Shaq is showing signs that his 14 years of play have taken a toll on the big guy. His 13.7 points and 6.7 rebound per game in three games this season are not likely to hold up against Yao who has matured into a force to be contended with.
Shaq returned to play against New Jersey last Friday night after sitting out for two games with a bruised knee and went 5 for 13 shooting and many of his shots were bricks. An uncharacteristic 3 for five effort from the free throw line gave him 13 points in a game in which he fouled out with 2:36 to play. Without Jason Williams in the game, the Heat?s play has been drastically slowed down and O?Neil is a big reason for that. Flash is going to get his but so is McGrady for that matter.
Houston is playing very well right now having won three straight. Everyone on the court is contributing offensively for the Rockets and even Battier seems to have learned how to shoot the ball averaging nearly 10 points per game. Houston went into Miami in the preseason and beat Miami by 25 points in a game in which the Heat starters played the entire game and while that one did not count, it gives us a clear indication that this year?s Rockets team is much improved and matches up very well against the defending Champs giving me every reason to believe they can win this one outright.
