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Yao vs. Clippers - 3/12/03

Yao and former Chinese national teammate Wang Zhi-Zhi share a rare moment where they are on the same court together. Yao's Rocket team got the better of the Clippers this time around by winning 118-114 in overtime. (AP photo)

In one of the craziest games of the year, the Rockets climbed out of the grave and avoided a certain loss at one point to beat the LA Clippers 118-114 in overtime at Compaq Center Wednesday night. It's ironic the Rockets turned the tables on the Clippers after suffering one of their most painful losses of the year back on November 24th in LA. In both games, each team had five-point leads late in the game, only to lose because of opposing player heroics.

The Rockets needed more than clutch shots to win this game, though. In one of the most bizarre sequence of plays this season with the game tied and only a few seconds remaining, James Posey inexplicably fouled Andre Miller with one second remaining in regulation as Miller was making a move to shoot a prayer of a fadeaway jumper that probably would not have beaten the buzzer anyway. That foul put Miller at the line with 1.1 seconds remaining to win it. On his first free throw attempt, Miller made the shot to essentially secure the victory, but the ref called him for a lane violation after he supposedly crossed the line before the ball hit the rim. Although Miller been called for this violation several times before this season, replays showed he didn't cross the line this time. Of course, after such a psychologically rattling call and with the Compaq Center crowd yelling at the top of their lungs, it was no surprise Miller missed the second attempt to send the game into OT.

What's scary for Houston as they attempt to make the playoffs is that this game should not have been so close. The Clippers (now 20-44) have a brand new coach in Dennis Johnson, were playing without center Michael Olowokandi and Elton Brand, and played reserve center Cherokee Parks (average 5.4 PPG) many more minutes than normal. For some reason, the Rockets allowed the very strange-looking, tattooed Cherokee to light them up as he scored a season-high 18 points while at one time was shooting 6-for-6 from the field.

How did Yao do?

Yao uncharacteristically got into early foul trouble and hardly played in the first half and scored 0 points by halftime. Ironically, this extra rest he had in the 1st half might have worked out to the Rockets' favor because of the extra minutes he played in the crucial fourth period and overtime. But in the third quarter, he started making his presence felt as he gave the Rockets' struggling offense another scoring option. Yao scored 8 points in a row for the Rockets to turn a 57-60 deficit into a 65-64 lead, and he finished with 10 points overall. Yao also was an enforcer by blocking 5 shots, with a couple of them occurring at key moments of the game.

By also racking up 10 rebounds, Yao recorded his 23rd double-double of the season, which ties him with fellow rookie Amare Stoudemire for the rookie lead.

The other guys delivered, too

Glen Rice had a big game, scoring 25 points (5-for-10 from 3-point range), with five of those points being scored consecutively on two long jumpers to close a 6-point deficit to 1-point (101-102) with 23 seconds remaining. It looks like the trade for Rice a couple of years ago may finally be starting to pay dividends.

After Parks hit two free throws, Steve Francis (who also scored 25 points) hit a cold-blooded 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to tie the score at 104-104.

And for the second game in a row, five Rockets scored in double figures, with Maurice Taylor (18 points) and Mobley (23) joining Yao, Rice and Francis. Kelvin Cato (9 points) also filled in admirably for Yao in the first half while he sat on the bench with foul trouble. If Cato hadn't missed one of his free throws, he would have also joined this double-digit crew.

What if?

One thing is for certain: if the Rockets had lost this crucial game that had playoff ramifications (and would have been their 6th loss in a row to the Clippers), the fallout in Houston would have been enormous. The Rockets have blown approximately 15 games against teams they should have beaten this season; to lose once again at home against a team with a bad record could have done major damage to the Rockets psyche as they enter the final 19 games of the season. Instead, they are now tied with Phoenix for the 8th and final seed in the Western Conference playoffs, and next play on Friday night the Chicago Bulls, a team similar to the Clippers who also beat the Rockets earlier in the season.

Detailed Yao Analysis
vs. Los Angeles Clippers 3/12/03
Brought to you by John & Jeff

1st quarter - Yao starts the game.

8:30 Bad
Call At the left elbow of the free throw line to free up James Posey, Yao sets a screen on Clipper small forward Lamar Odom. A bit of contact occurs, and Yao gets called for the ticky-tack foul! That's two early fouls now on Yao! Come on refs, let 'em play!!!

8:29 Due to early foul trouble, Yao is forced to exit the game earlier than usual. Cato comes in for Yao, who has 0 points (0-for-1 shooting) and 1 block. The Rockets lead 8-4.

2nd quarter - Although the Rockets started out the game strongly, the Clippers have answered back with excellent play, and closed the quarter with the lead. The Rockets trail the Clippers 26-28.

Kelvin Cato starts the quarter.

8:36 Yao checks back into the game for Cato. At this point, we would like to pat Kelvin Cato on the back. Cato has performed admirably in Yao's place, scoring 9 points and grabbing several rebounds in only about 7 minutes of play. Good job Cato! The Rockets lead 34-32.
4:48 Off a high screen, Clipper point guard Marko Jaric turns the corner and drives down the open right lane. Yao is a bit late, and tries to meet Jaric down low. Jaric makes a smart play by faking a pass and going in strong and the result: Jaric and Yao collide, and Jaric is able to draw Yao's third foul! The crowd moans vociferously its disapproval. For the second time this game, Yao is forced to leave early due to foul trouble; this time, he'll have to sit out the remainder of the half. Cato checks in as a frustrated Yao heads to the bench. The Rockets lead the Clippers 34-32.

Halftime - In the first half, both the Rockets and the Clippers played well. The Rockets ended the second quarter on a nice 8-2 run, giving them the halftime lead 55-53. With the Phoenix Suns only 1/2 a game up on the Rockets for the eighth and final playoff spot, the significance of this game cannot be overly stressed. With that in mind, we hope to see Yao stay out of foul trouble and become a strong factor in the second half.

3rd quarter - Yao starts the third quarter.

9:19 Free
Throws With four seconds left on the shot clock, James Posey launches a difficult 3-pointer near the right corner. The ball rattles in and out, but Yao is there to vacuum up the offensive rebound! Yao pump fakes once and goes up strong, but Clipper Corey Maggette almost takes Yao's head off with a hard hack! We all grimmace as we watch a replay of Maggette's hard hit on Yao, but Yao shows that he's okay by making both free throws. Yao gets his first two points of the game. The Clippers lead 60-59.

8:56 Near the top of the three-point line, Eddie Griffin makes a pass to Yao who catches it in the middle of the paint. It seems like it's been so long since we've seen Yao get the ball in a good offensive set. With Clipper center Sean Rooks guarding him, Yao dribbles once, turns to his left and drains his unstoppable hook shot! Yao is now 1-for-2 from the field, with 4 points. The Rockets trail the Clippers, 62-61.

8:12 Cuttino Mobley drives to the paint right in the thick of the woods. As the Clipper defense centers in, Mobley lobs a pass to Yao who is standing to the right of the rim. Unaware at first that a pass is coming his way, Yao quickly reacts as the ball is in mid-air, catches the lob and slams home a TWO-HANDED JAM! The crowd roars in excitement!!! This gives Yao 6 points now on 2-for-3 shooting. The Rockets trail 64-63.

7:33 Yao and Sean Rooks battle for position along the left edge post. Yao wins this battle as he is able to gain inside position on Rooks. From that position, Yao catches James Posey's pass, dribbles in for the reverse lay-up off the glass and gets the bucket since Cherokee Parks is called for goaltending! That's three in a row now for Yao! Yao has 8 points on 3-for-4 from the field. The Rockets regain the lead 65-64.

4:55 Intimidation Off a screen, Lamar Odom penetrates down to the middle of the paint uncontested. Odom, smelling blood, thinks he's got the easy dunk, but on a GUTSY play, Yao steps in front of the basket ready to challenge Odom. A Clipper from the bench rises in anticipation of his comrade's victory over Yao. Odom and Yao collide, but Yao rises as the victor...Odom's attack of the basket goes amiss. Wow...Yao should be given the nickname "Braveheart".

4th quarter - The Clippers and Rockets continue to keep it close. Everytime the Clippers pull away, the Rockets seem to be able to make a small run just to get back in it. For example, the Rockets ended the third quarter on a much needed 7-2 run. Give the Clippers credit, they are playing as if they were the team that's 1/2 a game behind Phoenix. The Clippers lead the Rockets 80-81.

Seeing how important this games is, Rudy starts Yao for the fourth quarter.

11:43 The first play of the quarter. Yao is given the ball on the left edge and is guarded by old-time rival Clipper Wang Zhi-Zhi. Yao dribbles once to his right, turns to his left and shoots a 13-foot fadeaway along the left baseline. COUNT IT! Yao pumps his fist in the air with elation. Yao's basket has given the Rockets the lead 82-81. Yao now has 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting.

10:57 Intimidation Off a Cherokee Parks screen, Clipper point guard Andre Miller drives in from the left side. Maurice Taylor and Yao rotate to Miller to help out. As Miller drives deeper, Yao shifts under the basket and holds both his arms up high. Miller tries to put a shot up but misses badly.

9:50 The Rockets trail 82-87. Mo Taylor takes a 17-foot jumper on the left side, but Taylor misses. Lamar Odom collects the rebound, and tries to make a outlet pass to Andre Miller, but Yao shows his quick hands by deftly knocking Odom's pass to the ground; Yao then grabs the ball to regain the possession for the Rockets. Nice steal Yao! This Rocket possession eventually ends with a Glen Rice layup, thus narrowing the gap between Rockets and the Clippers. Rockets trail now by the score 84-87.

8:23 Off a Wang Zhi-Zhi 3-pointer miss, Clipper power foward Chris Wilcox grabs the offensive rebound. Although Yao is there to body up Wilcox from the side, Wilcox nonethess tries to go up strong for the easy 1-footer. Yao easily slaps the shot away for the big rejection and Cuttino gets the loose ball. Yao's block is crucial as it maintains the 3-point gap between the Rockets and the Clippers. Clippers lead 90-87.

4:26 Assist The Rockets lead 94-92. The Clippers are playing zone as Glen Rice passes to Yao in the left post. The Clippers, respecting Yao's game, send in Andre Miller for the double-team on Yao. Yao turns around to survey the court, and he spots Cuttino Mobley on the opposite side. Yao's throw a cross-court pass to Cat, who nails the 20-foot jumpshot!! The Houston crowd cheers madly! The Rockets have now increased their lead to 96-92.

4:08 Corey Maggette catches the ball on the right edge post. Maggette turns to face Mobley, and makes a quick fake to right. Mobley doesn't bite on the fake, so Maggette proceeds to back him down. Maggette ends up overpowering Mobley, and goes in for the 2-footer, but out of nowhere Yao flies into the air and with a volleyball-like swing swipes the rock away! Francis gets a handle on the loose ball, and the Rockets gain possession. Again, Yao comes up with a key block just when a defensive stop is needed! The Rockets lead 96-92!

1:00 What a reversal of fortunes! The Clippers now lead 100-96, and they have possession of the basketball after a steal by Lamar Odom. The last Rocket points were off the Yao-to-Mobley assist, and that was almost 3:30 minutes ago!!!

:38.8 The Rockets finally get possession back, but at the cost of 1 more point (Maggette hit 1 of 2 free throws). The Rockets are down by 5 points; the Clippers lead 96-101.

:30.1 Falling to his left, Glen Rice hits a 3-pointer from the right side. But nooooo! The refs call it 2-point basket! The Rockets are now down by 3 points (98-101).

:29.6 Glen Rice quickly fouls Andre Miller to stop the clock. Miller steps up the to line, and misses the first free throw! More importantly, Steve Francis walks to the free throw line and points to the line itself. What Franchise was pointing out to Miller and the officials, was that Miller had crossed the free throw line before the ball touched the rim, implying Miller committed a lane violation! This may or may not have been a key strategic move by Francis, as we will see in the remaining seconds. Miller makes the second free throw. The score is 98-102, Clippers lead.

:24.7 From almost the exact same spot, Glen Rice amazingly hits a 3-pointer!!! Rice is really showing his value to the team in this game!!! The Rockets now trail 101-102.

:13.8 Cherokee Parks makes both his free throw attempts, bolstering the Clipper lead to 101-104. With no time outs left, Francis dribbles up the court on the right side. As Francis gets close to Rice who's waiting around the upper right 3-point line, Andre Miller plays a little off of Francis to possibly double team Rice who's had the hot hand. Rice then cuts to the arc of the 3-point line, and Miller is caught off-guard when Franchise himself launches the three pointer. FRANCHISE NAILS THE 3-POINTER!!! THE GAME IS TIED! THE GAME IS TIED! 104-104! The Houston crowd goes nuts! That's right folks, with 38.8 seconds left the Rockets have outscored the Clippers 8-4, but believe it or not...the game is not over. At this point, Rudy substitutes Yao for James Posey.

:1.1 With time running down, our hearts were broken when James Posey was called for a reach-in foul on Andre Miller with 1.1 seconds left. With no Rocket timeouts left, that was the nail in the coffin. Miller steps up to the free throw line, shoots and makes the free throw. The whistle blows, and the whole crowd goes silent. Andre Miller has just committed a lane violation! Remember how Francis pointed out Miller's earlier lane violation? That may have stuck in the mind of the officals, thus prompting the call. Replay of the free throw showed that there wasn't a lane violation at all. But we'll take the call anyway! However, the Clippers still have a chance to win with Miller's last free throw. Miller steps up to the charity stripe again, and the Houston crowd tries it's best to distract him, and......Miller misses the second free throw!!! Time expires and we're on to overtime!

Overtime - With such an unbelievable comeback late in the fourth quarter, the universe wouldn't be right if the Rockets went on to lose in the overtime period.

4:15 With only four seconds left on the shot clock, Andre Miller puts a spin move on Francis near the top of the key. Miller slips by Francis, but Yao is there to track Miller down, and with almost no time left on the shot clock Miller puts a shot up but Yao is there to reject it! Yao's overwhelming defense leads to a Mobley-to-Francis fastbreak layup! The Rockets have scored the first points in overtime and now lead 106-104!

2:48 Intimidation As Mobley tries to front him, Corey Maggette gets a lob pass over in the right post position. Maggette thinks he's got a clear path, but when he turns to the basket, there's Yao, planted with both hands raised high. Maggette attempts to take it up, but he loses the ball and the ball goes out of bounds. The Rockets get the ball and they lead 108-106.

2:10 Just inside the 3-point line in the left corner, Cherokee Parks attempts to take a long 2-point shot. Yao hustles and makes it over in time to block the shot, and Mobley gets the rebound! Only a fast 7'6" guy with hustle and athleticism could have made that block! The Rockets lead 108-106.

0:00 The Rockets go on to get the breathtaking victory over the Clippers, thus completing the amazing comeback! The final score for the game is 119-114. Not enough can be said about how brilliant Glen Rice was in this game. Rice scored 25 points and shot 9-for-16 from the field and 5-for-10 from the 3-point line. Although Rice's numbers are good, it's his timing that's even better, as his scoring was integral in the fourth quarter comeback. Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Maurice Taylor also deserve much praise for tonight's victory. Mobley ended the game with 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting, Francis had 25 points on 10-for-20 shooting, and Taylor had 18 points on 8-for-17 shooting. Equally as important was Yao's defense, especially in the overtime period. Yao was able to block 2 shots and generate 1 turnover in overtime! With overtime being only 5 minutes long, each defensive play Yao was able to make became more and more vital to the Rocket's victory. Yao finishes the game with 10 points (4-for-8 from the field), 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and a whopping 5 blocks! And as you all know, this win means that Houston is now tied with Phoenix for the eighth seed in the Western Conference!

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1st quarter - Yao starts the game.
8:30	Bad Call	At the left elbow of the free throw line to free up James Posey, Yao sets a screen on Clipper small forward Lamar Odom. A bit of contact occurs, and Yao gets called for the ticky-tack foul! That's two early fouls now on Yao! Come on refs, let 'em play!!!
8:29		Due to early foul trouble, Yao is forced to exit the game earlier than usual. Cato comes in for Yao, who has 0 points (0-for-1 shooting) and 1 block. The Rockets lead 8-4.
2nd quarter - Although the Rockets started out the game strongly, the Clippers have answered back with excellent play, and closed the quarter with the lead. The Rockets trail the Clippers 26-28.
		Kelvin Cato starts the quarter.
8:36		Yao checks back into the game for Cato. At this point, we would like to pat Kelvin Cato on the back. Cato has performed admirably in Yao's place, scoring 9 points and grabbing several rebounds in only about 7 minutes of play. Good job Cato! The Rockets lead 34-32.
4:48		Off a high screen, Clipper point guard Marko Jaric turns the corner and drives down the open right lane. Yao is a bit late, and tries to meet Jaric down low. Jaric makes a smart play by faking a pass and going in strong and the result: Jaric and Yao collide, and Jaric is able to draw Yao's third foul! The crowd moans vociferously its disapproval. For the second time this game, Yao is forced to leave early due to foul trouble; this time, he'll have to sit out the remainder of the half. Cato checks in as a frustrated Yao heads to the bench. The Rockets lead the Clippers 34-32.
Halftime - In the first half, both the Rockets and the Clippers played well. The Rockets ended the second quarter on a nice 8-2 run, giving them the halftime lead 55-53. With the Phoenix Suns only 1/2 a game up on the Rockets for the eighth and final playoff spot, the significance of this game cannot be overly stressed. With that in mind, we hope to see Yao stay out of foul trouble and become a strong factor in the second half.
3rd quarter - Yao starts the third quarter.
9:19	Free Throws	With four seconds left on the shot clock, James Posey launches a difficult 3-pointer near the right corner. The ball rattles in and out, but Yao is there to vacuum up the offensive rebound! Yao pump fakes once and goes up strong, but Clipper Corey Maggette almost takes Yao's head off with a hard hack! We all grimmace as we watch a replay of Maggette's hard hit on Yao, but Yao shows that he's okay by making both free throws. Yao gets his first two points of the game. The Clippers lead 60-59.
8:56		Near the top of the three-point line, Eddie Griffin makes a pass to Yao who catches it in the middle of the paint. It seems like it's been so long since we've seen Yao get the ball in a good offensive set. With Clipper center Sean Rooks guarding him, Yao dribbles once, turns to his left and drains his unstoppable hook shot! Yao is now 1-for-2 from the field, with 4 points. The Rockets trail the Clippers, 62-61.
8:12		Cuttino Mobley drives to the paint right in the thick of the woods. As the Clipper defense centers in, Mobley lobs a pass to Yao who is standing to the right of the rim. Unaware at first that a pass is coming his way, Yao quickly reacts as the ball is in mid-air, catches the lob and slams home a TWO-HANDED JAM! The crowd roars in excitement!!! This gives Yao 6 points now on 2-for-3 shooting. The Rockets trail 64-63.
7:33		Yao and Sean Rooks battle for position along the left edge post. Yao wins this battle as he is able to gain inside position on Rooks. From that position, Yao catches James Posey's pass, dribbles in for the reverse lay-up off the glass and gets the bucket since Cherokee Parks is called for goaltending! That's three in a row now for Yao! Yao has 8 points on 3-for-4 from the field. The Rockets regain the lead 65-64.
4:55	Intimidation	Off a screen, Lamar Odom penetrates down to the middle of the paint uncontested. Odom, smelling blood, thinks he's got the easy dunk, but on a GUTSY play, Yao steps in front of the basket ready to challenge Odom. A Clipper from the bench rises in anticipation of his comrade's victory over Yao. Odom and Yao collide, but Yao rises as the victor...Odom's attack of the basket goes amiss. Wow...Yao should be given the nickname "Braveheart".
4th quarter - The Clippers and Rockets continue to keep it close. Everytime the Clippers pull away, the Rockets seem to be able to make a small run just to get back in it. For example, the Rockets ended the third quarter on a much needed 7-2 run. Give the Clippers credit, they are playing as if they were the team that's 1/2 a game behind Phoenix. The Clippers lead the Rockets 80-81.
		Seeing how important this games is, Rudy starts Yao for the fourth quarter.
11:43		The first play of the quarter. Yao is given the ball on the left edge and is guarded by old-time rival Clipper Wang Zhi-Zhi. Yao dribbles once to his right, turns to his left and shoots a 13-foot fadeaway along the left baseline. COUNT IT! Yao pumps his fist in the air with elation. Yao's basket has given the Rockets the lead 82-81. Yao now has 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting.
10:57	Intimidation	Off a Cherokee Parks screen, Clipper point guard Andre Miller drives in from the left side. Maurice Taylor and Yao rotate to Miller to help out. As Miller drives deeper, Yao shifts under the basket and holds both his arms up high. Miller tries to put a shot up but misses badly.
9:50		The Rockets trail 82-87. Mo Taylor takes a 17-foot jumper on the left side, but Taylor misses. Lamar Odom collects the rebound, and tries to make a outlet pass to Andre Miller, but Yao shows his quick hands by deftly knocking Odom's pass to the ground; Yao then grabs the ball to regain the possession for the Rockets. Nice steal Yao! This Rocket possession eventually ends with a Glen Rice layup, thus narrowing the gap between Rockets and the Clippers. Rockets trail now by the score 84-87.
8:23		Off a Wang Zhi-Zhi 3-pointer miss, Clipper power foward Chris Wilcox grabs the offensive rebound. Although Yao is there to body up Wilcox from the side, Wilcox nonethess tries to go up strong for the easy 1-footer. Yao easily slaps the shot away for the big rejection and Cuttino gets the loose ball. Yao's block is crucial as it maintains the 3-point gap between the Rockets and the Clippers. Clippers lead 90-87.
4:26	Assist	The Rockets lead 94-92. The Clippers are playing zone as Glen Rice passes to Yao in the left post. The Clippers, respecting Yao's game, send in Andre Miller for the double-team on Yao. Yao turns around to survey the court, and he spots Cuttino Mobley on the opposite side. Yao's throw a cross-court pass to Cat, who nails the 20-foot jumpshot!! The Houston crowd cheers madly! The Rockets have now increased their lead to 96-92.
4:08		Corey Maggette catches the ball on the right edge post. Maggette turns to face Mobley, and makes a quick fake to right. Mobley doesn't bite on the fake, so Maggette proceeds to back him down. Maggette ends up overpowering Mobley, and goes in for the 2-footer, but out of nowhere Yao flies into the air and with a volleyball-like swing swipes the rock away! Francis gets a handle on the loose ball, and the Rockets gain possession. Again, Yao comes up with a key block just when a defensive stop is needed! The Rockets lead 96-92!
1:00		What a reversal of fortunes! The Clippers now lead 100-96, and they have possession of the basketball after a steal by Lamar Odom. The last Rocket points were off the Yao-to-Mobley assist, and that was almost 3:30 minutes ago!!!
:38.8		The Rockets finally get possession back, but at the cost of 1 more point (Maggette hit 1 of 2 free throws). The Rockets are down by 5 points; the Clippers lead 96-101.
:30.1		Falling to his left, Glen Rice hits a 3-pointer from the right side. But nooooo! The refs call it 2-point basket! The Rockets are now down by 3 points (98-101).
:29.6		Glen Rice quickly fouls Andre Miller to stop the clock. Miller steps up the to line, and misses the first free throw! More importantly, Steve Francis walks to the free throw line and points to the line itself. What Franchise was pointing out to Miller and the officials, was that Miller had crossed the free throw line before the ball touched the rim, implying Miller committed a lane violation! This may or may not have been a key strategic move by Francis, as we will see in the remaining seconds. Miller makes the second free throw. The score is 98-102, Clippers lead.
:24.7		From almost the exact same spot, Glen Rice amazingly hits a 3-pointer!!! Rice is really showing his value to the team in this game!!! The Rockets now trail 101-102.
:13.8		Cherokee Parks makes both his free throw attempts, bolstering the Clipper lead to 101-104. With no time outs left, Francis dribbles up the court on the right side. As Francis gets close to Rice who's waiting around the upper right 3-point line, Andre Miller plays a little off of Francis to possibly double team Rice who's had the hot hand. Rice then cuts to the arc of the 3-point line, and Miller is caught off-guard when Franchise himself launches the three pointer. FRANCHISE NAILS THE 3-POINTER!!! THE GAME IS TIED! THE GAME IS TIED! 104-104! The Houston crowd goes nuts! That's right folks, with 38.8 seconds left the Rockets have outscored the Clippers 8-4, but believe it or not...the game is not over. At this point, Rudy substitutes Yao for James Posey.
:1.1		With time running down, our hearts were broken when James Posey was called for a reach-in foul on Andre Miller with 1.1 seconds left. With no Rocket timeouts left, that was the nail in the coffin. Miller steps up to the free throw line, shoots and makes the free throw. The whistle blows, and the whole crowd goes silent. Andre Miller has just committed a lane violation! Remember how Francis pointed out Miller's earlier lane violation? That may have stuck in the mind of the officals, thus prompting the call. Replay of the free throw showed that there wasn't a lane violation at all. But we'll take the call anyway! However, the Clippers still have a chance to win with Miller's last free throw. Miller steps up to the charity stripe again, and the Houston crowd tries it's best to distract him, and......Miller misses the second free throw!!! Time expires and we're on to overtime!
Overtime - With such an unbelievable comeback late in the fourth quarter, the universe wouldn't be right if the Rockets went on to lose in the overtime period.
4:15		With only four seconds left on the shot clock, Andre Miller puts a spin move on Francis near the top of the key. Miller slips by Francis, but Yao is there to track Miller down, and with almost no time left on the shot clock Miller puts a shot up but Yao is there to reject it! Yao's overwhelming defense leads to a Mobley-to-Francis fastbreak layup! The Rockets have scored the first points in overtime and now lead 106-104!
2:48	Intimidation	As Mobley tries to front him, Corey Maggette gets a lob pass over in the right post position. Maggette thinks he's got a clear path, but when he turns to the basket, there's Yao, planted with both hands raised high. Maggette attempts to take it up, but he loses the ball and the ball goes out of bounds. The Rockets get the ball and they lead 108-106.
2:10		Just inside the 3-point line in the left corner, Cherokee Parks attempts to take a long 2-point shot. Yao hustles and makes it over in time to block the shot, and Mobley gets the rebound! Only a fast 7'6" guy with hustle and athleticism could have made that block! The Rockets lead 108-106.
0:00		The Rockets go on to get the breathtaking victory over the Clippers, thus completing the amazing comeback! The final score for the game is 119-114. Not enough can be said about how brilliant Glen Rice was in this game. Rice scored 25 points and shot 9-for-16 from the field and 5-for-10 from the 3-point line. Although Rice's numbers are good, it's his timing that's even better, as his scoring was integral in the fourth quarter comeback. Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Maurice Taylor also deserve much praise for tonight's victory. Mobley ended the game with 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting, Francis had 25 points on 10-for-20 shooting, and Taylor had 18 points on 8-for-17 shooting. Equally as important was Yao's defense, especially in the overtime period. Yao was able to block 2 shots and generate 1 turnover in overtime! With overtime being only 5 minutes long, each defensive play Yao was able to make became more and more vital to the Rocket's victory. Yao finishes the game with 10 points (4-for-8 from the field), 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and a whopping 5 blocks! And as you all know, this win means that Houston is now tied with Phoenix for the eighth seed in the Western Conference!