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Thursday, December 9th, 2004

The year was 2004 and Tracy McGrady was in his first year as a member of the Houston Rockets . After much fanfare, excitement, and hope, the Rockets started off 6-11 and left every Rocket fan disappointed and shaking their head. The Rockets would eventually turn it around and go into the All-Star break at 32-21 and finish at 51-31 for the season. Bob Sura 's return from injury and insertion into the starting lineup on December 2nd was a huge factor in the turnaround; Sura averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal for the season. In Sura's 59 starts, the Rockets went 42-17. The Rockets came into the game as underdogs despite being at home for obvious reasons, the Spurs were a great team and would go on to win the NBA Title that season. Under Jeff Van Gundy the Rockets put all their eggs into the big two of Yao & T-Mac and this game was a great example of that. Yao and T-Mac combined for 60 points on 21-44 shooting; the other 3 starters (Sura, Bowen, Howard) combined for 9 points on 4-19 shooting. The Rockets held a 38-34 halftime lead but trailed 58-54 going into the 4th and 76-68 with just :35 seconds left; the game was assumed to be over. Tony Parker was able to get off a shot before the buzzer, but it went wide left and McGrady's teammates mobbed him at center court in a moment that looked like a pitcher being dog piled after winning the World Series. In the end, it was a 1 point win during the regular season and the Spurs went on to win the title. But for the hundreds of fans still in Toyota Center and the viewers still watching on TNT, it was one of the most exciting, single-handed comeback wins they'd ever seen. During those 35 seconds the basket seemed to be as wide as the ocean and T-Mac had no trouble sinking buckets. It was a simply amazing performance. On a personal note, I had tickets to that game. But, for reasons not worth explaining, I wasn't in the building...I still regret it. Thanks a lot Travis.

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Rift Quest – rift-quest.com » Blog Archive » Dissecting What's ...

Here&8217;s a recap of what&8217;s happened so far with the New York Giants and what lies ahead. 

Offensive Line Cuts: The staple of the Giants used to be there tough, hard noised offensive line. They always played together. Things are about to change. For staters, two long-time starters, Rich Seubert and Shaun O&8217;Hara have been cut and well liked offensive linemen Shawn Andrews has also been let go. All three started games on the offensive line this season. The Giants have serious depth issues on the line now, and will continue to search for another offensive linemen.what lies ahead

Got Baas?: The Giants went out and signed versatile offensive linemen David Baas from the San Francisco 49ers. Baas started all 16 games at center last season and previously started games at both guard positions. If the Giants switch him to guard, they&8217;ll push David Diehl back to LT and sign a center. If Will Beatty can win the LT job, Diehl get&8217;s pushed back to LG and Baas is your center. Flexibility, folks. They need another guy who can play for depth, though. Adam Koets is an important man right now. He&8217;s coming of major knee surgery (Torn ACL), don&8217;t forget that.

Defensive Tackle&8217;less: The Giants went from having depth and youth in there interior defensive line to having, well, just youth. The Giants lost DT Barry Cofield to a 6-year $36 million deal with the Redskins and cut DT Rocky Bernard after not being able to restructure his deal. Now, world of warcraft gold buying the Giants have incumbent starting DT Chris Canty and second round picks Linval Joseph and Marvin Austin waiting in the wings. Look for the Giants to be in the market for a veteran defensive tackle. Because right now what they have is simply not enough. You can&8217;t rely on two unproven young players.

What Lies Ahead:

Pay cut for Jacobs?: The Giants and end of the year starting RB Brandon Jacobs are currently discussing a contract modification that would allow for Jacobs to take a pay cut and remain with the team. If Jacobs does not, the Giants could potentially cut him. Sources say it&8217;s looking like it can go either way, but they believe he will remain with the team. Jacobs is owed $4.65 million this season and is under contract in 2012, too.

Smith, Kiwanuka, Boss and Bradshaw: The Giants are in a holding pattern for Smith and Kiwanuka. The Giants have made it clear they want both of them back, but have other priorities they need to take care of first. There&8217;s no word on Kiwanuka just yet. WR Steve Smith is willing and expecting to sign a 1-year contract so he can re-establish is value. I think that deal gets done. Rumors spread today that TE Kevin Boss would resign with the team. He claims those rumors are false and no deal has been reached. I think he ends up re-signing with the Giants. Some news on the Bradshaw front: Bradshaw&8217;s price range is apparently now out of the Dolphins&8217; range and they have begun talking to RB Ronnie Brown again. Sources now say look for him to return to the Giants. RB DeAngelo Williams singed a massive 5-year $43 million deal with $21 million in guarantees. Look for Bradshaw to search for money in that range.

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