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Well that sucked. Rockets lose a game they were in control of. Ugh.
BUT something cool happened this morning. I saw a live birth!
And it's the perfect metaphor for the Rockets. Yes, really.
So as a movie-watcher I've seen a ton of "births" where the woman gave birth and afterwards she still looked fantastic and all her makeup was in place and there were no accidents or anything. As a med student I've watched videos, which are more realistic but still don't do it justice.
Guess what? Birth is a messy, messy thing. I won't go into details, but suffice it to say it isn't all fun and games. But after everything has been taken care of, the mess is gone, the mom is a little worse for wear, and the baby is (hopefully) alive and screaming his or her lungs out.
Right now it's messy for the Rockets. The makeup is all over the place, and the baby hasn't shown itself. The Rockets just need to become the baby.
I just finished a 12-hour shift in labor and delivery that started at 7pm and ended at 7am. So if none of this makes sense then you know why. I'm kinda tired.
Programming note: Due to said 12-hour shifts all week the Wednesday and Thursday previews will be taken over by Abel Prado. Please treat him the respect that you always show me.
Tip off is at 7pm CST
Matchups:
Point Guard: Patrick Beverley vs. Kyle Lowry
Lowry took a knock in the last game and didn't return. But, Dwane Casey said he would have been able to play had they needed him. As it happens, the Raptors were blowing out the Jazz so he wasn't needed.
Advantage: Even
Shooting Guard: James Harden vs. DeMar DeRozan
Every time I see DMDR's name I notice how it has 4 capital letters. I'm weird like that.
Advantage: Rockets
Small Forward: Chandler Parsons vs. Rudy Gay
Parsons played better, but still looks like he wants nothing to do with the 3-point line. That's got to stop.
Advantage: Raptors
Power Forward: Dwight Howard vs. Amir Johnson
This should be Dwight's matchup. It shouldn't be close. But I know Johnson likes to dunk. And he really likes to dunk on the Rockets. We'll see how that goes.
Advantage: Rockets
Center: Omer Asik vs. Jonas Valanciunas
I like the nickname "Jonas Christ Superstar." That's all.
Advantage: Raptors
Bench
Rockets: Francisco Garcia, Omri Casspi, Jeremy Lin
Raptors: Tyler Hansbrough, Landry Fields, Quincy Acy, Dwight Buycks, Julyan Stone, Terrence Ross
Advantage: Raptors
Prediction: I've been too much of a homer; Rockets lose 1000-12
Raptors vs Rockets coverage