The Hurtin' Rockets

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More About

• Yao Ming
• NBA Southwest
• National Basketball Association
• Houston Rockets
• Tracy McGrady

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Whenever the Mavs play the Rockets, we think back on that 40-point beat-down our boys in blue delivered in their game seven, round one match-up in the 2005 playoffs, and how we called our Houston buddy and left obnoxious voice mails on his phone for several hours afterwards. Life has rarely been more fun. But ever since then, the rivalry just hasn't been the same, mostly because every time the two teams met over the ensuing five seasons, either Tracy McGrady or Yao Ming would be hurt (though one or the other would always limp on to the All-Star team thank to the damned Chinese voting block). At 7:30 p.m. Friday, the "new look" Houston Rockets look to bring some life back to their rivalry with the Mavericks in the last game of the preseason at the AAC, but we're not buying it. Sure, McGrady's long gone, but he's been replaced with the perennially injured Kevin Martin, and though Ming is in the midst of his eleventieth comeback from yet another possibly career-ending foot injury, we wouldn't place any bets on him playing more than 41 games this year, because he's Yao Ming. And we'll make sure to say as much on our buddy's voice mail. Visit ticketmaster.com for tickets.
Fri., Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m., 2010