It's truly great to see Hakeem showing flashes of his brilliant self, as he put up some great spin moves and looked a dominating option on offense throughout the night. He also played great on the other end, swatting away a pair of shots and picking a few steals as well (including the crucial one at the end of the game). If he continues to produce anywhere close to this level, we might have a realistic chance of making the playoffs and even getting past the first round. Together with Collier (and Cato if he can get his act together), the Rockets have a dangerous combination at the center position and might even play up to level with other Western front-court powerhouses such as Los Angeles and San Antonio.

Steve Francis also played a magnificent game, and overshadowed who many call to be the best point guard in the NBA. Jason Kidd had 15 points (on horrible 5-15 shooting) and 9 assists (4 TO), while Stevie had 25 points and 8 assists (with only 2 TO). Clearly Francis has had the better of this match-up so far in his career.

The Rockets pretty much had the game under control throughout, even though it did remain relatively close. The Suns' spirits seemed to go down the drain when Rodney Rogers committed a criminal technical foul on Hakeem Olajuwon. He was thrown out of the game, while Cuttino also got a technical out of the scuffle.
The Suns made went through a rampage late, however, and looked to surprise the Rockets down the stretch. Cuttino Mobley was able to keep things close, scoring 8 points in his quarter. Two free throws from Steve Francis gave the Rockets a 3 point lead with 9.9 left, while a vicious dunk with time running out (coming off an Olajuwon steal) provided a nice icing on the cake.

Interestingly enough, this game also marks the first time Mario Elie has lost to his former team. Before tonight, Mario went through a 7-0 run with the Spurs, while he had a 1-0 record with the Suns.

Box Score