Giants 5 vs Kamloops 1 Feb.9 2007

[Swando]

Wow this game had it all . Giants showed all us fans what Giant hockey looked like. It has been so long many of had forgotten. The power play and penalty kill both were very wery good tonight. After taking the lead on their 1st pp they gained a lot of confidence. 2nd period was all Giants 4 goals .
The lone goal by the Blazers was a deflection off a point shot and Sexy had no chance. Sexsmith played excellent tonight..Dustin who?
3rd although no scoring was filled with fights as both teams took out thier frustrations. Giants only had 4 on their bench to end the game. To many to recap -- however Lucic and Kassian went at it in a lone scrap which was probably a draw.
On a sad note early in the 1st period Garrett Hunt left the ice on a stretcher with a broken femur. Hay said he'll most likely have an operation to but pins in the leg and will be out 3-6 months. It may be that we have see Garrett the last time in a Giant uniform.
The G men rallied around this and played a solid game well deserving of the 5-1 score.
I'm nort sure who the 3 stars were but my picks would be:

1. McCardle
2. Franson
3 Kraus

[Knuckles Muldoon]

A real good game for the boys. Still a few things I didn't like too much, but overall, its nice to dominate a good team for a change. I thought 'Loops skated well in the first, but inexplicably died when the second started. The Giants buzzed around beautifully in the second and forced a ton of mistakes out of the Blazers. Nice passing on the PP on Franson's second goal. That's the kind of stuff we need on the PP. Move the puck around quickly, with nobody slowing it down by hanging on to it too long. Keep the other team chasing and guessing. If the 5 guys are alert and play with their heads up, there ought to be a ton of shots for everyone, especially the dangerous Franson. Also, I like the wprk of the left-wingers tonight. The McArdle-Lucic combo is a bear to deal with when they both play like that. As well, I though Wookie had his best game as a Giant. And with Garet gone, there's now plenty of ice-time for Wookie, so we'll need him to be a big contributor every night. Good game by the defense and Sexy looked solid.
Nice effort all around.
Oh, and can we time our line-brawls a little better next time? Repik, Wright, Wookie, Franson and Thelen all fighting? That crew would have their hands full against a ringette team. :spineyes:

[SixSixOne]

I guarantee you the Blazer lying on the ice didnt feel that way about Wutcherl http://whlfans.ca/images/smilies/laugh.gif

[dondo]

a long recap as there was much to account for -- please even if you do skim the rest of the recap read the bolded part about Garet's injury tonight -- that hurts me more than I can say right now. I feel for him and the fact that he won't get to play in the memorial Cup or be in this years playoffs. I was so looking forward to seeing Garet at both. A heavy price to pay. Nice to see a full team win again hopefully they keep it up.

and hey Repik held his own there, he was throwing them, badly, but he was throwing them :p

dammit too long --- need to break up the recap into two parts -- or click the link below for the full recap on VGHQ

Giants Extinguish Blazers Feb 9 (http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/February_9th_GiantsbkExtinguishbkBlazers_98.html)

my take on things


Giants Extinguish Blazers
Vancouver 5 Kamloops 1

The Giants looked more like a contender tonight as they took out this season’s nemesis the Kamloops Blazers in convincing fashion. The price they paid for the win may have been too high though. Early in the first period the home team lost fan favourite and team sparkplug Garet Hunt to what is being called a broken femur at this time. The Giants scored first on the PP which was re-tooled, simplified and relied more on traffic in front of the net, than seeing eye passes to succeed. The G-Men killed four penalties in the first when the game was close holding the Blazers off of the score-sheet. In the second the Giants opened it up the scoring again on the PP, and then notching three more to put the game away powering 20 shots on Dustin Butler in the middle stanza. Kamloops got one back in the middle of the Giants scoring spree, but failed to gain any real momentum as Tyson Sexsmith did his best to shut the door. The third was a whole different game with the Blazers pressing back, but a parade to the penalty box, stuffed to standing room with coincidental penalties due mostly to some gutless reffing as Herman was not willing to point the finger and make a decision. This set-up the final line brawl with a couple of minutes to go in which all the participants got 5’s and Games. A solid win that seemed pulled out of October 2006, or March 2005, rather than their current mode of play and about damn time.

The Giants opened the game ready to play, skated hard and crashed the Blazer end as if demons were perched on their shoulders egging them on. Despite rattling a few bodies and getting some early chances they couldn’t hit the net and it was the Blazers who went up 4 shots to 0 early on. The Giants efforts were rewarded though when the Blazers were forced to take a penalty covering the whirling dervishes flying through their end of the ice. The new look Giants PP had traffic on front of the net, and moved the puck quickly and players kept their feet moving! What a concept. The result was that Cody Franson drifted into the slot and was fed at the point by Wacey Rabbit. Took a low hard shot through traffic which slid into the open side and Butler never saw it.

It was at this time, after laying out a few bodies already in the opening minutes that Garet Hunt lined up Keaton Ellerby and missed the check. This is nothing new for Garet except this time he wasn’t getting up. This happened right in front of me and I mean right in front of me, with Garet kissing the glass six inches from my face (I lean forward when I watch hockey). He caught his foot or leg in a stick and hit the boards wrong. When he went down he just kind of lay there and did not move a muscle, quite a mean feat for Garet who is the type of guy who never stops moving. After the trainer came out and had a very lengthy examination and discussion with number 24, remember this is right in front of my eyes, they brought out the stretcher and had to cradle Garet to get him in onto the gurney, Garet still did not move. Later in the game the Shaw camera guy beside me told us that it was probably a broken femur, as that’s what they were saying over his headset. This kind of injury is sure to end Garet’s season, with three to six months of rehab and probable surgery and might sadly put a question mark beside him for next season as he would have to be only one of three over-age players selected to play on the team. It is such a huge loss to the team who I am sure made sure they got the win tonight for Garet Hunt, as they all (to a man) played like he would have played had he been able and it was a good thing to see. I truly hope to see Garet return as an OA player next season as he is probably the most inspirational player the Giants have ever had strap on blades. Garet is pure heart and every team can use a guy like that, not to mention the fans adore the fearless fire-plug with no quit. Heal quickly Garet we will all miss you.

The Giants killed off all four PPs the Blazers got in the first setting the stage for their overwhelmingly dominant performance in the second period. Just 1:43 into the second the Giants scored yet another PP goal. After going something like 22-0 without a PP goal this must have felt like manna from heaven. Cody Franson found the twine for the second time as he squeaked a shot through traffic to find the back of the net. McArdle and Jonathon Blum garnered the assists. Less than three minutes later the Giants padded that lead off of some excellent forecheck and relentless pressure in the Blazer zone. The third goal was all Spencer Machacek. After digging the loose biscuit out of the corner, Machacek cut around behind the net and tried a quick wrap-around, but was stymied by Butler’s pad, however on a second effort stabbed the rubber between the wickets on the Blazer goalie trickling the puck across the goal-line. It was the kind of goal the Giants have not been getting lately and it’s the kind of goals and effort required to win against skilled teams.

Vancouver’s fourth goal was beauty and got the proverbial monkey to stop pitching its tent on McArdle’s shoulder. The puck was forced loose along the side-boards and Tim Kraus picked up the leavings. Kraus moved down the left side to almost the goal-line , but cut back on a dime and feathered a pass through to the McArdle cruising through the slot. McArdle one-timed the puck while in motion and picked the far-side on Butler. It was goal only a skill player could score and gave the much snake-bitten McArdle hope that his slump was finally over. The Blazers got one back a couple minutes later as a high shot was re-deflected with what appeared to be a high stick in the slot and found the cage above Sexsmith’s shoulder. After a bit of booing from the 12,800 fans packing the stadium play resumed. On the very next shift the Giants got that goal back. Michal Repik who looked good all night found Milan Lucic in the sweet spot, middle of the slot, and Lucic made no mistake rifling it past Butler who had to feel like he was hanging target in a carnie game, as the Giants pounded his net with 20 shots in the middle frame.

After the scramble for Loonies during the second intermission the Blazers opted to put 16yr old Dalyn Flette between the pipes to start the final period. Flette turned away all of the Giants shots and made several fantastic glove stops, some from point blank range, to keep his team in the mix. His team however were more interested in taking revenge as they opened the period mixing it up, starting most of the rough stuff and ending up with no penalty for their play. This is where the referee, Derek Herman, really missed the point of his job and set up the kind of fracas which ensued as time ticked down in the game. Just 25 seconds into the third period the players began jostling, but the aggressors were most definitely the Blazers. The ref did not see it this way even though in one particular incident a Blazer player threw down Kendall McArdle and McArdle did not fight back, did not retaliate and skated away, but got tagged by the ref anyway. What’s the point of even trying to take the high road when the ref is too clueless to realize it. A bit over a half a minute later Milan Lucic and Matt Kassian drop the gloves out of nowhere and have nice toe to toe battle with Kassian eventually getting the take-down, but the result being a draw as both players got their licks in and Lucic scored a very solid right on Matt’s jaw. A bit over a minute later the ref assesses two more coincidental unsportsmanlike penalties. By doing this he was signalling that there would be no punishment for starting the rough housing.

cont'd next post or link to whole recap above >>

[dondo]

the rest of the recap >>


The teams continued to exchange penalties and get equalisers called to the point of being ridiculous. That was until the 17:37 mark of the third period when all hell broke loose and a line brawl ensued. Every player had a partner and they were all going at it hard and heavy. Not exactly heavy-weights out there either, but they were all game. Michal Repik earned my respect as he threw some nice hits, awkward but fully committed. James Wright was in his first real WHL fight. In the end the ref might have done the team some favours because if this isn’t a way to gel with your team-mates I don’t know what is. Mike Wuchterl who had his opponent down and helpless, stopped and let him go without laying that final punch. I would have liked to say the same thing about Ryan Bender, but he proved himself to be a gutless weasel by continuing to pound on his downed opponent repeatedly and it sickened me. The ref saw all of this and the only extra penalty assessed was to the Giants goalie Tyson Sexsmith for leaving the crease. With the Giants on the PK and time ticking down the fisticuffs resumed. This time heavy weights Tim Kraus and Brent Regner got involved with Jusso Puustinen and Reid Jorgensen, truly a battle of Titans (note tongue firmly planted in cheek), but good for both squads having those guys willing to go for the sake of their team-mates. In all 52 penalties were assessed with 18 PP opportunities for both squads.

The Giants out-shot the Blazers 33-23, and went 2 for 8 on the PP while holding the visitors to 0 for 10. The questionable reffing could have affected the game far more than it did and thankfully it did not have a very major impact over-all. The Giants finally got their anemic PP going by making quicker passes, keeping their feet moving and putting traffic in front of the net. The injury to Garet Hunt could give the Giants team a rallying point and a collective focus which will hopefully stow their egos as they try to get the Cup for Garet. The line-brawl and subsequent fisticuffs could also serve to help gel this disparate team and get them focused back into a unified vision ending with them raising the Cup above their heads in May. The real Giants showed up and I hope never to see the muddled mess of players I witnessed this past month. They got some luck, made a whole lot more and found the back of the net from all areas of the ice, but mostly they played as a team and that’s the most important thing of all.

The Giants next opponent is the Kelowna Rockets and the Vancouver squad will be looking to vindicate themselves for their late slump when the Rockets were last in there barn and the shutout the very next night in Kelowna. Look to see the team playing as a team and ready to play Giants hockey once again. Puck drops at the Pacific Coliseum on Sunday at 5:00pm.

Three Stars

1 – Kendall McArdle
2 – Cody Franson
3 – Spencer Machacek

[Swando]

I forgot to mention a BIG key to the game tonight was that the D pressed towards the wingers as they got the puck, whether it be at the blue/center or our blue line. Combine this with the forwards coming back (seldom did we not have a 1st forward back) the Blazers could not get a consistent forecheck. Plus the D played more physical. I think this was a team building game for sure. Just what the doctor ordered.

[Swando]

Great review Dondo! Hats off to you for an elaborate explanation of the game for those that were not at the game

[Pucker9]

Who ended up fighting who in those line brawls. Thats great to see Wright get in there as a 16 year old. Same with Repik, you dont see the euros mix it up too often. As well this has to be maybe the 3rd time ive seen Krause fight.

[pdxnow]

Just read your recap Dondo and to be honest don't remember a bit about it except one thing. Garrett being injured. This young man has worked his rear off to get his chance to play and did nothing but work. He'll leave a lasting impression for his teammates and the fans. I'm really at a loss for words on how disappointing this is. He deserved to be in the Memorial Cup, he deserved to be a fan favorite, he deserved better than this! If this was his last game as a Giant and I hope it's not! One thing you can't take away from him he always played hard, stood up for his teammates, and most importantly is a role model to anyone that doesn't believe that hard work won't get you places. IT WILL WATCH #24 PLAY! He has a great family and is a great young man. He is tough enough to be on that roster next year so get well fast and get that Giants jersey back on one more time. I would love to see that ovation at the barn that night!!!!!

[Kassian]

Who ended up fighting who in those line brawls. Thats great to see Wright get in there as a 16 year old. Same with Repik, you dont see the euros mix it up too often. As well this has to be maybe the 3rd time ive seen Krause fight.

Hall vs Repik
Bender vs Thelen
Shattock vs Wright
Rodgers vs Wuchterl
Ellerby vs Franson

Anyway, this was easily the best game of the season, IMO. Other than the unfortunate incident with Hunt there is nothing else that I can complain about. McArdle played great and showed what he can actually bring to the table for once. It was even better to see guys like Wright, Thelen, Regner and Kraus actually drop the mitts and stand up for each other and their teammates. That hasn't happened enough this season (outside of Lucic and Hunt) and it does mean a lot to those guys knowing that they can get a little bit of support. Either way I have been so jacked up after the game, I can't even get to sleep so I've just given up for the time being. :laugh:

As far as Hunt goes that really left an empty feeling in my stomach. Garet has been such a warrior this season and losing him like that is definitely going to hurt. Especially come playoff time. I feel absolutely terrible for Hunt and I wish him the best. Unfortunately I was told after the game Hunt may not even be completely ready to play at the start of next season.

Either way I doubt this is his last game as a Giant. If he's healed and ready to go next year I'm sure he has an overage spot locked up. He damn well better because he's earned it. Hell it should be a given at this point that the guy wears an "A" next season.

[Sauriol]

wow i saw that hit on tv last nite when it happend but there was no sound since it was in a restaraunt.. and i knew sumthin had to be bad if hunt is gettin taken off on a stretcher... best of luck to ya Hunt hope ya recover well and get back to playin hockey next season

[LHF]

I don't know if any of you will remember Scott Borders. He played for the Hurricanes a few years back, and is now on the IR list for Bakersfield of the ECHL. He broke his femer in the last playoff game last year. His skate caught a rut going in the boards. He still hasn't played, and that was May of 2006. Although he is skating now, and could be back to a full practice soon. It's been alot of therapy and hard work. His was a really bad break, broken in 2 places, and had to have a rod inserted from his hip to his knee. Hopefully Hunt's break isn't that bad and he will mend quickly.

I heard that someone said he could be back in 3-6 months. I think that would be amazing if he were ready to get back on skates that quickly. Although in 3 months this season will be over, then he will have the summer to heal. But I would think it will take alot longer than 6 months. Hmmm...stranger things have happened though. Good luck to him.

[Beaner]

Thanks for the recaps gang, for those of us who had to miss the game I for one, appreciate it.

[vzone]

from the bones of a mighty warrior, a Giant is born

[old_time_hockey]

Has anyone been in contact with Carebear? Was she at the game?

I'm thinking she probably needs an e-hug right about now.

[C.F]

Great game, but the Hunt injury had me leaving the building with a bitter taste in my mouth. What a blow to the team, fans, and their family. :mad: He will be missed.

That being said, it was very relieving to see the team get back to playing Giants hockey, and also to see some of the new guys playing a lot better! The Giants aren't out of the woods yet, but this was a big step in the right direction!

[Priceisright]

Devastating blow to the Giants! I really enjoyed the entertainment and effortless work that Garret provided game in game out. applause

I must admit he has a HUGE heart for a small kid. I love to see the drive of these young guys and he certainly was the BEST at this.

Hope the rehab goes well and he will surely be missed.

[Carebear]

Has anyone been in contact with Carebear? Was she at the game?

I'm thinking she probably needs an e-hug right about now.

I'm right here.
I wasn't at the game, I was watching it on tv. And yes, I was and am distressed.
Going to the game on Sunday just doesn't seem all that exciting now. :(

Hope you get better quickly Garet!

[nelson951]

Its looking like the final four in the west should be Everett, Tri-Cities,Kamllops and the Giants. This will be some great hockey leading up to the MC nhl3

[Redwic]

For those who attended last night's game, does anyone think that there will be any suspensions coming from the fights which occurred?

[Beaner]

For those who attended last night's game, does anyone think that there will be any suspensions coming from the fights which occurred?

From what I saw of the replays the only suspensions I think that will come of this will be for players who have earned their 3rd game misconduct of the year.

I don't think anyone is at risk of that on either side. This will be Repiks second GM, the rest of the Giants I believe its their first. Blazers I am unsure about.

Maybe Wuchterl who got an earful from Herman at the bench, but I'm not sure what Herman was going off about with him, probably just warning him not to get back and re-involved.

[langdak]

Maybe Wuchterl who got an earful from Herman at the bench, but I'm not sure what Herman was going off about with him, probably just warning him not to get back and re-involved.


If i am not mistaken Wuchterl was getting an earful from Herman to probably get off the ice and quit yapping at Ellerby.

Ellerby wasnt overly happy with Wuchterl for some reason, probably something to do with the scoreboard :)

[old_time_hockey]

If i am not mistaken Wuchterl was getting an earful from Herman to probably get off the ice and quit yapping at Ellerby.

Ellerby wasnt overly happy with Wuchterl for some reason, probably something to do with the scoreboard :)

Well Wuchterl beat up on a Blazer rookie who left holding his wrist.

Then Ellerby gave him the throat slash sign and apparently did it to the whole Giants bench (only saw the first one).

If he did it to the whole bench I hope he gets run next game. But he will probably hide behind Kassian.

[rinkrat]

Well Wuchterl beat up on a Blazer rookie who left holding his wrist.


Rodgers got a seperated shoulder in the fight with Wuchterl,I heard he is out 4-6 weeks.

[dondo]

When Rodgers went down into a crouch Wuchterl backed off immediately. Its too bad about the separated shoulder, but I don't think Wuchterl's to blame for that.

[old_time_hockey]

Yeah, I think Rogers got Wookies shoulder pad square on the button and came up on the losing end.

I still can't get over that Ellerby gave him and the bench the throat slash.

Can't wait to see tomorrow how many games he gets suspended for.

[Kassian]

Ellerby shouldn't be suspended at all for that IMO, but this day and age he most likely will.

[old_time_hockey]

Ellerby shouldn't be suspended at all for that IMO, but this day and age he most likely will.

If someone did that to you on the street, you can have them charged.

So are you saying that it should be OK for players running around telling other players that they are dead?

[rinkrat]

If someone did that to you on the street, you can have them charged.

So are you saying that it should be OK for players running around telling other players that they are dead?

They say alot worse things than that on the ice.
I'm with Kassian,big deal.Unless he tries to injure someone,no big deal.
I think the league just doesn't like the optics of it,just like when Rohac flipped me the bird.If the league saw that he could be disciplined for it.

[Section_Z]

If someone did that to you on the street, you can have them charged.

So are you saying that it should be OK for players running around telling other players that they are dead?

A flawed arguement, considering in the street it is also illegal to throw off your bike helmet, grab someone by the shirt and begin pummeling him...
This also carries a much heavier jail sentence than idle threats.

[old_time_hockey]

Then explain to me how civil law applies to the whole Bertuzzi case? It was an on ice incident. Same as Brashear getting clocked in the head by McSorley. But that was a criminal investigation.

The point that I am getting at is there is precedent now in this sport for civil and criminal law to rule over on ice matters. While no one was hurt by this jesture by Ellerby, What if the next time the 2 teams hook up and Ellerby actually does something to Wuchterl. Now all of the sudden the league will be in panic mode because you know the question will be asked why didn't you do more to protect players when there was an obvious threat that everyone saw.

It sucks when lawyers creap into sports...but that is the day and age we live in now.

[Section_Z]

Then explain to me how civil law applies to the whole Bertuzzi case? It was an on ice incident. Same as Brashear getting clocked in the head by McSorley. But that was a criminal investigation.

The point that I am getting at is there is precedent now in this sport for civil and criminal law to rule over on ice matters. While no one was hurt by this jesture by Ellerby, What if the next time the 2 teams hook up and Ellerby actually does something to Wuchterl. Now all of the sudden the league will be in panic mode because you know the question will be asked why didn't you do more to protect players when there was an obvious threat that everyone saw.

It sucks when lawyers creap into sports...but that is the day and age we live in now.

Can't explain it over here. Seems to me the law only applies when the NHL wants it to. It completely hippocritical.

[Carebear]

It has to do with what a player could reasonably expect to happen within the course of a hockey game.

The McSorely case was dealt with in a criminal action.
The Bertuzzi case was also dealt with in criminal court where he plead guilty and was given a conditional discharge, which is why Moore started a civil action.

[Kassian]

If someone did that to you on the street, you can have them charged.

Sadly that's true. But it just shows how ridiculously PC the world is today.


So are you saying that it should be OK for players running around telling other players that they are dead?

No. But anybody that takes that literally is being naive. It was a heat of the moment type incident and **** happens. Nobody was hurt because of it. Beyond all of that what the hell is Keaton Ellerby going to do? :laugh:

[dondo]

Beyond all of that what the hell is Keaton Ellerby going to do? :laugh:

ouch.

LOL

[Kassian]

ouch.

LOL

Well...? Don't you agree?

[dondo]

^ yup.

big, yes.

tough? um .. nope although he did hurt Garet by stepping out of the way -- maybe he could just step out of the way to teach them Giants a lesson. nhl :thumb:

[Kamfan]

^ yup.

big, yes.

tough? um .. nope although he did hurt Garet by stepping out of the way -- maybe he could just step out of the way to teach them Giants a lesson. nhl :thumb:

That was actually Jordan Rowley who avoided Hunt's charge.

[dondo]

hmm.. I could have sworn it was Ellerby -- thanks for the info -- kinda ruins the joke though :wave:

[Soundy]

Back on subject a little, there was a great article in today's Province about Hunt, and about Lucic wearing a patch with his number in yesterday's game. Garet is reported to be literally in tears that he's going to miss playing in the Memorial Cup this year.

I tried pulling up the article on the Province's website, but it's for pay subscribers only. :(

There was also a good piece covering Sunday's game. Nice to see the boys getting more "mainstream" press!

[Carebear]

Back on subject a little, there was a great article in today's Province about Hunt, and about Lucic wearing a patch with his number in yesterday's game. Garet is reported to be literally in tears that he's going to miss playing in the Memorial Cup this year.

I tried pulling up the article on the Province's website, but it's for pay subscribers only. :(

There was also a good piece covering Sunday's game. Nice to see the boys getting more "mainstream" press!

You forgot the part about Lucic writing #24 on his shoulder pads above his heart before the game Sunday.
That whole part of the article actually made me a little emotional.


As always, wishing Garet a speedy recovery! Miss watchin' ya out there so much already kiddo.

[Soundy]

You forgot the part about Lucic writing #24 on his shoulder pads above his heart before the game Sunday.
That whole part of the article actually made me a little emotional.

That's what I was actually referring to... didn't have the article handy to check the details.


As always, wishing Garet a speedy recovery! Miss watchin' ya out there so much already kiddo.

Someone wanna take GH a laptop in the hospital so he can read this? :)

[Kassian]

Tribute to hurt teammate

Giants 7 Rockets 0: Vancouver's Lucic has Hunt's number

Steve Ewen, The Province

Published: Monday, February 12, 2007

Milan Lucic has carried the Vancouver Giants' offensive load on his back at times. He'll carry a chunk of Garet Hunt on his front for now, too.

Leading scorer Lucic wrote No. 24, the jersey worn by injured teammate Hunt, on his shoulder pads right above his heart prior to Vancouver's 7-0 romp over the Kelowna Rockets on Sunday at the Pacific Coliseum.

Lucic and linemate Michal Repik continued their recent strong stretch, with two goals and one assist each, while their centre, Wacey Rabbit, had one goal and one assist.

Lucic and winger Spencer Machacek had been to Vancouver General to visit Hunt, who broke his leg crashing into the boards on an attempted body check in Friday's 5-1 win over the Kamloops Blazers. He's had a rod implanted and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

"When I saw him tear up because he can't play in the Memorial Cup it almost got me tearing up, too," said Lucic, whose team hosts the national tournament this season. "It didn't really all sink in until we saw him. He's in rough condition and he's got tears coming down his face because he wants to play so bad and he's not going to be able to."

Hunt's certainly devoted. When Giants executive assistant Karen Gilbert called to check in on him, Hunt was focused on whether there was going to be a big crowd for the tilt against the Rockets.

He'll be glad to know 9,021 people showed up, and he'll be even happier that the team continued to move forward after the impressive victory over the Blazers.