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The Houston Rockets picked Stephen Silas to fill the shoes of their former coach, Mike D’Antoni. After another disappointing run in the playoffs, D’Antoni did not continue as the Rockets’ head coach. The now 14th coach of the franchise is making his debut as a head coach with the Rockets. He spent his last two seasons as Rick Carlisle’s assistant coach to the Dallas Mavericks. As the youngest assistant coach at 27, Silas’ first assistant coach gig was with the Charlotte Hornets in 2000-2001. When he joined the Mavericks in 208-19, he was given the responsibility of improving the team’s offense. He did brilliantly that job brilliantly. The way he helped in leading the Mavericks to the highest offensive rating last season proves that he has the potential to lead the Rockets. With almost 20 years of experience as an assistant coach, it is surprising that this is Stephen’s first stint as head coach. But out of everyone, why did the Rockets go with Silas? Well, it looks like everyone, the...

By STEVE SWOGETINSKY The Neshoba Central Rockets will have to wait until games are played this Friday night before they know their playoff fate. The Rockets was expected to enter the Class 5A playoffs November 13 as the No. 2 team out of Region 2-5A, However, the Ridgeland Titans were quarantined last Friday with COVID-19. The forfeit loss gave them their first region loss. Ridgeland is the only team to beat Neshoba Central. These two teams along with Holmes Central, are in a three-way tie for first. If it goes down that way, Neshoba Central will finish first in the region based on points. However, if Holmes Central loses to Vicksburg Friday night, there would a two-way tie for first and Ridgeland would enter the playoffs as the No. 1 team because of their win over Neshoba Central. Neshoba Central did not play last Friday night. Their game with Cleveland Central was not played. Cleveland was quarantined with the COVID-19 and had to forfeit. And the Rockets do not have a game this ...

5:18 PM ET After an offseason of major change for the Houston Rockets, the team's new general manager and head coach emphasized that the franchise's primary goal remains the same: Chase a championship with a roster that features perennial MVP candidate James Harden as the franchise centerpiece. "For the last eight years or so, our goal has been to win a championship because we had James Harden," general manager Rafael Stone, a longtime Rockets front office employee promoted after Daryl Morey's resignation, said during a virtual news conference to introduce recently hired head coach Stephen Silas. "We've still got James Harden. Our goal is still to win a championship, and if you've got him, you're halfway there. "It's incumbent on me and Stephen and the whole team to figure out the rest of the whole, but the key piece is there." Silas, 47, whose two decades of experience as an NBA assistant coach include most recently serving as R...

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In line with recent comments from owner Tilman Fertitta, Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon isn’t expecting any major changes in the organization’s direction heading into the 2020-21 season. Now entering his fifth season with the Rockets, Gordon is still searching for his first NBA title, along with All-Star team mates Russell Westbrook and James Harden. But they might not be as far away as some think. Over Gordon’s tenure, Houston is the only Western Conference team to have won at least one playoff series in each year. Of the four teams they lost to (Spurs in 2016-17, Warriors in 2017-18 and 2018-19, and Lakers in 2019-20), two eventually won the NBA championship; three won the West; and the other won 61 games in that regular season. None of those best-of-seven series were sweeps, and three went at least six games. As a result, Gordon’s intent is to keep plugging away. In a new appearance on The Ashley Nevel Show, the 31-year-old explained why he isn’t expecting any major changes th...

Daryl Morey’s 13-year tenure as general manager of the Houston Rockets ended the way most things end: badly. The Rockets bowed out of the 2020 playoffs in the second round, falling to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in a gentleman’s sweep that didn’t feel all that close, with each of their final three losses coming by double digits. The next day, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni informed the team that he would not seek a contract renewal and would instead enter the free-agent market. A month and two days later, Morey himself stepped down from his post — even after Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta had previously said the GM’s job was “safe.” Though the end was ugly, there were many successes on the journey. The Rockets posted the second-best record in the NBA during Morey’s tenure, winning 61.5 percent of their regular-season games. They made 10 playoff appearances and two trips to the conference finals, scoring the eighth-most playoff wins (51) of any team in the league along the wa...

Staff photo / Brian Yauger The Braves celebrate after a spike late in their 27-25 first-set victory over Maplewood. Badger finishes the regular season with an 18-3 record. They did just that in a three-set victory over second-place Maplewood. The Braves started slow in the first two sets, falling behind by six points in each set, but they were able to extend both sets and win 27-25 and 28-26, respectively. “We started out much slower than we anticipated in practice for,” Badger coach Isabella Greenawalt said. “We were down in the first set, looking like we were going to go to at least four, but the girls pulled it out. The second set started the same way. We were down seven or eight points, came back, dug in deep, wanted it and persevered.” The final set had the potential for a blowout, with the Braves up 16-4 at one point, but the Rockets went on a run to tighten the game up. Badger was able to hold onto their lead and close the match out, 25-20. Staff photo / Brian Yauger Map...

Stratford erupts for 28 points in the second half By Casey Krautkramer Stratford’s varsity football team broke a scoreless halftime against Spencer/Marshfield Columbus on Friday with 28 second-half points for the big conference win. Both the Tigers and Rockets were undefeated going into the game. Stratford head football coach Jason Tubbs described how his team was able to score points in the second half against Spencer/Marshfield Columbus. “Overall, the second half was a combination of our guys blocking and tackling better, which created short field position,” Tubbs said. “Max Vanderhoof did a great job of completing some timely passes, which opened up the running game for Beau Gross.” The senior leaders were responsible for scoring Stratford’s first points in the second half. Gross caught Vanderhoof’s screen pass for a 14-yard touchdown in the third quarter, but the extra point kick failed. Gross added a three-yard touchdown plunge in the third quarter, and the made two-point con...

By STEVE SWOGETINSKY   The Neshoba Central Rockets picked up another Region 2-5A victory Thursday night as they defeated the Canton High School Tigers 35-12 in prep football action. Jarquez Hunter scored three touchdowns to lead the Rockets. Last week, Hunter was chosen to play in the Mississippi-Alabama All-star game in Montgomery in December. Neshoba Central, now 6-0, is the No. 4 ranked team in the Scorebook Live Overall Prep standings, and the No. 2 team in the Class 5A poll. “Overall, we played a good game,” Coach Patrick Schoolar said. “The defense was excellent; the offense was good. We’ll be off next week and that will give us another week to get ready for Ridgeland,” A bad snap to the punter late in the first quarter gave the Rockets a first down on the Canton nine-yard line. Three plays later, Hunter scored on a one-yard run. Hunter Bavette kicked the extra point and the Rockets led 7-0 going into the second quarter. Hunter put the Rockets in scoring position in ...

With the world still pretty splintered by the effects of a terrible pandemic, times are tough. That’s why we here at Shacknews created the Stimulus Games to boost some spirits. We’re stimulating the global economy again today as we invite the Shacknews community to take part in a special Rocket League tournament for a chance at delightful prizes. We’re going to be going live at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET on the Shacknews Twitch channel. You can also see the stream live below. [embedded content] Shacknews Stimulus Games 2020 - Rocket League Community Shackbattle Today we’ll be engaging in a contest of rockets. Entrants from the Shacknews community have entered in an attempt to prove themselves the mightiest of the bunch in Rocket League! The details of the upcoming tournament can be seen below. Tournament is double-elimination 1v1 matches. Losing twice after seeding means elimination. A series of team matches will determine seeding by overall points scored (not goals) The highest tw...

USATSI The Golden State Warriors went to five straight NBA Finals from 2015 to 2019, and though injury issues derailed their 2019-20 campaign, they project to be right back in the thick of things next season thanks to the returns of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Thompson missed the entirety of the 2019-2020 season after suffering a torn ACL in the 2019 Finals, and Curry played in just five games after breaking his hand at the beginning of the season.  With those two back in the rotation, Golden State immediately catapults back into the contention conversation. When discussing what his team will look like next season, Warriors coach Steve Kerr took a jab at the rival Rockets' recent style of play.   "We're not reinventing the wheel. We're still gonna be the Warriors," Kerr said on an appearance on The Athletic's TK Show, via Yahoo. "We're not gonna all of a sudden turn into the Rockets -- change our offense -- and have one guy go high pick-and...

Tyronn Lue is a “serious candidate” for the vacant position of head coach with the Houston Rockets, reports Kelly Iko of The Athletic . Lue just finished his first season as a Los Angeles Clippers assistant, and he previously worked as head coach of the Cavaliers over parts of four seasons. Now 43 years old, Lue led Cleveland to its only NBA title in 2016. During an 11-year career as a player, Lue briefly played for Houston in the 2004-05 season. A point guard known for pesky defense, Lue averaged 6.0 points and 2.8 assists in 22.8 minutes per game with the Rockets. In a mailbag story posted Monday, Iko was asked if Lue is a serious candidate for Houston’s current job, as well as whether Lue’s NBA coaching experience was sufficient. Here’s a sampling of Iko’s answer: Lue is a serious candidate. I disagree with the notion that his sample size is hard to gauge. Remember it was Lue who took over the job from David Blatt midway through the 2016 season and led the Cavaliers to the pro...

Former Houston Rockets forward Corey Brewer believes the Rockets have themselves to blame for Mike D’Antoni no longer being at the helm as the head coach. The Houston Rockets‘ 2019-20 season was prematurely ended last Saturday, as the Rockets were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers during the Western Conference Semifinals. The Rockets stole the first game of the series but lost the next four games, as the Lakers advanced to face the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. The Rockets got news the following morning on the flight back from Orlando to Houston that lame duck coach Mike D’Antoni would be parting ways with the franchise, as both sides weren’t able to come to terms on an extension. There was word that Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was upset upon finding out the news that D’Antoni would be pursuing free agency, as the two had reportedly met following the Rockets’ Game 5 loss. As Kelly Iko of The Athletic reported, D’Antoni was expecting a call from Rockets...

Rrrrip 3 hrs It will take more than a culture reset. The top NBA teams are all highly competitive.The Rockets must do something that differentiates them - this won't be achieved through personnel, coaches, management or ownership. Look at the record. What could a new Rockets coach accomplish with nine points more a game and consistency that would: Almost eliminate streaks/runs Put the Rockets in position to control and dictate the style of play throughout the game Work with the current roster This would require buy-in and commitment from coaches, players, management and owner. It would cost appreciable money but it would not be against the cap. This would be a tweak not a blowup. The players and coaches would be working with performance information (know your numbers) that no one has had previously. This can be achieved through using applied technology during training and analysis of game performance. Imagine the Rockets team with no 0 for 7’s on 3-pointers, no scor...

We already knew Rocket League was going free-to-play this summer, and today, the game’s developer, Psyonix, announced that the vehicular soccer game will go free-to-play on September 23rd. The transition to free-to-play also marks the debut of the game arriving on the Epic Games Store, a digital storefront owned by Psyonix’s parent company, Epic Games, which acquired the studio last year. After September 23rd, the game will be delisted from Steam; however, the studio explains that, regardless of which PC version you own, both versions will still receive “full support for future updates and features,” such as cross-platform play. But you can’t get it on Steam for free. ‘Rocket League’ will no longer require PS4 and Switch players to have a subscription to play online If you buy the game before it becomes free, Psyonix will give you some in-game “legacy” rewards, including all of the Rocket League -branded DLC and over 200 in-game items used to customize your vehicles, such as ante...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida -- The Houston Rockets didn't show up for Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers until it was too late. They can't do that again Saturday in Game 5 - or else. For the second time in these playoffs, the Rockets' season is on the line. The Lakers lead Houston 3-1 in their Western Conference semifinal series and could clinch their spot in the West finals with a win on Saturday night at Walt Disney World. It is the only game on Saturday's NBA schedule. Houston has won an elimination game already; it beat Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the first round. Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni doesn't want his club thinking about trying to win three games now, preferring instead to simply focus on getting one. "We've got to win the next game," D'Antoni said. "It's a one-game series and then we'll see what happens." Whatever happens for Houston, it'll happen without Danuel House. RELATED: Rockets' Danuel House J...

When/where: 7 p.m. Sunday, HP Field House, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. TV/radio: ATTSW; 740 AM, 850 AM (Spanish), 101.7 FM (Spanish). So far: Rockets 43-25, Kings 29-40. Lately: The Rockets are 3-1 in seeding games, taking wins against each of the teams, the Bucks and Lakers, to have clinched the top spots in their conferences. The Kings are 1-4 in restart following a win against the Pelicans with a loss Sunday to the Nets. Scouting the Rockets: After giving up 149 points to the Mavericks in the restart opener, the Rockets have allowed an average of 107.7 points in the next three games. They are 21-2 when holding opponents shy of 110 points. Even with the high-scoring game against Dallas, the Rockets have the sixth-ranked defense in seeding games. … The Rockets have had at least 19 3-pointers in all four seeding games, the longest streak of games with that amount in NBA history. … The Rockets have averaged 24.5 assists and a 2.04 assist-to-turnover ratio in the past four games, ge...

The Houston Rockets are likely to again be without guards Russell Westbrook (right quad contusion) and Eric Gordon (sprained left ankle) in Sunday’s game versus Sacramento. Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said before Saturday’s practice that both decisions were being made out of an abundance of caution, rather than a setback. “We just want to be really careful,” D’Antoni said. “They both should be able to play a couple games before the playoffs.” Now 31 years old, Westbrook is averaging 27.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.1 assists in 36.1 minutes per game in a brilliant debut season in Houston. A nine-time NBA All-Star and the 2017 MVP, Westbrook is shooting a career-high 47.2% with the Rockets — whose small-ball approach has helped open up more opportunities to attack the rim. #Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni says Russell Westbrook will be out tomorrow vs. Sacramento. Same with Eric Gordon. "Definitely doubtful." "We just want to be really careful. They both shoul...

8:25 PM ET Field Level Media For as much as the Milwaukee Bucks' prowess is linked to the incomparable talents of MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo, the foundation of their juggernaut status is built on depth. The Bucks (54-12) were not at full strength in their 119-112 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday, but if they aim to validate their standing as the title favorites, all hands will be required. Guards Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton continue to ramp up their conditioning following their late addition to the bubble near Orlando after testing positive for COVID-19. They might not be available when the Bucks play the Houston Rockets on Sunday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, but they are making progress and their returns appear imminent. "I think it's a little bit of conditioning, a little bit of just rhythm and everything," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I think getting Bled and Pat a couple of five-on-five sessions at a minimu...