duncan228
05-11-2009, 11:36 PM
Houston's Brooks: Rock at the point (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/rockets/2009-05-11-aaron-brooks_N.htm)
By Jeff Zillgitt
Franklin (Seattle) basketball coach Jason Kerr knew Houston Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks could score when Brooks got to his high school.
But in high school and in college at Oregon, Brooks was surrounded by scorers. His job was to get others involved offensively.
Same situation in his two years with the Rockets.
But here and there, Brooks showed some impressive offensive skills. He scored 38 in the Washington State 4A title game in 2003, dropped in 34 his sophomore season at Oregon and had 30 this season against the Phoenix Suns.
The Los Angeles Lakers saw Brooks' scoring prowess firsthand Sunday.
With All-Star center Yao Ming out with a broken foot, Brooks scored a career-high 34 points in Houston's 99-87 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, tying the series at 2. Game 5 is today in Los Angeles.
The Lakers looked to take control of the series without Yao, injured in Game 3. Scoring from inside and out, Brooks made sure that didn't happen.
The performance did not surprise Kerr, who coached Brooks when his guard led Franklin to the state title in 2003. Franklin beat Mead (Spokane) despite 37 points from Adam Morrison, now with the Lakers.
Brooks "was one of the talked-about young men coming out of the city. He just had uncanny speed and an ability to control the ball so well," Kerr said.
That speed gave the Lakers problems in Game 4. Once Brooks beat his man off the dribble or on high screens, he had options: shoot, continue to the basket or pass to the open man.
"Without Yao in there, the paint was going to open up a little bit more," Brooks said after the game. "We just wanted to get into the middle."
Lakers star Kobe Bryant compared 6-0, 161-pound Brooks to the San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker. "He's that quick, he's that fast and crafty. And he can shoot the ball from distance," Bryant told news reporters.
In the playoffs, Brooks is shooting 41% from three-point range, including 4-of-9 on Sunday. His most athletic play came on an inbounds alley-oop pass from Ron Artest at halfcourt on the final play of the third quarter. Brooks caught the ball, shot it off the glass and in — in under a second.
Such games are why Houston targeted Brooks in the first round of the 2007 draft. It's also why the Rockets felt comfortable trading Rafer Alston to the Orlando Magic and making Brooks the starter in February. Since that deal, Houston is 28-12.
Brooks averaged 10.3 points as Alston's backup but increased it to 12.9 once he became the starter. He has been even better in the playoffs: 16.5 points.
Bearing a resemblance to comedian Chris Rock, Brooks can be a jokester, Kerr said. Brooks went to Sunday's postgame news conference wearing a bright red Rockets blazer and a big red bow tie.
Asked if he had any idea he would be dressed like that on national TV, Brooks deadpanned, "I didn't know the playoffs were going to be on national television. I was surprised when I came in and saw all the cameras."
By Jeff Zillgitt
Franklin (Seattle) basketball coach Jason Kerr knew Houston Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks could score when Brooks got to his high school.
But in high school and in college at Oregon, Brooks was surrounded by scorers. His job was to get others involved offensively.
Same situation in his two years with the Rockets.
But here and there, Brooks showed some impressive offensive skills. He scored 38 in the Washington State 4A title game in 2003, dropped in 34 his sophomore season at Oregon and had 30 this season against the Phoenix Suns.
The Los Angeles Lakers saw Brooks' scoring prowess firsthand Sunday.
With All-Star center Yao Ming out with a broken foot, Brooks scored a career-high 34 points in Houston's 99-87 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, tying the series at 2. Game 5 is today in Los Angeles.
The Lakers looked to take control of the series without Yao, injured in Game 3. Scoring from inside and out, Brooks made sure that didn't happen.
The performance did not surprise Kerr, who coached Brooks when his guard led Franklin to the state title in 2003. Franklin beat Mead (Spokane) despite 37 points from Adam Morrison, now with the Lakers.
Brooks "was one of the talked-about young men coming out of the city. He just had uncanny speed and an ability to control the ball so well," Kerr said.
That speed gave the Lakers problems in Game 4. Once Brooks beat his man off the dribble or on high screens, he had options: shoot, continue to the basket or pass to the open man.
"Without Yao in there, the paint was going to open up a little bit more," Brooks said after the game. "We just wanted to get into the middle."
Lakers star Kobe Bryant compared 6-0, 161-pound Brooks to the San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker. "He's that quick, he's that fast and crafty. And he can shoot the ball from distance," Bryant told news reporters.
In the playoffs, Brooks is shooting 41% from three-point range, including 4-of-9 on Sunday. His most athletic play came on an inbounds alley-oop pass from Ron Artest at halfcourt on the final play of the third quarter. Brooks caught the ball, shot it off the glass and in — in under a second.
Such games are why Houston targeted Brooks in the first round of the 2007 draft. It's also why the Rockets felt comfortable trading Rafer Alston to the Orlando Magic and making Brooks the starter in February. Since that deal, Houston is 28-12.
Brooks averaged 10.3 points as Alston's backup but increased it to 12.9 once he became the starter. He has been even better in the playoffs: 16.5 points.
Bearing a resemblance to comedian Chris Rock, Brooks can be a jokester, Kerr said. Brooks went to Sunday's postgame news conference wearing a bright red Rockets blazer and a big red bow tie.
Asked if he had any idea he would be dressed like that on national TV, Brooks deadpanned, "I didn't know the playoffs were going to be on national television. I was surprised when I came in and saw all the cameras."