April 11, 2025 • 9 mins
TV Voice of the Rockets Craig Ackerman Joins The Show Before Tip-Off
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You know, Alpie's English is significantly better, I mean massively
improved since he first became a Houston Rocket. Was the
first press conference he was at, and he can speak
and lick English. He doesn't very well know for himself.
A man who's also a great oratory is the television
voice of the Houston Rockets. He joins us from a
parts unknown where the Houston Rockets are shooting around getting
(00:23):
ready for tonight's game with the Los Angeles Lakers. Craig
Akerman is where it's Craig. I had a caller earlier
today said they needed to win. You and I needed
to switch because I don't feel good and I would
do less talking on the television. I went on radio,
so just give me your lights up on this.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Wow, you'd actually dumb? Sound all that? That great? That
happened pretty quickly. How I'm sorry it did.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
I was like, yeah, it's it hit me at the
last second. I went to bed at eight o'clock last
night and got up about every seventy five minutes that
I'm sorry to hear that. I know, but the show
must go on, mister Ackerman, go.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
On, shoot around. Just just did wrap.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
It was a very quick one. I'm still here on
the campus of UCLA, so are.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
You at the Ackerman Student Center.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I am not actually physically in the Akerman Student Center,
but I can throw a rock and hit it.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yeah, we should explain that Craig is so famous at
UCLA that they had named a student center after him there. Yep,
they have all Right, Hey, are you as obsessed with
the standings as I am or not as much?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I am completely obsessed because it's just trying to well,
I mean, look, ultimately the Rockets won't know who they're
going to play. It'll be down, it'll be whittled down
to basically two teams here pretty soon, you know wants
the play in tournament starts. But yes, I am obsessed
in terms of who's going to finish where, who they
ultimately could or could not play. And yeah, I do
kind of keep an eye on it every single night
(01:49):
and had been for several weeks.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
And that's why I told a caller earlier today Craig
that even though the Rockets are a two seed, no
matter who they play, it's not going to be a
signal in favor. Not that we should let Vegas aside.
Who's going to happen. What but you could be taking
on theory five teams that are separated by one or
two games that could be as high as three or
four and as lower seven to eight.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Yeah, I mean, I pretty much think everybody outside of
the Lakers in the thunder and then the Mavericks and
the Kings are still in play for the Rockets, and
then you know whether they win or lose this game
here tonight. I guess this one doesn't technically matter in
terms of some of those other teams as much.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
But depending upon how.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
This one takes shape here tonight and the one obviously
on Sunday versus Denver, still so many different scenarios to
take place, obviously that big game, and for the Clippers
and the Warriors.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
And the regular season.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
I mean still again, so much, so much madness as
of right now, with so many teams within the game
of one another. And I think what Minnesota crushed Memphis
last night and I don't think really gained any space
or spots and standings or something like that. It was
very strange. So again, anything can happen.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
So if Ema A Dooka said, Hey, comes down to
the bus with me, let's talk about who we want
to play, and how much we want to play tonight
against the Lakers, and how much we want to do
against Denver. What would you be advised to him?
Speaker 2 (03:10):
What would my advice to him be?
Speaker 3 (03:13):
It's they're trying to thread the needle here obviously between
Rest versus Russ. But again, they're going to have a
week off anyway in between games to begin with. They
have to do what they feels best for their players.
For it hasn't been one hundred percent obviously, you know,
a men has the ankle thing, you got to make
sure you're one hundred percent okay about. And so I
(03:35):
think that the goal ultimately is just to make sure
that these guys are completely and fully healthy, because regardless
of who they play in the first round, even if
the two seed, it's going to be a really really
tough matchup because there's some there are a lot of
really really good teams in the Western Conference. So I
think they're just kind of trying to thread the needle.
And look, I mean, ultimately, if they do go with
the similar lineup that we saw the other night in
(03:56):
l against the Clippers, and like the one that we
saw in Oklahoma City, those guys play super hard.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
They gave both teams a game.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
And so if they decided to go with that particular
group again here tonight, I'm sure they're ultimately going to
attempt to try to try to win this game the
best they can, but ultimately it's about being one hundred
percent healthy and ready to go for the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Craig Akerman, television voice on Space Citney Home Network with
us for a few minutes here on The Matt Thomas
Show with Ross from Los Angeles, Greg, was there a
turning point in your mind this year where this team
went Okay, not only are they good, they're playoff good
and their top four good.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
There's so many big wins this year.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
I think you know what I mean. Early on in
the season, the big win against Oklahoma.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
City was it was a pretty good sign that this
team was.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Legit.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
The road win at Memphis is part of the NBA
Cup play as well, kind of made me feel like
that they were.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Legit.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
But I think ultimately maybe the the win on the
road in Boston against the defending champions. I know a
lot of people probably picked the home win against the
Warriors in the Cup games, and then to Vegas as
the biggest win of the season for me, I thought
it was the one in Boston, and I think that's
when I kind of realized that, you know what, this
team does have home court advantage in the first round,
(05:24):
not just potential but probable, and so to me, that
was the one I think where I personally was ultimately
convinced that everything that we had seen up to that point,
which was really good from this.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Team, was going to continue to be really good the
rest of the way.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Rockets Craig beat the Warriors Sunday in San Francisco. They
had a lot to play for. They since have lost
to San Antonio. We have had lot terrible times in
San Francisco and in Houston for that matter.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Telling me, oh my gosh, was.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
There any thing that you've took away from that game,
going maybe this isn't your mom and Dad's World's Warriors
scene from five years ago.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Well, what io away from it was that this particular
Rockets team is and we already kind of have seen it.
We saw in the second half of last year, we've
seen it all year round this year that they're just
they're not going to allow anybody just to punch them
in the mouth and take it that if somebody does,
they're going to fund them back. And oftentimes the Rockets
are the ones that hit first. And that's what I
(06:20):
ultimately took away from that game. I mean, this group
finally got over the hump. I mean, outside of Jeff Green,
nobody on this team had ever beaten Golden State up
until the point that they won that home game, and
then a lot of these guys hadn't ever won in
San Francisco either up until the game a few days back,
and so I think psychologically for this group, they got
over a couple of humps against the team that they've
(06:41):
really struggled with, especially again this young corps, and winning
on the road in that environment with everything that was
going on was again another sign that this team is
just not going to back down against anybody. But that series,
if they do happen to play, the war is it's
going to be an absolute battle. I mean, I mean,
with Errymond Green and all this stuff, and then playing
with you know, Dylan Brooks and the men Thompson and
(07:02):
App and Changun not taking anything and the Rockets punching
back and everything like that, that'll be that'll be an
absolute war. If it happens to be the first round matchup.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Craig I coming with us from UCLA. Rockets are warming
up or shooting around, getting ready for tonight's game. What
do you when the Rockets were making those playoff runs?
Aresa head playoff experience? Chris Paul did, James Harden, Dwight Howard,
and obviously Dylan and Fred haveitu and Steven Adams has it.
But there's a lot of guys, a lot of key guys,
(07:32):
a Jabbari, a jalen on a men that don't know Atari,
that don't know what the playoffs are all about. What
do you think that EMA is telling the guys about
what they're about to experience here starting in about ten
days from now.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Well, I think what they've been prepping these guys for
is to that playoffs. Obviously, the level of intensity turns
up a notch, but this is the team that plays
with that kind of level of intensity anyway, So I
think they've already they're already used to sort of playing
in that kind of environment. But look that the vets
and these coaches have guided these young guys along extremely
(08:05):
well over the last couple of years. But the playoffs
are a different animal, and I think much like as
players grow and learn and mature in the regular season,
there's no substitute for experience in the playoffs, and so
a lot of these young guys will be facing this
for the very.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
First time in their careers.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
I think we'll ultimately have to wait and see how
each of them respond to that kind of.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
That level of intensity in those.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Situations, especially if they happen to get messed up against
a team like Golden State that has guys who have
won multiple championships.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So we'll have to see how that all plays out.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
But I ultimately, again I think their style of play,
the way they approached the way they play teams with
such physicality, will ultimately prepare them for a playoff series.
But ultimately, again for the young guys, experience is something
that they're just going to have to learn.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
On the flying. Well.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
As we all know, the playoffs are a process and
typically you have to go through some pain to experience
some pleasure in this league, and so I'm sure there'll
be some of that. And again, hopefully their talent and
again everything they've been taught in the way they did
played with all year long can kind of overcome the
lack of playoff experience for so many of these guys,
You know, Alpie's English is significantly better, I mean massively
improved since he first became a Houston Rocket. Was the
first press conference he was at, and he can speak
and lick English. He doesn't very well know for himself.
A man who's also a great oratory is the television
voice of the Houston Rockets. He joins us from a
parts unknown where the Houston Rockets are shooting around getting
(00:23):
ready for tonight's game with the Los Angeles Lakers. Craig
Akerman is where it's Craig. I had a caller earlier
today said they needed to win. You and I needed
to switch because I don't feel good and I would
do less talking on the television. I went on radio,
so just give me your lights up on this.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Wow, you'd actually dumb? Sound all that? That great? That
happened pretty quickly. How I'm sorry it did.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
I was like, yeah, it's it hit me at the
last second. I went to bed at eight o'clock last
night and got up about every seventy five minutes that
I'm sorry to hear that. I know, but the show
must go on, mister Ackerman, go.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
On, shoot around. Just just did wrap.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
It was a very quick one. I'm still here on
the campus of UCLA, so are.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
You at the Ackerman Student Center.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I am not actually physically in the Akerman Student Center,
but I can throw a rock and hit it.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yeah, we should explain that Craig is so famous at
UCLA that they had named a student center after him there. Yep,
they have all Right, Hey, are you as obsessed with
the standings as I am or not as much?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I am completely obsessed because it's just trying to well,
I mean, look, ultimately the Rockets won't know who they're
going to play. It'll be down, it'll be whittled down
to basically two teams here pretty soon, you know wants
the play in tournament starts. But yes, I am obsessed
in terms of who's going to finish where, who they
ultimately could or could not play. And yeah, I do
kind of keep an eye on it every single night
(01:49):
and had been for several weeks.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
And that's why I told a caller earlier today Craig
that even though the Rockets are a two seed, no
matter who they play, it's not going to be a
signal in favor. Not that we should let Vegas aside.
Who's going to happen. What but you could be taking
on theory five teams that are separated by one or
two games that could be as high as three or
four and as lower seven to eight.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Yeah, I mean, I pretty much think everybody outside of
the Lakers in the thunder and then the Mavericks and
the Kings are still in play for the Rockets, and
then you know whether they win or lose this game
here tonight. I guess this one doesn't technically matter in
terms of some of those other teams as much.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
But depending upon how.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
This one takes shape here tonight and the one obviously
on Sunday versus Denver, still so many different scenarios to
take place, obviously that big game, and for the Clippers
and the Warriors.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
And the regular season.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
I mean still again, so much, so much madness as
of right now, with so many teams within the game
of one another. And I think what Minnesota crushed Memphis
last night and I don't think really gained any space
or spots and standings or something like that. It was
very strange. So again, anything can happen.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
So if Ema A Dooka said, Hey, comes down to
the bus with me, let's talk about who we want
to play, and how much we want to play tonight
against the Lakers, and how much we want to do
against Denver. What would you be advised to him?
Speaker 2 (03:10):
What would my advice to him be?
Speaker 3 (03:13):
It's they're trying to thread the needle here obviously between
Rest versus Russ. But again, they're going to have a
week off anyway in between games to begin with. They
have to do what they feels best for their players.
For it hasn't been one hundred percent obviously, you know,
a men has the ankle thing, you got to make
sure you're one hundred percent okay about. And so I
(03:35):
think that the goal ultimately is just to make sure
that these guys are completely and fully healthy, because regardless
of who they play in the first round, even if
the two seed, it's going to be a really really
tough matchup because there's some there are a lot of
really really good teams in the Western Conference. So I
think they're just kind of trying to thread the needle.
And look, I mean, ultimately, if they do go with
the similar lineup that we saw the other night in
(03:56):
l against the Clippers, and like the one that we
saw in Oklahoma City, those guys play super hard.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
They gave both teams a game.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
And so if they decided to go with that particular
group again here tonight, I'm sure they're ultimately going to
attempt to try to try to win this game the
best they can, but ultimately it's about being one hundred
percent healthy and ready to go for the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Craig Akerman, television voice on Space Citney Home Network with
us for a few minutes here on The Matt Thomas
Show with Ross from Los Angeles, Greg, was there a
turning point in your mind this year where this team
went Okay, not only are they good, they're playoff good
and their top four good.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
There's so many big wins this year.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
I think you know what I mean. Early on in
the season, the big win against Oklahoma.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
City was it was a pretty good sign that this
team was.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Legit.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
The road win at Memphis is part of the NBA
Cup play as well, kind of made me feel like
that they were.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Legit.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
But I think ultimately maybe the the win on the
road in Boston against the defending champions. I know a
lot of people probably picked the home win against the
Warriors in the Cup games, and then to Vegas as
the biggest win of the season for me, I thought
it was the one in Boston, and I think that's
when I kind of realized that, you know what, this
team does have home court advantage in the first round,
(05:24):
not just potential but probable, and so to me, that
was the one I think where I personally was ultimately
convinced that everything that we had seen up to that point,
which was really good from this.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Team, was going to continue to be really good the
rest of the way.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Rockets Craig beat the Warriors Sunday in San Francisco. They
had a lot to play for. They since have lost
to San Antonio. We have had lot terrible times in
San Francisco and in Houston for that matter.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Telling me, oh my gosh, was.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
There any thing that you've took away from that game,
going maybe this isn't your mom and Dad's World's Warriors
scene from five years ago.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Well, what io away from it was that this particular
Rockets team is and we already kind of have seen it.
We saw in the second half of last year, we've
seen it all year round this year that they're just
they're not going to allow anybody just to punch them
in the mouth and take it that if somebody does,
they're going to fund them back. And oftentimes the Rockets
are the ones that hit first. And that's what I
(06:20):
ultimately took away from that game. I mean, this group
finally got over the hump. I mean, outside of Jeff Green,
nobody on this team had ever beaten Golden State up
until the point that they won that home game, and
then a lot of these guys hadn't ever won in
San Francisco either up until the game a few days back,
and so I think psychologically for this group, they got
over a couple of humps against the team that they've
(06:41):
really struggled with, especially again this young corps, and winning
on the road in that environment with everything that was
going on was again another sign that this team is
just not going to back down against anybody. But that series,
if they do happen to play, the war is it's
going to be an absolute battle. I mean, I mean,
with Errymond Green and all this stuff, and then playing
with you know, Dylan Brooks and the men Thompson and
(07:02):
App and Changun not taking anything and the Rockets punching
back and everything like that, that'll be that'll be an
absolute war. If it happens to be the first round matchup.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Craig I coming with us from UCLA. Rockets are warming
up or shooting around, getting ready for tonight's game. What
do you when the Rockets were making those playoff runs?
Aresa head playoff experience? Chris Paul did, James Harden, Dwight Howard,
and obviously Dylan and Fred haveitu and Steven Adams has it.
But there's a lot of guys, a lot of key guys,
(07:32):
a Jabbari, a jalen on a men that don't know Atari,
that don't know what the playoffs are all about. What
do you think that EMA is telling the guys about
what they're about to experience here starting in about ten
days from now.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Well, I think what they've been prepping these guys for
is to that playoffs. Obviously, the level of intensity turns
up a notch, but this is the team that plays
with that kind of level of intensity anyway, So I
think they've already they're already used to sort of playing
in that kind of environment. But look that the vets
and these coaches have guided these young guys along extremely
(08:05):
well over the last couple of years. But the playoffs
are a different animal, and I think much like as
players grow and learn and mature in the regular season,
there's no substitute for experience in the playoffs, and so
a lot of these young guys will be facing this
for the very.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
First time in their careers.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
I think we'll ultimately have to wait and see how
each of them respond to that kind of.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
That level of intensity in those.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Situations, especially if they happen to get messed up against
a team like Golden State that has guys who have
won multiple championships.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So we'll have to see how that all plays out.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
But I ultimately, again I think their style of play,
the way they approached the way they play teams with
such physicality, will ultimately prepare them for a playoff series.
But ultimately, again for the young guys, experience is something
that they're just going to have to learn.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
On the flying. Well.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
As we all know, the playoffs are a process and
typically you have to go through some pain to experience
some pleasure in this league, and so I'm sure there'll
be some of that. And again, hopefully their talent and
again everything they've been taught in the way they did
played with all year long can kind of overcome the
lack of playoff experience for so many of these guys,
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