Houston We Have Lift Off…Kind Of

The Houston Rockets were ready to face an actual opponent after traing camp ends and the preseason began. Tuesday night brought the young, rebuilt Memphis Grizzlies into the Rockets sights. Overall the team struggled more than they should’ve but were led by an early offensive boost to the newest Houston Rocket Ron Artest. Artest put up 12 points in the first quarter including a back-to-back 3 pointer with Rafer Alston. Ron-Ron struggled with his shot however in the second half only scoring 3 more points to end with 15.

On a different note Carl Landry made a return to glory in many fans eyes with his explosiveness that he was lacking after injury last season. Landry led the team in scoring with 18 points and added 9 rebounds. Brent Barry who is a new addition this season helped seal the victory with clutch time free-throws. Yao Ming played only 22 minutes and contributed 10 points and 9 boards. Yao looked effected by the pace of the game but said afterwards that it felt ‘new’ and that it would take some time to get rolling once again. Other key contributions came from Mike Harris who also added 9 rebounds as well as Aaron Brooks who scored 13 points and 5 assists. The Rockets play the Spurs next on Thursday.

Artest To Join Rockets

Let me start by praising the Houston Rockets front office, thank you thank you thank you! For the second straight season now Daryl Morley and company have made the start of the season seem so far away. Last season it was shipping out a whinny Greek for a promising Argentinian that had most Rockets fans cheering in anticipation for the season to start. This year the addition of Ron Artest (and Brent Barry) has this fan foaming at the mouth. I can’t wait for the season to start and the beautiful thing is our GM still has time to make some moves, although he’s done plenty this far.

Last year when Bonzi Wells was traded to New Orleans for Bobby Jackson I silently wondered what this trade would work itself into. Bo-Jax played his part the best he could and now Rockets fans must wish him good luck as he heads back to Sacramento for the second time of his career. Along with Jackson goes a first round draft pick, probably rookie Donte Green, as well as a cool million in cash.

What Houston gets back in return is a 3rd all-star to go along with Yao and T-Mac. For 2 points can someone tell me what happened the last time 3 all-stars joined forces? Here’s a hint, ask KG. Am I saying that the addition of Artest equals championship? I wish. The truth is the West is still a beast and too many teams have the talent needed to win a championship.

I will put myself out there and say that Houston WILL get out of the first round this year…provided we can stay healthy. I think that is still the Rockets biggest challenge despite what I’ve heard about Artest disrupting the teams chemistry. This is a team that won 22 games last year together and with Yao sidelined for most of the streak to boot. I believe that Rick Adleman is the key to victory this season. He must lead this team in practice and off the court while Yao or T-Mac takes charge of the team on the floor. I think the fact that Artest was willing to take a pay cut in order to keep Adleman in Sacramento speaks volumes of the respect he has for his coach. Artest is also trying to keep his value up so I personally think he will behave off court as well.

The deal won’t be made official until August 14th when Donte Green will be able to be signed to a contract so he can be traded. The Rockets are putting all the eggs in one basket and I as a fan have been waiting for this excitment in Houston.

Clutch City Now Put To The Test, Rockets Down 0-2

The first half of game belonged to an inspired T-Mac. He did it all. From blocking Carlos Boozer to driving past Korver and dunking over half the Jazz McGrady did his part to get the crowd into the game and fire up his team mates. 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, & 2 blocks. The questions would is, will his team mates step up and produce while McGrady sits on the bench and catches his breath.

A bad pass from Battier gave the Jazz an easy layup at the other end, but the Rockets would hold the fort down and keep the game close while McGrady rested up. Tracy wouldn’t sit long as he only rested for about 3 1/2 minutes and was back in the game with a little over 3 minutes left in the first half, Jazz 39 Rockets 34. A couple careless fouls and continued defense from Houston brought the Rockets within one with 2:18 left. The officials so far seem to be the only thing holding back the Rockets from taking the lead. That and a couple missed layups by Hayes and Scola within the last minute. Half Time Jazz 47 Rockets 41.

The start of the 3rd quarter saw the return of a focused McGrady and with 8 minutes left in the quarter the Rockets tied the game for the first time since early on. With 5:27 left to play in the 3rd the game was tied at 57, just as the first game of the series was tied at 57. Bobby Jackson was stepping up and giving McGrady some support adding 16 points so far, the problem is that no other Rocket is in double digit scoring, the closest is Brooks on the bench with 6 points, Scola has 5. The Rockets would take take the lead 59-57 and battle all the way to the end of the 3rd that saw the momentum shift in the favor of the home team… before Brewer blocked Brooks and then nailed a 3 pointer to end the 3rd and give the Jazz a 2 point lead heading into the final 12 minutes Jazz 69 Rockets 67.

The 4th quarter was too close to watch and type at the same time but in the end it wouldn’t matter. The officials ruined this game! Instead of the game being tied at 85-85 with under a minute left Tony Brothers made the wrong call and awarded a flop to the Jazz that gave them the ball.  Instead of T-Mac getting his first career triple-double in the playoffs, he gets more doubt pilled onto his character. The Jazz capitalized and scored putting the game out of reach for the Rockets. I really wish there was something that could be done about the horrible call but the bottom line is that nothing can change what’s happened.

Final score Utah Jazz 90 Houston Rockets 84, the Jazz lead the series 2-0 headed to Utah for the next 2 games. I would like to point out another team that was down 0-2 and ended up turning things around and became the NBA Champions, the 93-94 Houston Rockets. Clutch City baby! Go Rockets.

Rockets In The Playoffs, Deja Vu?

Ok so it’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog but the playoffs are getting ready to start up and they sure look promising.  The Houston Rockets will face off once again with the Utah Jazz in the first round, where Houston again will have home court advantage. Game 1 is Saturday night at 8:30 and Game 2 is Monday night at 8:30. Check back here for comments on the remaining games in the Houston Rockets post season.

Mutombo Honored, Rockets Move To 2nd

 

This was a game that, on paper, the Rockets should win. The Minnesota Timberwolves have only mustered 18 wins the entire season, so needless to say the Rockets were the heavy favorites to win. The game was a little closer than Rockets fans might have liked, at least this Rocket fan. Through the 1st half the Rockets only showed flashes of what needed to be done. Either the defense was clicking and the offense wasn’t or vice versa. Halftime brought about a tribute to Dikembe Mutombo for all of his charitable works thoughout the years, including opening a new hospital in the Republic of Congo.

I said to myself after halftime that the Rockets would come out and put the Wolves away, but it didn’t happen until the 4th quarter. T-Mac seemingly flipped a switch and went on a hot streak and ended up with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. McGrady peered at Alston as he missed the last shot that would’ve given Tracy a triple-double. The final score was Houston 97, Minnesota 86. With all the games played last night the Rockets moved into 2nd in the West.

Adelman Reaches 800th Win, Rockets Back In 3rd

Rick Adelman reaches a milestone in his career Monday night when the Rockets defeated the Kings 108-100. Only 13 other coaches have been able to reach this goal in the history of the NBA. Rick Adelman coached in Portland, Sacremento, and now Houston. With the Western Conference being as close as it is the Rockets were able to move ahead back into 3rd just behind the Lakers and Hornets. Rafer Alston lead the way for Houston in scoring for the second time in 3 games. Alston ended with a game high 28 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals. McGrady was quiet for the majority of the game however in the 4th quarter Mutombo pulled Tracy aside and spoke inspiration in his ears. T-Mac responded by stepping up in the 4th quarter and began to hit some key shots down the stretch.

Everyone that played for the Rockets last night had at least 6 points. Although the Kings managed more team assists the Rockets won the battle on the boards. Not a real flashy game but the Rockets took care of a team they were expected to beat. It’s a good thing too because with 7 road games and 4 home games remaining the Rockets need the best seed possible. On a side note the Dallas Mavericks can now sympathize with the Rockets a little after Dirk went down Sunday while playing the Spurs. Dirk was originally expected to miss 2 weeks but after having the doctors look at the injury no time table has been officially put out on his return. Dirk is expected to be back for the playoffs if Dallas, now the 7th seed, can hold onto a playoff spot in his absence. Hate to see it happen to any player but the Rockets had to deal with losing their star player so let’s see if the Mavericks can hold down the fort.

Hornets, Bonzi Sting Rockets

The Rockets dropped their second game in a row and unfortunately Houston is feeling the sting. After being tied 59-59 going into the 4th quarter the Rockets ran out of gas and could only muster a pathetic 10 points in the final 12 minutes. The Hornets however dropped more in the 4th quarter than the Rockets did the entire second half. That was for the most part to the credit of former Rocket Bonzi Wells who scored 20 of this 25 in the 4th resulting in a 90-69 victory for New Orleans.

All the Rockets starters were in double digit scoring but it wasn’t enough. Tracy McGrady was a non-factor once again setting the tone for the rest of the team and only 15 points. Hey T-Mac how about you at least make a point for every million your making this season if you’re not going to get your season average of 22. Where did the Rockets bench go? Did they travel with the team to New Orleans? They only contributed 6 points, in comparison Mutombo added 10.

The team gets a day to rest but had to leave New Orleans last night and fly to San Fransisco. Friday brings Golden State (42-25) followed by Saturday and Phoenix (46-22). The Rockets, now 46-22, fell out of the top spot and down to 3rd in the conference. While there is a 3.5 game difference between us and the Warriors we are currently tied with the Suns. If the Rockets cannot figure out a way to turn things around they might find themselves in one of the bottom seeds, erasing the progress the tough fought streak brought them.

It Takes The NBA’s Best To End The Rockets Streak

“All good things must come to an end” Tracy McGrady told the Houston Chronicle after Tuesday nights defeat. In a battle between the top teams from both conferences the Celtics ended both the 22 game winning streak as well as the 15 game winning streak at home. Nothing should be taken away from these Rockets. They have managed to do something great that few teams in the history of the NBA ever did and credit is due to everyone in the organization. The front office for putting this team together, the coaches for keeping the players focused, and of course the players themselves for executing and buckling down in the face of adversity.

Unfortunately after such hard work there is still no time to rest. The Rockets currently hold the top spot in the West but the Lakers share our record and there are plenty of teams ready to see us slide in the standings. What’s scary is that after 48 days of hard work to push to the top of the brutal Western conference Houston could quickly find itself right where they started in a matter of days. Tonights game against the New Orleans Hornets is probably the Rockets most important game of the week. Head Coach Rick Adelman has said since the streak hit the late teens that he knew this team would eventually loose a game, what he was looking forward to is how the team would respond.

I’m looking forward to that as well Coach. I’m glad that the players can so easily shake off the comments made by the “main stream media” but I as a fan cannot be as forgiving. It seemed to me that Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley waited until the streak was ended to really give the Rockets credit and even then it seemed forced. I take comfort in the fact that it’s just their opinions and they are entitled to their own, no matter how wrong it may be. These so called ‘main stream media’ people overloaded the Rockets bandwagon and caused it to tip. I’d be willing to bet that at least half of the people that gave the Rockets even a LITTLE credit are running for the hills now. It just frustrates me to hear Houston get little to no credit for what they are doing this season.

Rockets ‘Skip’ Past Lakers, Lead West

It seems like injuries are everywhere this year. The final showdown between the Houston Rockets and the L.A. Lakers would be no different as Pau Gasol (Bynum) and Yao Ming were missing from the action Sunday night. The Rockets have finally gotten the attention of the ‘main stream media’ and Sundays game was proof as the game was moved to an earlier time slot and was shown on ABC. With the injuries listed above all eyes and ears were focused on T-Mac and Kobe Bryant. In recent games past McGrady has often been the leading scorer in the Rockets victories but not this time. In fact he wasn’t even 2nd or 3rd, he was 5th behind Battier and Scola with only 11 points. With McGrady in the defensive cross hairs Rafer Alston and Bobby Jackson did what was expected of them, … hit the open shots. And boy did they! The duo combined for a whopping 50 points, Rafer with career high 31 and Jackson with a solid 19.

So if you would’ve told me that the Houston Rockets were going to be up by 15 at the half and that T-Mac would have ZERO points I would’ve asked you to put down what you are smoking. As it turns out Houston’s defense, in particular Shane Battier, were stellar. Battier was tasked with the simple job to hold Kobe Bryant and although Bryant had 24 points he was only 11-33 from the field. But hats off to Rafer and Jackson for offensively carrying this team in a crucial game against a division rival.

Now the stage is set for Tuesday night when the Rockets will play the Boston Celtics. Both teams are #1 in their respective conferences so this will be another test for Houston as they rewrite the NBA history book

Rockets Set History But Remain Grounded

Tracy McGrady showed last night that he is, without doubt, the team leader. Not that there was ever a question in the mind of true Rockets fans but the idea was reinforced. Once again T-Mac led all scorers and ended with 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists but even more impressive was the fact that McGrady played the entire game, 48 minutes!

The stage is set for Sundays game against the Lakers and as it turns out the winner will be atop the Western conference. Many people have been marking this game on the calendar because it should be a true test of the Rockets skill. With Pau Gasol out with a sprained ankle if Houston wins now the haters will give themselves an excuse to doubt, just as they did when we beat Dallas without Dirk and New Orleans without West. I don’t understand how some sports ‘analysts’ refuse to give credit where it’s due simply because the Rockets opponent is missing a key player. Maybe they’ve forgotten so soon that Houston is Yao-less but I suppose the rules don’t bend that way for the Rockets.

No matter, with or without Gasol the Lakers are still a threat because of another player you may have heard of, Kobe Bryant. Matter of fact now with Gasol out of the way the focus can be shifted back to T-Mac vs Kobe, which should better suit Houston. Why? Because right now the Rockets are chock full of role players. The entire team has been stepping up over the course of this streak, not just T-Mac. I haven’t really been following Laker basketball lately but if Battier can contain Bryant and put the pressure on the other Lakers to make shots the Rockets could come out on top. That’s a very big if however and it’s easier said than done. Either way after Sundays game we will have a clear cut leader in the West.