[Chron] Rockets rally past Celtics - interesting quotes.

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BOSTON – With the days of measuring themselves against the elite gone, sacrificed to a slump and losing streak, the Rockets wanted something else, something greater.

More than merely grabbing a win the Rockets so desperately needed, Yao Ming said he saw a chance to begin a revival.

He may have just gotten both.

With a finishing kick of defense and huge last-minute baskets from Von Wafer and Yao, the Rockets surged past the Celtics to an 89-85 win at TD Banknorth Garden on Wednesday, snapping the Rockets’ three-game skid and five-game road losing streak while handing Boston just its second loss in 20 home games this season.

"I can’t tell you what a great win that was," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "Our guys came in and competed for 48 minutes. After a rough trip, to come in here and beat these guys here, control the fourth quarter, just a terrific win."

They made the plays they haven’t down the stretch, and shut down the paint they had given away the night before to get a win that was if not their best of the season, was unquestionably the one they needed most.

"When you launch a rocket, you will not go (from) zero to 100 miles (per hour) in one second," said Yao, who made 10 of 13 shots to score 26 points including the put-back that clinched the win. "We need time to turn it up.

"We need to keep our passion. Tonight is obviously a big one for us. The Celtics, we have a lot of respect for. They won the championship last year and are hard to beat. As a team, we need to keep doing that."

They had plenty of that on Wednesday, but also brought the requisite late-game poise.

"The young fellas took us home," said Ron Artest, who came back after missing the past two games, scoring 17 points in 30 minutes before fouling out.

Most of all, however, the Rockets recaptured the defense that had been in decline for weeks and had crashed on the road trip, holding the Celtics to 34.6 percent shooting in the last three quarters and to just 11 fourth-quarter points, the fewest against the Rockets this season.

"We talked about having to play their Big Three and we wanted to make them take jump shots," Adelman said after the Rockets allowed just 18 points in the paint, 34 fewer than the night before in Philadelphia. "We really didn’t want them to get the ball where they got layups.

"The other thing is you cannot go into this game and give up a basket and drag your head down and start looking at your teammates. You got to play. You got to compete. You can’t feel sorry for yourself."

The Celtics offered plenty of chances to fade, from their 66.7 percent shooting in a 31-point first quarter to two defensive stands in the final minutes when they took an 85-84 lead with 94 seconds remaining.

That’s when the Rockets took control of the game with the fortitude so often lacking on the trip. Wafer had air-balled a long, rushed jumper and Brooks drove too far, allowing Kevin Garnett to easily swat his runner with 1:16 remaining.

Brooks got the ball back, however, by drawing a charge on Paul Pierce. He then dashed down the lane, drew the defense and found Wafer in the corner for a 3-pointer that put the Rockets head, 87-85, with 43.8 seconds left.

Pierce, who made seven of 14 shots for 26 points to lead the Celtics, missed a jumper and after Brooks set up Carl Landry inside, Yao finally found a way to beat the fronting defenses that the Celtics have mastered against him and saved for the final minutes.

With Garnett fronting Yao, he was out of position to keep Yao off the boards. Yao grabbed his eighth rebound and quickly put it in, giving the Rockets an 89-85 lead with 10.9 remaining.

With that the Rockets had the win they needed and maybe more.

"You need multiple wins to do that," Artest said of the sought turnaround. "You can’t just win one game and say this is a change. You can look back and say this is where it started, but you can’t predetermine that this is the one game that did it because we lose to teams we’re better than.

"We sometimes forget that hard work is more important than talent. Last year, Boston had hard work and they had talent. That’s why they ran through everybody. I think we’re just as talented, but we have to work hard. Sometimes we think Yao is just going to bail us out all the time, or me or Tracy are going to bail us out. Sometimes Tracy thinks his talent is going to take him. He can just cruise his way. But we got to work hard. Tonight, we worked hard."

The Rockets knew, however, that if that is not enough to be at 100 miles per hour, it could be a start, and chance to pick up speed in that direction.