[Examiner.com] Endure, and everything will be all right

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Endure, and everything will be all right

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January 5, 2:24 AM
by David Hartnett, Houston Rockets Examiner

It seems if you’ve listened to a sports talk radio program, watch the local news or read this page over this past week you would believe the sky is falling. The Rockets (who have lost five of their last seven games) have constantly been criticized in all forms of media over their poor play.

It’s not say the criticism is unjustified, it is. Though at these times of sensationalism (and I’m guilty of this) I find it is best to sit back and re-evaluate what has happened.

Therefore, looking over what has occurred with the Rockets the past two weeks, while also reviewing the entire season and looking ahead, a conclusion was reached — the Rockets are going to be ok.

Maybe it’s naïve optimism, but this whole “sky is falling” rhetoric that has been spreading throughout seems a bit harsh. Now that isn’t to say criticism of the Rockets’ poor play as of late is unwarranted. They are struggling on the offensive end, as their offensive sets generally feature little passing and poor shot selection. Thus making their lack of chemistry and hustle apparent.

Then of course there is the current injury predicament. Shane Battier is out for at least another three games. Tracy McGrady likes to play every other game, but when he does — he embarrasses himself. While Ron Artest — who is one of the more intense and competitive players in the league — has a swollen ankle and been unable to be as strong driving to the basket as he should.

Though despite all of the aforementioned injury problems and offensive woes, the Rockets are ok and will be ok. Yeah, they have fallen from second place in the Western Conference to seventh during this two-week span, but the season still far from over. Currently, they are only one and a half games behind the second place San Antonio Spurs, while facing the realization that the hardest parts of their schedule were these first few months.

Once the new year began the schedule started to look much more favorable. Up until now, the Rockets have played the second most road games in the NBA with 20. Yet with the schedule nearing its midway point, the team is still on pace for 49 wins. Then once the road-trip ends, up until the All-Star break (15 games) the schedule becomes extremely favorable. The best team the Rockets face during that stretch is the Los Angeles Lakers, who they play at home. Even games against the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets are a pair the Rockets enjoy the comfort of playing at the Toyota Center.

If there was ever a moment for optimism it should be approaching. As the last three games of this road-trip include stops in Philadelphia, Boston, and Oklahoma City, the Rockets should finish with a pair of victories and look better than they have these past couple of weeks. If everything occurs the way it should, the heartache occurring from the putrid performances of these last few games can be forgotten by the time the team arrives back in Houston.

There is potential for things to continue to look promising. If the Rockets can maintain the type of offensive performance they had against the Hawks against both the 76ers and Thunder. While also assuring the viewing public that the performance they had on defense against the Hawks was nothing more than a mere aberration — then the wins should begin to pile up.

Yet, apparent in the last two paragraphs were the mention of the word “if”, because nothing is definite with this team right now. They aren’t playing as well as they can partially due to the injuries. In addition, while it seems the schedule is preparing itself to become more favorable, the Rockets have shown the ability to lose to lesser teams.

While no win is assured, the list of their upcoming opponents, compounded with only a pair of back-to-back games during that span creates a promising outlook.

However, all of this is just talk, and useless if things don’t transpire the way it theoretically should. If the Rockets can endure through this current turmoil they should be able to ready to go on a bit of a run going into the All-Star break.

If anything, don't become consumed by the "season is over" rhetoric, the sentiments for this team may be far different a week from now.