By JONATHAN FEIGEN This is the sort of team the Rockets have become. It is the sort of thing that has made a difference. "I just think we have a great mix of guys," Barry said. "We're having fun playing together. We're enjoying each other. It's fun. It's, 'Let's go get it done.' " Other than making the season more pleasant, camaraderie can be entirely irrelevant. Some of the Steve-Cuttino teams could not have been closer, especially in the years when Francis and Mobley had Maurice Taylor, Walt Williams, Moochie Norris and Shandon Anderson for teammates. No locker room was ever louder and more cheerful than a locker room that included Charles Barkley. Many losing teams have a wonderful time together when the games are over. But there is a sense with this Rockets team that the attitude is more meaningful. The buddy stuff is nice. It makes the long season shorter. But for the Rockets, it's more a sense of responsibility to one another, as if you better be there when a teammate is counting on you. It also defeats self-interest, no small consideration on a team with four guards sharing two positions and four power forwards competing for playing time. Belief in themselves Winning can create such good feelings. And it did not take Mutombo's proclamation to guess that it is a pretty good life making millions, traveling by charter jet and staying in Travel Channel hotels. The road can be long, but it's shorter when you never carry a bag, never mind deal with an airline that loses one. But with the Rockets, it seems the attitude leads to success as much as the success has created the attitude. "You can just see it's more upbeat," McGrady said. "The vibe you feel in this locker room is so good, so positive. Everybody feels not only can we make the playoffs, but we can be one of those teams that competes for the championship. There's a feeling amongst ourselves we can win this thing." With Jeff Van Gundy preaching nothing quite as much as the value of "approach and attitude," it's not much of a leap to get from good mood to a good mindset. Winning helps This is, of course, much easier when a team is winning. No one comically feigns anger over a missing blocked shot after a loss. The Rockets might not agree, but they will lose again. A shot here or there, and they would not have their five-game winning streak. But with this team, there is a sense that the good vibe does not make losing easier to take, but winning easier to accomplish. Mike James saw it within days of his arrival. These Rockets, he said, remind him of last year's Pistons. They are a long way from the heights the Pistons reached and now must deal with the loss of forward Juwan Howard. But at a time when veterans could find the season mundane, the Rockets are reveling in it — and one another.
Great article. You can really see the closeness this team has. Everybody really seems to enjoy each others company. Just watch them in pre-game warm ups, cheering for each other on the bench and after games. Its refreshing to see.
Yay, wuvfest. I have a feeling Deke and Jon Barry will likely sign two-year deals (with player options on the second) over the summer, depending on how the team does in the playoffs. I hope they do and that not for too much.
Mike James saw it within days of his arrival. These Rockets, he said, remind him of last year's Pistons. what he said
* Here is the full article. ON BASKETBALL Good times roll, and Rockets rack up wins By JONATHAN FEIGEN The dump truck-deep baritone roared. The Rockets were all over Dikembe Mutombo about something, probably having to do with his advanced years. Mutombo laughed that full-body laugh and then let out the feeling that has spread through the locker room like a road-trip flu. "I love this," Mutombo bellowed. "This is the greatest job in the world. This is the greatest life. I may never leave." There is a lot of that sort of thing going on with the Rockets these days. After Monday's game, while Tracy McGrady quietly chatted in a corner of the visitors' locker room, a voice boomed from the other end (the sentiment sounded like Jon Barry's, but the volume was more David Wesley), "Nine of 29!? Nine of 29!?" It did not click with McGrady until he glanced at the stat sheet to find he was being taunted with his own shooting statistics. Four days before, Barry chided McGrady about missed free throws. On Sunday, Mutombo went looking for Barry in mock anger, seeking vengeance because of a blocked shot that was credited to Barry in Sacramento. Friday in Phoenix, Barry sang/screeched Welcome To The Machine in mock tribute to Ryan Bowen when the media surrounded Bowen to ask about his play. Closeness counts This is the sort of team the Rockets have become. It is the sort of thing that has made a difference. "I just think we have a great mix of guys," Barry said. "We're having fun playing together. We're enjoying each other. It's fun. It's, 'Let's go get it done.' " Other than making the season more pleasant, camaraderie can be entirely irrelevant. Some of the Steve-Cuttino teams could not have been closer, especially in the years when Francis and Mobley had Maurice Taylor, Walt Williams, Moochie Norris and Shandon Anderson for teammates. No locker room was ever louder and more cheerful than a locker room that included Charles Barkley. Many losing teams have a wonderful time together when the games are over. But there is a sense with this Rockets team that the attitude is more meaningful. The buddy stuff is nice. It makes the long season shorter. But for the Rockets, it's more a sense of responsibility to one another, as if you better be there when a teammate is counting on you. It also defeats self-interest, no small consideration on a team with four guards sharing two positions and four power forwards competing for playing time. Belief in themselves Winning can create such good feelings. And it did not take Mutombo's proclamation to guess that it is a pretty good life making millions, traveling by charter jet and staying in Travel Channel hotels. The road can be long, but it's shorter when you never carry a bag, never mind deal with an airline that loses one. But with the Rockets, it seems the attitude leads to success as much as the success has created the attitude. "You can just see it's more upbeat," McGrady said. "The vibe you feel in this locker room is so good, so positive. Everybody feels not only can we make the playoffs, but we can be one of those teams that competes for the championship. There's a feeling amongst ourselves we can win this thing." With Jeff Van Gundy preaching nothing quite as much as the value of "approach and attitude," it's not much of a leap to get from good mood to a good mindset. Winning helps This is, of course, much easier when a team is winning. No one comically feigns anger over a missing blocked shot after a loss. The Rockets might not agree, but they will lose again. A shot here or there, and they would not have their five-game winning streak. But with this team, there is a sense that the good vibe does not make losing easier to take, but winning easier to accomplish. Mike James saw it within days of his arrival. These Rockets, he said, remind him of last year's Pistons. They are a long way from the heights the Pistons reached and now must deal with the loss of forward Juwan Howard. But at a time when veterans could find the season mundane, the Rockets are reveling in it — and one another.
I love this," Mutombo bellowed. "This is the greatest job in the world. This is the greatest life. I may never leave." http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3087588 Dikembe Mutombo, having passed Mark Eaton to move into third place in career blocked shots, wanted to know how many he needed to move into second. Told that he trailed second-place Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by 124, Mutombo was ecstatic. "Whoooooaaaaa!" he said. "This is good. I will get it. "I will get it next year. I will get it." Its probably a pretty good bet Deke plays for the Rockets one more year. He's been invaluable this year so it would be nice to have him back for one more.
I think this sense of responsibility that Feigen speaks of has a lot to do with the age of our team. Being the oldest team in the league has it's plusses. We have several over 30+ players on our team, most all without a championship, all of whom have had their day in the sun statistically (Mutombo, Wesley, Juwan Howard, Sura) and now want to work towards a championship without ulterior motives. Add that to a selfless young center that would rather have his teammates score 20 than himself, a two-time scoring championship that mirrors Jordan in the ease that he can get his points sometimes... then mix-in the blue-collar players (Mike James, Barry, Bowen, Padgett) and you get the current Rockets. With this mix, dare we say? Stuart
They don't have a homoerotic atmosphere about em.. and they don't go out buying cars together.. BuT! They visit eachother's homes and go out to dinner. They all mirror eachother on interviews and quotes they give. They all say JVG's the best coach they've played for, they all say how much fun it is on the team and with eachother, and they all praise eachother constantly without any falsity. I think they are closer than the former rockets, just a more mature camaraderie. Wink-Cat-Williams-Mooch etc=we have fun, we be clubbin'! The new rockets=we have fun, we be winning!
There art thou happy?? After several pointing it out YOU are the one who finally got this passionate procrastinator to change it.
in 95 the magic were considered too young to make it to the finals. everyone kept saying "they will be a great team. they will be able to win it all." the magic said "why not this year?" they made the finals. this year everyone is saying the same things about us. i say "why not this year?"
