Please lock if already posted: Thought it was a short sweet outlook at the end of the tough schedule. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6795304.html First steps When the Rockets braced for a brutal stretch of the season, they were looking at December and the first three games of the new year before the schedule would lighten considerably. They won a franchise-record 11 games in December but have that tough road trip ahead of them, beginning tonight in New Orleans before a back-to-back situation against the Lakers and Suns. “We have to go out there with a mission to get two,” Shane Battier said. “Go out and get two, (and) it would be a great road trip. It sets up a great, great home schedule in January. “We want to go out and play well and get momentum for a big push come the middle of January.” The next three Rockets opponents are a combined 42-8 at home. A man with priorities With Carl Landry among the NBA's top fourth-quarter scorers throughout the season, he had no difficulty listing the secrets to his endurance. “The weight room probably, eating right, getting my right amount of sleep every night, not having a girlfriend and no kids,” Landry said. Pragmatic shooter Until Aaron Brooks scored six late points in New Jersey, Carl Landry had pulled virtually even with him for the Rockets' scoring lead. In the three games since that contest, Brooks has scored 80 points. He is averaging a team-high 18 points per game. His 39 percent 3-point shooting also leads the Rockets (aside from Tracy McGrady and Luis Scola , who hit one 3-pointer each). But Brooks said he is not necessarily looking for scoring chances. “I'm going to go out there and play hard and shoot when I'm open, and whatever happens after that, I'm going to roll with it,” he said.
They won a franchise-record 11 games in December but have that tough road trip ahead of them, beginning tonight in New Orleans before a back-to-back situation against the Lakers and Suns. i think the rockets can only have a chance to win the hornets...
Seeing as how the rockets have "won" the lakers already and almost "won" the Suns i think they have a chance to "win" either, these Rockets can beat anybody the way they've been playing.
I think one win would be the norm, two would be great, and three would be unbelievable. And actually, I could see them losing all 3..... Very tough stretch here, that is why the last two were so important. DD
If we were playing the Lakers earlier instead of at the end, I'd even mark that down as a sure fire win. The Lakers as a team have been horrible lately, so many games are only won on the back of Kobe having to go up for 35+ points, when they are supposed to be an 'All Star' lineup. Unfortunately, I doubt they will still be in their funk by the time the Rockets play them at the end of their back to back. Phoenix will probably be the toughest of the three, but given how quickly we are playing the Hornets again (thanks NBA schedule maker ) we are probably going to have a close game tonight, our victory is still fresh in their minds and they will be expecting us. I'm thinking Ariza is going to have to step up tonight, although I really can't help but think Adelman could help Ariza out by cutting his minutes and giving nearly ten minutes to either Taylor or Harris.
He has no "girlfriend". That means he is not attached to anyone. What he was doing is letting all the girls know he is available for one night stands. When nba gold diggers hear that is like throwing bloody meat in a tank full of sharks. Those girls are going to be coming to him like flies on honey.
1-2 and i'd be ecstatic considering this is the end of the schedule from HELL. Also agree that the Lakers can be had, they looked very beatable last night and if it wasn't for some young team mistakes from Sac Town they take down LA twice this week.
I watched both of those games and could not believe that Sacremento let them off the hook twice..... And it made me realize how lucky we are that the Rockets are actually a step ahead in their development with Brooks running the show... We don't blow those games like the Kings do....sometimes we don't win them, but we don't blow them either. DD
In the Kings defense, they are a young group, without the veterans around them, like our young guys are fortunate to have.
Something that we did for years. Closing out games used to be a real problem. We'd be up for the "big" games, and then blow it with the bottom feeders. What's great about this team is that we almost always beat the bottom feeders, beat most of the teams in the "middle," and give serious problems for the teams at the top. What a turn around Adelman and Morey have engineered!
We have guys who work hard, through adversity, and don't hang their heads. This is one of my favorite Rocket teams in more than 37 years following the team. And they are getting better at closing too....with AB clearly running the show.... Witness that they no longer set a pick for him at the top of the key late, which allows for other teams to trap him....they realized he is good enough and quick enough to create on his own....over anyone in the league. Which leads to greater team success... Now all we need is for the Refs to give AB his proper respect and calls late, because he gets KILLED in there.....I think Adelman or Morey may need to draw an NBA level fine to get their point across. DD
This is a must win, no nonsense. The Laker game I do not expect us to win since we already took one in LA and they, the league, will never let the defending champs lose twice to a team like the Rockets. The phoenix game is 50-50 but we should come out with a victory and go 2-1 in these next 3.
