A break from the panic, enjoy; _______________________________________________________________ Trending team: Houston RocketsA fast-paced start to the season has two NBA teams averaging at least 100 possessions per game, a mark last reached over a full season by the Charlotte Hornets and Golden State Warriors in 1991-92. That the Minnesota Timberwolves lead the league in pace cannot be considered entirely surprising, since they have pushed the tempo under Kurt Rambis and were third in the NBA last season. That the Houston Rockets rank second, however, is more unexpected. Yes, the Rockets played at the league's sixth-fastest pace in 2009-10, but that was out of character for a team that had been below average in possessions per game throughout the Yao Ming era. With Yao returning after missing all of last season, the notion was that Houston's second unit would speed things up while the starters focused on getting the ball to the big man in half-court sets. Instead, the Rockets have been constantly on the attack. Houston's transition game has been dangerous so far, averaging 18.7 fast-break points per game. That's a dramatic increase over last year's average of 14.6 fast-break points and would have put the Rockets third in the league during 2009-10. This early in the season, opponents can make a major difference in pace of play, and Houston has played the Warriors and the Denver Nuggets, another team traditionally among the league's fastest. However, the Rockets' 132-128 shootout loss at Golden State, in which Yao did not play, was actually slower than the pace of their season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. Houston might slow down when the team adds Erick Dampier to the roster. Adding Dampier would mean bigger lineups for Houston when Yao is on the bench, which should be often considering his minutes restriction and inability to play back-to-backs. The Rockets could use the size to help a defense that is allowing more points per possession than any other in the NBA.
