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[Star-Telegram] Rockets About to Take Aim at Title Contenders

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by CheezeyBoy22, Mar 5, 2008.

  1. CheezeyBoy22

    CheezeyBoy22 Contributing Member
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    I didn't see this posted yet so i decided to post it. I don't care of anything in Dallas but i do believe this article was a great read. I'm not sure how you guys will feel about it.

    http://www.star-telegram.com/287/story/512191.html


    NBA INSIDER: Rockets about to take aim at title contenders
    By JAN HUBBARDStar-Telegram Staff Writer

    The eulogy was written Jan. 18, three nights after the ragtag Rockets were embarrassed at home by the sorry 76ers. Houston had given up 37 points in the fourth quarter to lose 111-107, and it was evident the Rockets had made a huge mistake by firing coach Jeff Van Gundy and replacing him with Rick Adelman.

    The Rockets were in disarray. Implementing Adelman's offensive system while retaining Van Gundy's emphasis on defense was not working. Houston was in 10th place in the West, and even the good news had a downside.

    Tracy McGrady had missed 11 games with knee problems, and the Rockets had gone 7-4 in that stretch. It was good that they had responded, but restless media and fans were wondering whether they should trade their resident superstar.

    The conclusion I reached was that the situation was pretty much hopeless, so I turned in provocative analysis declaring the franchise a disaster.

    The night after I submitted that, the Rockets defeated San Antonio in Houston. That was the first of four consecutive victories. That streak ended when they lost a home game to the Jazz on Jan. 27.

    They have not lost since. They finished February undefeated, and when they meet Indiana in Houston tonight, they will be attempting to set a franchise record with their 16th consecutive victory. And three of those victories have come since Yao Ming was lost for the year with a foot injury.

    In a year of crazy competitiveness, nothing has been more impressive than the Rockets' resurrection.

    "We're a good team," McGrady told Houston reporters. "We believe. We don't care about what anybody says about us outside this locker room. We as a group, we believe and we know how good we are and we're showing it. We're a focused group, a group that understands how to win ballgames, playing great defensively. What more do we got to do?"

    The answer - and admittedly, it's not a fair one - is to beat good teams. In the Rockets' 15-game winning streak, only six victories have been against teams with records better than .500.

    The flip side of that is no other team has a 15-game winning streak and no team plays plus-.500 teams every night. Fifteen straight victories is impressive, no matter the competition. That they have beaten Washington (which defeated the Mavericks twice), the Grizzlies and Nuggets without Yao is significant.

    Part of the Rockets' success was a result of playing those 11 games without McGrady. Bit players such as Rafer Alston, Shane Battier, Luis Scola, Luther Head, Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry played more minutes and were forced to produce more. The offense became more active and ball movement increased.

    Defensively, the Rockets asserted themselves. Only three teams allow fewer than the 92.1 points the Rockets give up per game - Detroit, Boston and San Antonio. They rank second behind Boston in defensive field goal percentage at 43.3.

    And they have overachieved. In their 13-0 February, the Rockets held opponents to 41 percent shooting and outscored them by an average of 12.5 points. Their last six victories have been by double digits.

    If Yao were healthy, the Rockets might actually match some of the preseason expectations. Without Yao, it's hard to imagine them winning a playoff series. In the next 2 1/2 weeks, we'll know more. During an 11-game stretch that begins tonight and includes a visit to Dallas on Thursday, the Rockets play seven teams with winning records. That includes two games against the Hornets and one each against the Lakers and Celtics.

    "Across the country [after Yao's injury], the commentators and so-called experts that know nothing about us were saying that we're done," said Adelman, who looks quite brilliant these days. "Who knows what's going to happen, but I don't think any of us felt that way."

    The Rockets have proven that no one should count them out prematurely. They don't have the look of a championship team, but they do have the look of team that can ruin the season for somebody.

    jhubbard@star-telegram.com
     
  2. yobod

    yobod Member

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    This is from a Dallas newspaper?? That's unbelieveable. It was actually a well-balanced, well-written article.
     
  3. david12sfa

    david12sfa Member

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    I still hate Dallas
     
  4. finalsbound

    finalsbound Contributing Member

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    Good article. Damn I hope we beat Dallas.
     
  5. Pass 1st shoot 2nd

    Pass 1st shoot 2nd Contributing Member

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    I live in Frisco which is 20 minutes north of Dallas and and 75 minutes northeast of Ft. Worth. For all the years that I've live here, I can tell you that the Rockets always get better press than the Spurs. Are the papers fair and balanced? They can't claim that any more than Fox News can, but we ain't the Spurs in the eyes of the sports page writers and editors, I can tell you that!
     
  6. EGYPT

    EGYPT Member

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    Yes sir and I am praying we do it to Dalls or Utah.
     
  7. magnetik

    magnetik Contributing Member

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    wow. can we trade him for Fran and a scrub to be named later?
     
  8. Chuck 4

    Chuck 4 Member

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    Sometimes I think that the Dalls writers love the Rockets more than the Houston writers do. Tim Cowlishaw loves us and apparently so does Hubbard.
     
  9. Kim

    Kim Contributing Member

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    It's actually Fort Worth. I hate Dallas...yeah they're twin cities, but the distance does make a difference.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Worth_Star-Telegram
     
  10. DFWRocket

    DFWRocket Member

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    Ft. Worth is waaaayy different than Dallas w/regards to attitude, friendliness, etc. It's actually a decent place to live. It's a big city that thinks its a small town.
     
  11. Man

    Man Contributing Member

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    So, we have some tough games coming up ahead..

    Of course, I still love the Rockets!

    I hope we win at least some of them against the teams with better records without Yao
     
  12. slpntz

    slpntz Member

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    Go Rockets and beat the Mavs!
     
  13. LAYGO

    LAYGO Contributing Member

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    I live just off the northwestern corner of Frisco, beyond Little Elm, in Cross Roads. 380/720.
     
  14. solid

    solid Contributing Member

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    And I hope it is the Mavs. I would LOVE to see the Rockets ruin their season. That would make the season a "success" for me, no matter what happens in the playoffs.
     
  15. ryan17wagner

    ryan17wagner Member

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    No. It's from Ft. Worth. You know, Cow Town.
     
  16. GuerillaBlack

    GuerillaBlack Member

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    And I'm moving from Arlington to McKinney (small chance).
     

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