New arena can't fix Rockets' ills Same problems persist as Hornets roll to spoil Toyota Center debut By JOHNATHAN FEIGEN Maybe the Rockets should go back to Compaq Center. At least when their former home becomes a church, they could stop by and have a prayer. Their new digs, with all its bright lights and comfy seats, opened for basketball on Sunday but did nothing to improve the fixer-upper of a home team. The Rockets' Toyota Center debut drew a few friends and family -- officially 10,068 -- who mostly ignored the cheerleader posing as an announcer as if waiting for something to cheer about. It was a long wait. For a fourth consecutive preseason game, it was all the Rockets could do to avoid a complete blowout, usually relying on rallies against the Hornets' reserves to keep it from getting worse than the 89-71 final. For most of the night, the Rockets' play was so poor that even owner Leslie Alexander decided to watch the third quarter from the comfort of one of the living rooms that serve as courtside suites. Most of the crowd soon left their seats for the night. The saving grace might be that Van Gundy has the balance he has so often spoke of. Knowing of his reputation as a defensive coach, Van Gundy has repeatedly said he favors balance from offense to defense, fast break to halfcourt offense, and inside to perimeter scoring. At least he has that: The Rockets have been equally dreadful in every category. "We're further behind than most teams," Van Gundy said. "The bottom line is we got to start winning and create the habits that go into winning. You get out of the game what you put into it. You get what you deserve, too. "When we start to deserve to win, we will win. That means playing the way you're supposed to win, playing hard and smart and together. We've had periods of time of that. But the different between the great, the winning, the OK, the bad is the level of being able to sustain all those things needed to win. "Everybody plays well through stretches. That's not how you win. You have to play well over a period of time." The Rockets have had their moments in all four preseason losses. For the second-consecutive game, Yao Ming showed his combined of agility and size to score reliably well, finishing with 15 points in 23 minutes. Steve Francis had a few highlight worthy drives and led the Rockets with 17 points, making 8 of 17 attempts, with four turnovers in 27 minutes. Eddie Griffin offered three stunning blocked shots. But many of the same problems of the first three games remained. Bostjan Nachbar and Eddie Griffin, the Rockets starting forwards on Sunday, struggled with every variety of shot, combining to make just 5 of 21. The Rockets were slow to get back defensively and even when they did get back, did not pick up shooters before it was time to head back the other way. Though nowhere near as turnover prone as they were to start the preseason, they were at best inconsistent in the halfcourt and scored just four fast-break points. Playing without their top scorer Jamal Mashburn, the Hornets almost entirely relied on their perimeter shooting, but never could get out to challenge the same shooters that had burned them from the tip. More than anything, they did not seem to show an urgency that all this will soon count until the Hornets had left them in the dust, leading from start to finish and by as much as 19. "I think I've always been a believer you play well in the preseason to start the season right, particularly when you haven't won in a long time," Van Gundy said. "You can start getting very comfortable losing, and you can get very comfortable winning. "We should all be on the line. We should all be on the clock. Really, the clock is ticking for us to win and to show progress and improvement. I don't want to hear how long it will take to gel. Those are excuses. Those are for people not ready to win. I don't want the guys to be given that excuse or to take it. "For our team it's about defense, rebounding and low turnovers, playing inside out and taking our best shots, whatever good shots are. That's how I judge every game. If we do those things, we'll win." They didn't and they lost, as they have no matter where they have played this preseason.
