[CHRON] Players split on being motivated by playoff picture

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/2995650
The Rockets' locker room is split down the middle. Half the players look at the playoff standings for motivation. The others say it's way too early.

Both sides come to the same conclusion, though, agreeing they are in a critical stretch of the season.

The Rockets enter their game at Memphis tonight on a season-high four-game winning streak. To extend that, they must beat a team that has won eight of its last nine games and 11 of its last 14.

"(Grizzlies coach) Mike Fratello has done a great job with those guys over there," Tracy McGrady said. "They play extremely hard. We've got to go in there and stay focused and do what we have to do."

McGrady has seen the standings and understands a loss might knock the Rockets outside of the playoff picture again. The Rockets, Grizzlies and Timberwolves are competing for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference.

The Rockets are seventh in the playoff standings. Only eight teams in each conference reach the playoffs. The Timberwolves are in eighth, leading Memphis by mere percentage points.

"I absolutely do look (at the standings), absolutely," McGrady said. "That helps me prepare for games better, helps me mentally get ready for each game, because I know I have to take each game seriously. I keep up with that. It's very important.

"The West is pretty deep. You have three or four teams fighting just for that eighth or seventh spot. It's critical."

The Grizzlies' recent success has come during a lighter part of their schedule. Of their last eight wins, only two have come against teams (Detroit and Minnesota) currently with winning records.

In comparison, the Rockets have won seven of their last nine games. Three of those victories came against teams (Cleveland, Dallas and San Antonio) with winning records. They are in the most difficult stretch of their season to date. Five of their next eight opponents have winning records.

The Rockets' confidence is only increasing, though, especially because they beat conference power San Antonio for the second time this season Saturday.

"I just felt (San Antonio) was a big win for us," Jon Barry said. "We got some stuff going now. Four in a row for the first time this year (and) another big week in front of us.

"Just some quality wins put together. I feel a turn in momentum for our team."

Barry also views tonight as a good time to start improving the Rockets' playoff chances. They have defeated Memphis twice this season, and a victory tonight would give the Rockets the tiebreaker over the Grizzlies.

"Another road win (is also important)," Barry said. "We want to get our road record going. We're 7-9 and would like to get our team over .500.

"All wins are big right now. I think this is a huge stretch before the All-Star break to get ourselves in a nice position for the last two months of the season."

Conversely, Dikembe Mutombo and Maurice Taylor have no idea where the Rockets stand in the playoff picture. Mutombo claims he doesn't pay attention to the standings until after the All-Star break. Taylor said it's all too hard to predict until the final weeks wind down.

"We have a long way to go to get what we want," Taylor said. "You never know. People never said anything about Miami last year. A team can get hot at any time in this league."

The Rockets agree there is plenty of progress to be made. They struggled offensively in their last two games and still found a way to win. Three games ago in Dallas, the team struggled defensively but shot 61 percent from the field to defeat the Mavericks.

The Rockets hope to find consistency on both ends.

"Every game is an entity unto itself," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "You just have to continue improving. (Against the Spurs) we took steps forward on defense, steps back on offense. (We'll) try to correct that as we go to Memphis, a team that's playing better over the last 10 days than anyone in the league."

megan.manfull@chron.com
Rockets Summary

Knight signed
Still unsure what the future holds for injured point guard Bob Sura, the Rockets signed free agent Brandin Knight to a 10-day contract Sunday.

Sura is continuing to play despite a bruised right knee, but the Rockets have been concerned he might have to be sidelined. They have spent the past few weeks looking for a backup and finally settled on Knight, a 6-0, 190-pound former standout at Pitt.

"He's a tough, gritty point guard that can make a 3," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He's not afraid to take big shots. Things that you look for in a point guard, he fits it pretty well."

The Rockets had been watching Knight, 23, while he played in his second season with the Asheville Altitude of the National Basketball Development League after guiding them to the NBDL championship last April. He has averaged 8.7 points, 5.1 assists and 1.82 steals in 56 career games with Asheville.

Knight joined the Rockets for their flight from Houston to Memphis on Sunday.

"It's a great opportunity for him," Dawson said. "We think he has possibilities for playing in the league."

Evening it up
When the calls weren't going the Rockets' way Saturday night against San Antonio, they just kept at it. The Rockets went to the free-throw line twice in the first half of the game. San Antonio made 15 first-half trips to the line.

Everything started to even out in the second half as the Rockets stuck to their game plan, though. Tracy McGrady drove to the lane and was fouled, making nine total trips to the line. Yao Ming and Bob Sura each made six trips.

The Rockets ended the game with 26 free throws, only one fewer than the Spurs.

"We did get the ball in the paint, but things weren't going our way," Jon Barry said of the first half. "We stayed with the plan and we got it inside."