http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6954320/ Rocket power With 16 victories in their last 22 games and a five-game winning streak entering Friday night’s game at Indiana, the Houston Rockets have come a long way from late December when the record stood at 13-15 and fans were wondering whether Jeff Van Gundy was the right coach for Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. The run of success has left the Rockets in position to make a push over the second half of the season for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, although Van Gundy does not want his team thinking anywhere near that far ahead. Of the utmost importance are the Rockets?final two games before the All-Star break at home against Washington and Portland. “Coach has stressed that teams have a tendency to take a break before the break, and we want to avoid that,?guard Jon Barry said. “You don’t want to check out before the break happens.? There’s certainly enough experience in the Rockets?locker room to recognize the truth of what Van Gundy is telling his team. The Rockets have seven players with at least 10 years?experience, three more than any other team. Their rotation includes former All-Stars Dikembe Mutombo, Juwan Howard and Rod Strickland, and the only players with less than five years of experience are Yao, rookie Andre Barrett and second-year guard Reese Gaines. A big part of the team’s success can be traced to the addition of Bob Sura at point guard and the early season trades that brought David Wesley and Barry aboard. McGrady has thrived since the Wesley trade, which allowed him to slide over to the small forward spot instead of playing shooting guard, and Yao is averaging a career-high 18.6 points to complement McGrady’s 25.8. “We have a lot of guys who can play, a lot of guys who have been productive for a long time in this league, and it’s all coming together for us,?Sura said. ?2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
