TSN: Rockets Team Report

Rockets Team Report

By Michael Murphy/Houston Chronicle

'One game at a time' Rudy T's new mantra
FEBRUARY 24, 2001


You have to hand it to the Rockets -- they're persistent. They keep insisting they're a playoff team, and they're now playing like one.

Friday's 105-95 victory over Orlando was their eighth win in nine games, moving them to 29-26 and keeping them all alone in the ninth spot in the Western Conference playoff field.

Coach Rudy Tomjanovich has been working on their concentration (sorry, we're obligated by NBA bylaws to refer to that as "mental focus"), making sure they don't overlook any opponent after their back-to-back home blowouts losses -- by 18 points to the Heat that was merely embarrassing followed by a 17-point loss to the Clippers that was downright humiliating.

To help the Rockets with their "mental focus," Tomjanovich has been emphasizing that they are no better than any team in the league (despite the players' lofty view of themselves). He is stressing that every time the team sets foot on the court it's essentially an elimination game.

To further stress that, Tomjanovich put up a chart of the Western Conference standings, beginning with Phoenix (then the eighth seed in the West), in the practice facility locker room.

"We put the playoff picture on the board to give us something to focus on,'' Tomjanovich said. "We're in striking distance of climbing up the ladder a little bit with Denver and Seattle right in front of us. (The coaches also) looked at some of the schedules (and) put them on the board.

"We think Phoenix has the toughest schedule of anybody. Anything could happen. It was good to get our guys to understand the situation that's facing us. We are in the picture.''

They are indeed, but it gets a little tougher from here.

Their recent streak of good play has been built almost entirely on Eastern Conference teams (with Wednesday's win at Minnesota being the only exception), but the West is lying in wait.

It'll probably take at least 44 wins to make the playoffs, and of their 27 remaining games, 19 are against Western Conference teams, beginning with Monday's game against Portland.

"The goal is clear,'' said Hakeem Olajuwon. "What the coaches did, putting where we are on the board, you can see the team focus. 'We've got to get this one, got to get this one.'"

SITIONAL ANALYSIS

pt guard: Hobbled by a gimpy right ankle, Steve Francis couldn't hit much of anything against Minnesota on Wednesday, making just 4 of 17 shots for his 12 points. But he made up for his anemic shooting by handing out 12 assists and grabbing seven boards. He followed that with 17-point, 11-rebound, eight-assist game vs. Orlando Friday. Grade: A.

Shooting guard: Cuttino Mobley struggled even worse than Francis against Minnesota, connecting on just 2 of 13 shot attempts to finish with 10 points. But he more than made up for that by hammering Orlando for 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, adding three steals. Grade: B.

Small forward: Shandon Anderson has sunk back into his offensive non-factor role, totaling just 13 points in the two games, attempting just 10 shots. But he did manage to dish out five assists against Orlando on Friday, which has to count for something. Grade: C.

Power forward: Maurice Taylor followed a solid 21-point, eight-rebound game against the T-wolves with a sensational 34-point game against the Magic. The total, a career high, came because Taylor mixed up his game, using jumpers to set up his inside game. That's what the Rockets have been asking for all along. Grade: A.

Center: Olajuwon has remained remarkably consistent, going for 13 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks against Minnesota, and then coming up with 16 points, 12 boards and three more blocks against Orlando. It's amazing how many games you'll win when you have that inside game to balance out the perimeter attack. Grade: A.

Bench: Walt Williams is still alive, unlike his jumper. Uhh... let's move along, shall we? Minus Matt Bullard (back) and Kenny Thomas (Achilles'), the Rockets don't have much of a bench anymore. Taylor and Mobley went the distance vs. Orlando, and Francis logged 41 minutes. Heck, even Olajuwon went 38 minutes, which tells you all you need to know about Kelvin Cato's readiness. Cato played 10 minutes Friday, picking up four points and four fouls. Grade: D.

Coaching: Keeping the winning atmosphere going. Grade: A.

INJURY REPORT

C/F Jason Collier (right quadriceps cartilage surgery) is out. Collier, who will miss the rest of the season, will not be missed. When Cato came off the injured list, the Rockets opted to perform the surgery on Collier's ailing quadriceps, allow him to rehab and be ready to play in the summer.

F Matt Bullard (vertebral stress fracture) is out. The fracture was found Thursday in a CT scan, and he will be out a minimum of two weeks. The Rockets are going to have to find a shooter to replace his sharp-shooting from the perimeter.

F Kenny Thomas (Achilles' tendinitis) is probable. Thomas wasn't really needed against the perimeter-oriented Magic, but the Rockets are going to need him against the Blazers on Monday.

WHO'S HOT

Olajuwon keeps putting up the numbers, but the most impressive ones are in the minutes-played column. After logging 35 minutes against Minnesota, Olajuwon came back to put in 38 minutes against the helter-skelter Magic on Friday.

Taylor has been playing like a man possessed -- and it seems like he's possessed by Karl Malone. After scoring 21 points against Minnesota, Taylor torched Orlando for a career-high 34 points, hitting 11 of 20 shots in a brilliant display of all-around play.


WHO'S NOT

Buzzards circle the rim whenever Williams lines up a jumper. That's how bad things have become. While Williams managed to go 5-for-8 against Minnesota (12 points), he was just 1-for-3 against Orlando and is now shooting just 37.8 percent from the floor (but he's strangely shooting 40.7 percent from the arc. Go figure.

But if Williams suddenly breaks out of his slump, we can point to his only field goal of the night Friday as the reason why -- a 3-pointer he attempted with 6:53 left in the game that bounced around the rim for about six minutes before falling through the hoop to give the Rockets a 92-91 lead. If that shot went in, then he's bound to break out.

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME

With Bullard out, perhaps it's time to see what rookie Dan Langhi has to offer. Langhi has been getting an occasional nibble of playing time, but nothing that could remotely be considered substantial.

It might be tough while the Rockets are winning, but with Bullard out and Williams struggling so much with his shot, they're going to have to find a shooter somewhere. And Langhi's ability to put the ball on the floor and drive (and take the hit and go to the line) would be a nice dimension to add to the offense.



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Charles Barkley on TBS on the "fat track" poll: "What? 47% said I'd gain more.....why those.....they better be glad this is a family show."