Much Rocket fuel heading into second half of season http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/basketball/10946740.htm Hot Rockets surge into second half ISRAEL GUTIERREZ igutierrez@herald.com They've turned it on in plenty of time to remind people they were considered title contenders before the season. They've played much-improved defense that was lacking early in the season, making their usually unhappy coach nearly giddy of late. They've gotten some dominant inside play lately, and the one-two perimeter punch has been playing as well as any team in the league. No, they're not the Detroit Pistons, although all those statements also apply to them. They are the Houston Rockets, who went into the All-Star break as the hottest team in the league and look to exit the same way. ''Everybody is pretty comfortable with their roles, playing together as a team,'' Tracy McGrady said of his team's eight-game winning streak. ``Guys are playing with a great deal of confidence. I think the intensity has picked up, and guys are playing smarter basketball. We're doing a great job of outrebounding our opponents and getting out in the open floor to get some easy buckets.'' LOTS OF CHANGE With the constant change the Rockets have experienced from offseason to midseason, it's surprising they have even been able to jell this early. David Wesley, who was picked up in a trade with the New Orleans Hornets, has finally started knocking down jumpers, and he has managed to thrive in Jeff Van Gundy's defensive scheme despite being a vastly undersized shooting guard (6-1). That's because what Wesley lacks in height, he makes up for in strength, his stocky frame and fairly quick feet keeping him in proper position most of the time. Wesley also can handle the quicker point guards that Bob Sura has trouble with. Sura actually deserves the break given everything else he has managed to do on the floor. DISPLAYING SKILLS The guard who is on his fifth NBA team showed off all his skills late last season with the Hawks, but most believed he was just taking advantage of being on a bad team. But with the Rockets, Sura has continued to display his all-around skills while playing somewhat out of position at point guard. He is one of only 10 players to average at least 10 points, five rebounds and five steals (he and McGrady are the only teammates in the league to accomplish the feat), and has grabbed double-figure rebounds in three of the team's past five games. The other players who average those numbers are Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Chris Webber, Steve Francis, Dwyane Wade and Larry Hughes. ''I've always made a lot of plays,'' said Sura, a Florida State product. ``It's why my college coach recruited me. He said, `I don't know how good the kid is. The competition level he plays isn't good. But he's involved in every play -- a rebound, a pass, a score.' ``A little bit of everything, that's what I've always done.'' KEEP IMPROVING McGrady also credits Sura for bringing a toughness to the team that neither he nor Yao Ming can constantly provide. ''We have a lot of nice guys on our team, with their personalities,'' McGrady said. ``Bob is not one of those guys. ``He's a dog.'' As is his job, though, Van Gundy has found reasons to remain concerned about his team, pointing out that it has one of the toughest remaining schedules in the league, and still is fighting off hungry teams near the bottom of the Western Conference playoff standings. ''We are a better team. There is no doubt about that,'' Van Gundy said. ``But the fight for us is to keep seeing the improvement as our way [of doing things], and not level off or drop off. ``We need to keep focusing in on the process of improvement. If we can improve, I think we can hang in there. If we don't, it's going to be a struggle.'' If Van Gundy's troops buy what the coach is selling, the Rockets might be as formidable as any team in the playoffs. But this turnaround only counts if it's a permanent one, and if McGrady doesn't suffer from premature celebration like he did two seasons ago in the playoffs.
The only thing in the NBA averaging 5 steals a game is Steve Francis's foot, everytime he dribbles off of it.
It's great to hear what other sportswriters think about us from time to time. Especially when it's flattering. Our own sportswriters are a lot like most of us on the board, too much sugar for wins & too much lemon for losses.
Nice article!! T-Mac calling Sura "a dog" is perfect... In another thread I had also dubbed him him this year's version of our Junkyard Dog (Mario Ellie for the uninitiated). Now if we could just acquire one more beast... Maybe a Cave-Bear to maul our opponents ... - and then we could have Darryl Hannah do some cheers in her Clan outfit (that's Clan, not Klan... )
i fear that too. i hope we don't get happy with our success and start a lossing streak. lets keep winning guys.
Wow. 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game. Remember when some people weren't happy with the Bob Sura acquisition? That's huge that we have two players doing that and Yao isn't even one of them. I like the list of other players doing that. It says quite a lot about what an incredible job Sura is doing. Where are the Sura haters?
Just a quote from a Sonics board to pump us up for the game: On the Sonics playing T-mac and the Rockets: "every team in the league has to deal with Tmac, who stops Tmac in the League? the only guys I can think of that matchup with him half decent is tayshaun prince, and Mcgrady still gets his. I dont fear the Rockets because they have second rate SFs, terrible point guards, Rod Strickland may be the best point on their roster. Mcgrady is a very good player, and Yao is an above average center but really they dont put any fear in me at all." IT'S TIME TO PUT FEAR IN THE LEAGUE.
