5. Item: The highly regarded Houston Rockets opened up 3-0 for the first time in 11 years, adding validity to the more open offense and up-tempo offense implemented by new coach Rick Adelman. What this really means: After hanging on to beat the Lakers in L.A. and ripping the Jazz in Utah behind 47 points from Tracy McGrady, the Rockets reverted to a slow-down style for its 89-80 win over Portland. Nonetheless, the Rockets now have a faster, deeper roster with rookie GM Dale Morey and the strength of McGrady and Yao Ming as their base. On the surface, it's easy to see why the Rockets are the sleeper pick to win the Western Conference. But you don't have to look very far to find issues. Never was that more apparent than the way they blew a 12-point lead to the Lakers in the final 96 seconds, only to be bailed out by an unlikely 28-footer from Shane Battier. That's not to diminish Battier's shot, but that's what it took to win that game because they still don't have a dependable point guard. That's hard to fathom considering they have five on the roster — Rafer Alston, Mike James, Steve Francis, Luther Head and rookie Aaron Brooks. With the other players on this team, they would be better off without the first four and develop Brooks behind a steady hand. Francis hasn't even played yet, while the others are predictably blowing hot and cold. It is up to Adelman to distinguish between the explosive scoring of the first four and who is capable of handling the traps under times of duress when McGrady is being denied the ball. More likely, Morey should reconsider the Rockets' backcourt to find a more traditional point to keep things together.
