[Chron] Fans' arch madness aside, Rockets cook up a nice one

Fans' arch madness aside, Rockets cook up a nice one
By MICKEY HERSKOWITZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

LeBron wasn't King James Thursday night, and he didn't rewrite the Bible. In fact, for pure efficiency he wasn't even the best James on the floor of the Toyota Center.

The wunderkind of the Cleveland Cavaliers went 7-for-22 in a blowout loss to the Rockets, scoring 19 points but missing three of four shots from 3-point range and three of seven from the foul line.

Meanwhile, Mike James and his gang came off the Houston bench to turn a reasonably narrow game into a rout. The recently acquired guard, liberated four weeks ago from Milwaukee, connected on five of seven shots and was perfect from beyond the arc (3-for-3) and at the free-throw stripe (2-for-2). He wound up with 15 points, one of five Rockets to register in double figures, led by the silken Tracy McGrady with 31.

But this 99-80 frolic wasn't so much about numbers as it was hustle, momentum, smartness and greed. You reflect that it isn't easy being a basketball fan in Houston.

Where's the beef?
A sellout crowd, the 15th of the season at home for the Rockets, booed both teams at the finish. They felt justified. With the game out of hand, both dealt them the cruelest blow, literally taking the food from their mouths.

The customers could have received free burgers from McDonald's if the Rockets scored 100 points or held their foe to fewer than 80.

So it was a double injustice that earned the wrath of the hungry masses. They booed as Jiri Welsch, who played a total of two minutes, dropped in a pair of free throws with 13 seconds to play for the Cavs, who were otherwise inept in every category.

They couldn't shoot straight, rebounded weakly, and time and again saw the Rockets sail to the basket like the Flying Wallendas.

But as well as the home team performed, the fans booed the Rockets with lusty sincerity as they held the ball for the final ticks of the clock. All the crowd wanted was a lousy layup. They were not even asking for another 3-pointer from Mike, the other James, or David Wesley or Jon Barry.

They would have settled for a final dipsy-doodle shot by McGrady, which would have prompted the magic words: "Do you want fries with that?"

Nevertheless, coach Jeff Van Gundy has the Rockets playing at their peak, defending fiercely and hustling as if this were the surest way to win, which it often is. Barry went chasing so hard after one loose ball that he carried it off the court, over a row of folding chairs, into the exit lane and almost out of the arena.

Hard to complain
You could tell Van Gundy was pleased, not by the expression on his face because there isn't any. He must be terrific at poker. But you knew he liked what he had seen because his biggest complaint boiled down to this: At times, the Rockets "overdribbled."

Of Mike James, Van Gundy said: "He made a big shot our last game, and he made another one when it was right on the brink tonight, and he made critical corner 3s. The thing for Mike is going to be to find the right balance between offensive aggression and creating plays for others."

Of LeBron James, now not quite two seasons removed from gym class at St. Vincent St. Mary's in Akron, Van Gundy observed:

"A lot of things go into a tough night: good defense, his missing some shots he would normally make. But I shudder to think back to when I was a high school coach and two years ago having to figure out how to stop him.

"Four nights ago, he was 4-for-20, and the next game he got 56 (points). I don't know who they play next, but I wouldn't want to be in the way of that train."

When McGrady guarded the youngster, he kept him on a tight leash. When LeBron hit his only 3 of the night, Tracy answered with one of his own.

Cav nots on the road
In sweeping Cleveland for the second straight year — and extending the Cavaliers' road skid to 10 games — the Rockets ran wild in the fourth quarter, stretching a three-point lead to 21.

If there was a pivotal span in that surge, Barry provided it. In less than a minute, he hit a trey after a fake that saw him swing the ball around his ankles. Then he cleared a rebound and twice fed McGrady with artful passes.

The Rockets are now 14 games over .500, and either Van Gundy has them playing over their heads, or this is a team coming on strong. Not that the former Knicks coach wants to deal with this topic as the season winds down.

"When you think you have everything solved," he said, "that's when you get your head handed to you."

mickey.herskowitz@chron.com

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