[CHRON] Finally, some signs of revival

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Finally, some signs of revival


By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Stromile Swift didn't suddenly start reciting the playbook from memory, offering coach Jeff Van Gundy helpful hints as he drew up plays in the huddle.

Luther Head didn't suddenly become anything more than a rookie, doing all those familiar rookie things.

Derek Anderson didn't overwhelm anyone, and David Wesley didn't take a big swig of some kind of point-guard-in-a-bottle elixir.

Yet the Rockets looked better on Tuesday night, more at ease and fluid. They can feel better today individually and as a whole as the club leaves for the longest trip of the year, because everyone remembered who they were.

And for whom they played.

This was a 91-73 drubbing of the Boston Celtics and possibly the most complete Rockets effort of the year, thanks to stifling defense, Tracy McGrady leading with greatness, Ryan Bowen's hustle and role players who weren't trying to be the leading man.

"We just had a presence today," Head said. "A lot of times (previously), we played well, but we allowed teams to score when they wanted to score."


A script worth following
Until — or more precisely when — the Rockets can turn a clear need for a roster change into acquisitions, this is the only way this club can consistently win.

Until Tuesday night, it was as if this club had forgotten what got it to 51 wins and a seven-game playoff with the Mavericks last year.

Defensively, the Rockets got their hands on passes and a grip on control of the game, limiting the Celtics to 34 percent shooting, forcing 17 turnovers and holding Boston stars Paul Pierce and Ricky Davis to a combined 8-of-22 shooting.

No one on this Rockets team got better all of a sudden, but the team did. And rest assured, the Rockets are actively pursuing ways of juicing the lineup, most notably at point guard.

But until something happens, what we saw from this club Tuesday was what worked last spring and what will have to work now if this club is going to climb out of its 5-12 funk.


Swift gets it right
Sure, there were moments when Swift had to be told where to go on the floor and what to do and looked as if he was trying to piece Van Gundy's system together on the fly.

Yet overall, Swift was solid and effective, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds and making the most of his 21 minutes. He rebounded and defended and it translated into moments we should be seeing more often — put-back dunks and athletic drives through the lane.

Wesley, out of place running the offense, finished 1-for-8 from the floor. Yet he, too, played solid defense, coming up with two steals, and had moments running the offense.

Head had sequences that would have made you cringe, throwing a pass well over Swift's head, committing a traveling turnover and having trouble handling the ball.

But look at Head's line: 11 points, four assists. And he was the one who coolly stepped up and knocked down a pair of big second-half 3-pointers.

But perhaps no one beyond Bowen better epitomized Van Gundy's demand of never allowing one end of the floor to affect the other than Anderson.

Unproductive or invisible for long stretches until Tuesday, Anderson had perhaps his best overall game despite making just two of nine shots. He defended, threw himself on the floor, tipped balls free and wound up with 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

When asked about his team's effort before the game, Van Gundy curled his lip and shook his head, saying the Rockets had shown signs of giving up. It was no doubt the same message he had repeated often to his squad after Saturday night's horrendous 90-75 loss to the Grizzlies.

"I guarantee you health and schedule are a factor," Van Gundy said. "But the four things that are in your control — do you continue to play hard, to play smart, to play unselfish, and when it goes bad does your attitude get more determined or more discouraged? — those are in our control."

The injuries? Not only was there no improvement other than McGrady showing more hop in his step, but the Rockets actually wound up getting worse.

Jon Barry strained his right calf on a cut, and Yao Ming got the business end of Brian Scalabrine's elbow while defending a drive, coming away with a bloody right eye and eight stitches.

But with McGrady's 35 points and Bowen's scrambling play, finally there was a team that seemed to grasp the simplest of things — not trying to be something it's not.

"What you get from (Bowen) every night or every day in practice is exactly what you see right there," Van Gundy said. "You would have to be comatose if you're on a team and you're not inspired by his play. When you pay a guy, that's what you expect."

This team has a long way to go. A few names and faces likely will change. But there's one thing that can't if the Rockets are going to get back into the playoff mix: Efforts like this one.