Chron: Rockets Are Getting A Clue

Dec. 8, 2003, 10:14PM

Rockets are getting a clue
When offensive mistakes go down, scoring goes up
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

There were moments of poetry. There was rhyme and rhythm. For a few minutes, the Rockets' offense sang.

It would be off-key again. But there were those times, encouraging and hopeful, when passes flowed, shots were smooth, and it seemed the Rockets clicked as if playing in iambic pentameter.

"It's like me studying English," center Yao Ming said. "I might learn a new word, and the second day I'll forget it and not use it. By the third day, I'll remember it again. In the process of learning, you're going to go through that. You're going to go through times when you make a mistake, and then you have to correct it again."

These were not just words, however. They were phrases turned cleverly, plain-spoken and witty at the same time.

The Rockets' offense would bog down again to the point that just inbounding the ball became a challenge. But there were occasions against the Hornets on Friday and especially the Pistons on Saturday when it all looked so simple that the Rockets felt their sudden offensive fluency could last.

"We're showing improvement," forward Maurice Taylor said. "We're not beating our heads up against the wall. We are learning how to do things in practices and in games when we make mistakes.

"A lot of times we were turning the ball over, and the buckets we were getting weren't out of the offense. It was just because a lot of the guys on the team are that good that they can get their own shot. In the last game, we really ran the offense. We are improving."

A week before, the Rockets were reeling, and the offense often had bogged down to whatever one-on-one move could beat the shot clock.

In a recent three-game losing streak, the Rockets averaged as many assists (10) as Steve Francis had five minutes into Saturday's second half. In their three-game winning streak, the Rockets have averaged 19.3 assists.

The Rockets have not done anything spectacular in the winning streak. They have made 47 percent of their shots and averaged 92 points per game, both clear jumps from the norm but nothing to impress scoreboard operators.

But that might be the point. The Rockets did not have to do anything spectacular because they made their improvement seem routine.

Francis on Saturday did not have to jump through hoops or collect highlights. Against the Hornets and Pistons, he made just seven of 25 shots. But with 17 assists in two games, he had the offense clicking.

"I thought Steve played by far his best three quarters," coach Jeff Van Gundy said of Saturday's smooth play. "He made the game easy for everybody.

"He didn't score much, but it was great point guard play. I want him to understand how much of an impact he can have when you're not scoring, when you're not shooting it well. He's defended exceptionally well recently. On offense, he made the game easier. He got the guys considerably easier shots."

Even ignoring that the obvious strides did not last, offensive execution often seems only as good as the shots that come at the end. Offenses always look better when the shots go in, and they look worse -- no matter how many well-timed, controlled passes are made -- when the shots miss.

When the Rockets made a few shots Saturday, Francis found fewer defenders ganging up on him. When Yao was double-teamed, Taylor gave Francis another offensive target. And when a few tidy Francis passes ended with simple jump shots, he kept the offense in cruise control.

"That's what opened up last game," Francis said. "They were committing to me driving to the basket. Whenever that happens, you definitely want to make the extra pass. Even though I didn't score points, it was more relaxed for me to play. I think everybody benefited from it.

"That's what you want to do. If a play is called for you offensively, it's not for you to score, it's for you to make something happen -- if it's a pass or a bucket or getting somebody else an open shot. The way we've been running our offense, it's to pound the ball inside. That opens up everything outside, opens up a lot of driving lanes."

The Pistons and Hornets are solid defensive teams. But the Trail Blazers, whom the Rockets face tonight at Toyota Center, tormented Houston with double-teams last month. Dale Davis gave Yao problems with his strength, and by trapping Francis, the Blazers got the ball from his hands.

The Rockets that night showed little of the poise and precision of Saturday's good stretches and no doubt will be tested again. But the simple, controlled passes are there against double-teams and traps.

The Rockets will still have to show it, but they might have learned the game does not have to be so difficult if they learn to take it "easier."

"We're definitely in the midst of improving," Yao said. "I think you're going to see more stretches like that."

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2281043