Chron: Rockets deflate outside spotlight

Take away Madison Square Garden. Take away the bright lights of a national broadcast. And take away the Rockets' energy.

One game after putting together their most inspired and complete performance of the season in New York, the Rockets failed to show up Sunday to play Boston in Toyota Center. They played three quarters without any energy and lost to the Celtics 97-93.

"Again, we played with zero team energy to win," coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "I think pretty much until the fourth (we had no energy). But anybody can get desperate in the fourth. That performance out there is why we are who we are, and why we are where we have been. That's who we are."

The Rockets tried to overcome three quarters of bad play with an energized fourth quarter. But the bid fell short. Cuttino Mobley scored on a layup in traffic to cut their deficit to 92-90 with 38 second to go. But Jim Jackson fouled Paul Pierce on Boston's next possession.

Pierce, the Celtics' best free-throw shooter, knocked down both free throws to make it a two-possession game. Mobley missed a 3 on the Rockets' next possession with 20.9 seconds left to pretty much ice the victory for Boston.

Jackson led the Rockets with a season-high 26 points. He tied his career high and Rockets individual high with six 3-pointers.

At the beginning, the Rockets looked as if they might pick up where they left off in their 111-79 victory over New York on Friday. They passed well and found the open teammate.

The Celtics concentrated on shutting down the Rockets' inside game and often left somebody open beyond the arc. The Rockets took advantage by hitting their first three 3-pointers -- two by Jackson and one from Steve Francis.

The Rockets got a little too comfortable with their early lead, and the Celtics stepped up behind the sharp-shooting of Pierce and Walter McCarty, who started only his sixth game of the season.

Pierce scored 10 of the Celtics' next 14 points to give Boston a 20-18 lead. The Rockets hit only one field goal during that five-minute run.

Yao Ming, who was ineffective because of the Celtics' defense, tried to make his presence known during the second period. He hit two turnaround jumpers to start off the quarter, but those were his only baskets in the game.

McCarty followed Pierce's strong run with a charge of his own. He hit six of his first seven field goals, including four straight 3-pointers. He ignited the Celtics on a 10-0 run. His fourth 3-pointer gave Boston a 26-39 lead -- its biggest of the first half -- with 6:28 left in the half.

The Rockets were scoreless over that six-minute span. They missed 11 consecutive baskets and turned the ball over three times.

Finally, McCarty and Pierce went cold. The Celtics were scoreless for the next five minutes as the desperate Rockets tried to knock away at their deficit. With more intensity than they showed earlier in the half, they cut the deficit to 39-35 on a jumper by Scott Padgett.

The Celtics kept the Rockets at bay, though. Jiri Welsch scored seven straight points to send the Celtics into the locker room with a 46-38 lead.

Despite missing seven straight 3-pointer in the first half, the Rockets came out launching them again after the break. With Boston continuing to shut down Yao and Kelvin Cato in the middle, the strategy paid off. The Rockets hit four straight 3-pointers to cut their deficit to 57-54.

But when they would make a run, Boston would always have an answer. A layup by Mobley with 5:36 to go in the game cut Boston's lead to 79-76. But on Boston's next possession, Pierce drew Jackson beyond the arc for a foul. He hit all three free throws, giving Boston a six-point advantage.

A strong effort from Padgett late in the game kept Houston close. The reserve hit back-to-back 3-pointers to bring Houston within three again, 89-86.

But the Rockets late push wasn't enough.

 

Rockets Summary

Warm homecoming

Kendrick Perkins' homecoming couldn't have come at a better time. It's cold in Boston. Very cold.

Perkins, the former high school standout from Beaumont Ozen who was drafted No. 27 overall last year, returned to the area for the first time Sunday night as a member of the Celtics.

"It's like zero degrees (in Boston)," Perkins said. "It was the first time I've seen snow. The snow came up to my waist at one time. I fell in the snow. My car got stuck in the snow. It's crazy."

While the 6-10 Perkins is learning to deal with the weather, he also is trying to adjust to the NBA. More than 100 family and friends turned out at Toyota Center for his first game in Houston, but Perkins wasn't able to show off for them.

He is on the injured list with tendinitis in his right knee and was forced to spend the night at the end of the bench in street clothes. He has seen action in only two games this season, but he is trying to work his way into the lineup by showcasing his skills in practice.

"It just makes you work harder," Perkins said of sitting on the bench. "You come in (practice) and go at them. You can't make it easy for the players here. You've got to come to practice, go hard at them and let them know, `Hey, I'm here. I'm hungry, too. I want some of these minutes.' I just have to stay positive and work hard. I know it's paying off."

Celtics coach Jim O'Brien said Perkins is making a strong impression in practice. Before Boston acquired center Chris Mihm, O'Brien said Perkins was the team's best rebounder in practice every day.

"I think he was a wonderful pick by Danny Ainge because I think he's going to have a wonderful career," O'Brien said. "We're looking at this as a developmental year. He's got some veterans in front of him."

Spoon feeding

Clarence Weatherspoon wants to get back out on the court in game situations, but the newest Rocket has enjoyed not being rushed into action.

It has been almost two weeks since Weatherspoon was acquired by the Rockets, and the power forward has played only six minutes, which came against Detroit on Wednesday.

"I'm picking up the sets and getting comfortable and hopefully after a couple of more days, I'll be where I want to be," Weatherspoon said. "It's good any time you don't have to rush into a situation where you're out hurting your team. I don't feel I have to rush to do anything. The guys have been playing well, and coach (Jeff Van Gundy) has been real patient. All I can do is continue to work hard and get ready and learn as much as I can."

Van Gundy said he didn't plan to play Weatherspoon against Detroit but changed his mind toward the end of the blowout loss. During Weatherspoon's six minutes, he fit right into his expected role by pulling down two rebounds, including one offensive.

But it is unclear how many minutes Weatherspoon will play when he is ready, and Van Gundy said he is unsure where he will fit into the rotation.

"There's no guarantees about playing time because Scott (Padgett's) done a good job, Mo (Taylor) has done a good job." Van Gundy said. "We'll just see. But I like that he can rebound in traffic."

Rough road

The Rockets have hit a strange stretch in their schedule. They have three consecutive one-game homestands, which began with Sunday night's contest against the Celtics.

The Rockets played at Detroit and New York before returning home to face Boston. Today, they will return to the East Coast to play at Washington (Tuesday) and then at Boston (Wednesday) in back-to-back games.

If the two games against Boston had been flip-flopped, the Rockets would have spent four games on the East Coast before playing two at home. Their next home game is against the Timberwolves on Saturday.

"It would be much better if you went out for all four of those games in a row," Van Gundy said. "I don't really understand that. There's a lot of flying for seemingly no purpose. Why couldn't we play in Boston (Sunday) and then Washington, then come home and play?"