http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3040304 After close calls, Van Gundy's plea seems to sink in By MEGAN MANFULL Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Tracy McGrady stood on the court practicing his pump fakes and shooting 3-pointers and free throws long after the majority of his teammates had left. When he missed consecutive baskets, McGrady would grimace as if he had just lost the Rockets a game. He hardly looked like a guy ready for a vacation. After weeks of listening to coach Jeff Van Gundy urge them to prepare better, the Rockets acted and spoke Monday as if the message finally hit them. They will try to prove it tonight when the Washington Wizards arrive in town with the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. The Rockets are trying to get past their trend of coasting into the All-Star break. A victory over the Wizards would give them a team-record eight-game winning streak going into the break. The Rockets' previous best was a four-game streak going into the 1991 break. "(The streak) feels good," McGrady said. "But I definitely think we can be better. You guys see the seven-game win streak as good, but I don't think we're playing our best basketball right now. Not at all." No one in the Rockets' locker room is patting himself on the back. However, there was slight improvement made in the team's preparation. The Rockets changed things up a little by practicing on the main court in Toyota Center for the first time since training camp. Even though Van Gundy said the move had nothing to do with their previous lackluster efforts in practice, he did upgrade their usual "poor" practice rating to "fair." "Sometimes veterans get locked into how they think it's best instead of how we think it's best," he said. "They've got to have an open mind and do it our way instead of their way. And our way is to push for greatness instead of settle for mediocrity." The players admitted they got a wake-up call Sunday when they squandered an 18-point lead to the Portland Trail Blazers before coming back to win. It was the third time in their last four games that the Rockets had lost a double-digit lead. Big leads blown Friday, the Rockets led by 15 points against the Pacers before Indiana tied the game in the fourth quarter. The Lakers also fought back from a 15-point deficit to take a three-point lead in the final minutes on Feb. 6, but Houston rallied again to win. "Every day is a fight in this league to get the right attitude and the right approach," Van Gundy said. "We haven't had it for three or four days. We've tried to take shortcuts with winning. And somehow through the grace of the basketball gods, they have allowed (victories) to happen." The players are finally realizing that might not always be the case. That's why no one says he has already packed his bags, despite a six-day break awaiting everyone but All-Stars Yao Ming and McGrady. With Washington in town, the Rockets doubt they will be able to coast like they did against Portland and still win. The Wizards are in the midst of their best season in decades. They have won 30 games before the All-Star break for the first time since the 1978-79 season, when the team finished 54-28 and reached the NBA Finals. The Wizards have also notched victories against the three best teams in the Western Conference — San Antonio, Phoenix and Seattle. "If we don't start playing better, we can go into one of those tailspins that drive you out of the playoffs," Van Gundy said. "It'll be interesting to see what we can do against (Washington's) quickness, which we struggle against." Past motivates The Rockets need not look far for motivation. It wasn't that long ago that they were struggling just to get their record to .500. They hit bottom with a 6-11 mark, and the memories are still vivid. The players say they learned from those early-season mistakes. "As we keep climbing, we don't want to derail ourselves and then look back and be where we started in November and December," Dikembe Mutombo said. "We just want to keep going." megan.manfull@chron.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rockets Summary Wagging away Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy told Dikembe Mutombo early this season he did not want to see Mutombo's trademark finger wag after he blocked big shots. Mutombo tried to keep his finger under control for a while, but the temptation has intensified. Mutombo wagged his finger again against Portland on Sunday after blocking a shot by Joel Przybilla. "I'm very surprised that they haven't brought it to my attention in practice or during the games yet," Mutombo said, smiling. "I'm happy that I'm doing it." The finger wag can draw a technical foul from officials if Mutombo directs it at an opponent. He typically makes an effort to direct his wag at the fans. But even when he hasn't, no technical has been called. When asked if he was surprised the officials haven't blown their whistles, Mutombo laughed. "No, no, no," he said. "They know better." Pressure relief Tracy McGrady said he appreciates the Rockets' trades for Jon Barry and David Wesley more than ever lately. McGrady has been struggling with his shot in the past two games, but the Rockets have been able to win anyway. Against Indiana on Friday, McGrady was 5-of-16 from the field and finished with only 16 points. He was 6-of-19 against Portland on Sunday and finished with 18 points. It's the first time since Dec. 4-7 that McGrady has failed to score at least 20 points in back-to-back games. "That's one of the reasons I appreciate them making the trades," he said. "Because having so much pressure put on you and having to carry the load every night is tough on anybody. And now I've got guys that can step up for me when things are not going so well, and we're winning ballgames like that. So it's just a great team effort." -- MEGAN MANFULL
It is encouraging that you can clearly see this team has room for improvement....in the midst of a 7 game winning streak.
TMac is class all the way. I do wonder if he has some minor injury? He looks like he is grimacing in the games and not always as explosive. Is there a thread on this?
Although I predicted that they would lose this game in the prediction thread, I obviously hope they pull this game out before having to face a on-fire Seattle team and an always tough San Antonio. Stuart
I think its great that the team is not happy with their play and they understand they can play better. Right now I feel we can beat anyone and a 8 game winning streak would be nice going into the All Star break. This team has really come together and the elusiuve team chemistry seems to have been found. J
a team is well coached and on the same page when the player's comments mimic those of the coach. it's taken a while but we are on the right track.
Ok, now this is the part that I, and I'm sure a whole lot of other posters, are all too familiar with. I think every single time the previous era rockets had a article in the paper like this, we never lived up to what was quoted in the paper. Reading the article on game day made me very excited about the game, thinking that thre is no way they can lose because they "were serious in practice today" or said all the right things about getting prepared. Then here comes game time and the first play of the game is a turnover and fast break dunk + foul. I don't have the feeling that this will be true with this years squad but it still lingers in the back of my head since we were tormented with these occasions for several years before. One thing about this team is that I can't even imagine Barry, Sura, or Wesley, or even Padgett or Weatherspoon not hustling, not trying their best, not giving all their energy every game. The Barry and Wesley trade was so much more than a talent trade, it was a heart and soul trade. Our team's identity is the hustle and energy of our role players. Let's gooo rockets!
Although, I hate to see large leads dwindle, the point is that we are winning these games now. Earlier in the season we would have let many of them go and lost, but I think that it adds character to be able to hang on and win. Although, I don't know how good it is for fans with heart conditions that are watching.
Good post -- I don't know about you, but I have so much more confidence in this team during crunch time. They make smart plays at the end of the game -- that includes everyone, from Yao, Tmac, Barry, Howard, etc . . . . No turnovers by Jimmy Jack or Francis during the last two minutes. Steve used to make some big shots, but he also made some bone head turnovers. Yao and Tmac make big shots and good decisions in crunch time, they could be called Clutch.
there is about 5 minutes left in the game but i think we got this game in the bag... we are up by 26 right now. i guess everything they said in the paper today...they meant it! im loving this right now. what a way to go into allstar weekend!
