[Chron] Rockets' season back to old path with injuries

Rockets' season back to old path
Injuries again sting team, just as making playoffs seemed possible

By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

The Rockets had survived a succession of body blows. They persevered through stretches without Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, and weathered all the talk about being undermanned and overmatched.

As painful as their injuries were, the Rockets took solace in the timing of their misfortunes. Because the bulk of their health concerns were resolved before the All-Star break, and because the Western Conference is rife with mediocrity, the Rockets figured there was enough time for a recovery.

A 14-4 run moved them to within 2 1/2 games of the West's final playoff spot. And even with their most telling stretch of the season ahead, the Rockets knew they had a chance.


Two steps back

But Tracy McGrady's cranky back balked, and ironman David Wesley broke a rib — two giant steps back after six weeks in which the Rockets confidently looked ahead.


"Oh, it's real tough," guard Rafer Alston said. "We were making some great strides, and we had won four in a row, and then all of a sudden we lose two of our players."

Accustomed to losing players in pairs, the Rockets could be floored by this combination.

McGrady had been in and out of the lineup, so his departure was as manageable as the loss of a 24-point-per-game scorer can be.

Wesley? He had been active throughout, ranking first in games played (63), and joined only by veteran forward Juwan Howard and rookie guard Luther Head in playing 60-plus games.

The news of McGrady missing three to five weeks, or essentially the rest of the regular season, was a blow. Playing without Wesley, who is listed as week-to-week, qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment.

"We're done with it, and we got our whole team back, and here we go again," Head said of the injuries. "But we can't lose focus — they're injuries, and it happens all the time.

"We've just got to get through this like we got through the other ones. Obviously we need more wins than we got the last time, so we've just got to keep fighting.


Bad timing

"You can't look at it like (the timing of the injuries stinks) even though we know it's like that. We've worked hard to get into this position, and to have injuries now is not what we really need."


But just as they did earlier this season, the Rockets must resist the urge for self-pity. They have dropped two in a row after winning four in succession to fall 3 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot, and with the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs paying a visit to Toyota Center this week, the problems the Rockets have had scoring without McGrady and Wesley will only continue.

"The quality of competition the last two games has gone up, and it continues on (tonight)," coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Part of our offensive struggles is directly related to who we're playing, but on some other occasions we have missed makeable shots, too.

"So give part-credit to the defense, and yet, hopefully, we can make a few more (shots), be in the game so that we have a chance to win it down the stretch."

Even while brainstorming for ways in which to provide themselves a chance to win, the Rockets know it will be that much tougher to do so without McGrady and Wesley.

Their scoring and shooting are invaluable, but the Rockets will have to survive without them.

"Those are good players and very good teammates that we're missing and, obviously, that's bad for us, but we have to live with it," Yao said. "We cannot ask them back right now because they have serious injuries. What we need to do is find a way — whatever way it is — to win."

mk.bower@chron.com

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