CHRON: Rockets seeking to avoid let down after big victory

Rockets seeking to avoid let down after big victory
By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

Cuttino Mobley can stay home today if he doesn't want to face the Celtics. After all, it's not that big a game.

With Boston visiting Toyota Center, there are no reserved seats for Beyonce or Jay-Z. There is no national television audience watching.

That's why Jeff Van Gundy told Mobley after practice Saturday it's not a big deal if he wants to skip the game tonight.

Van Gundy was joking, but he got his point across to a Rockets team that has a tendency for letdowns after impressive performances in so-called "big games" -- like the one they played Thursday against the Knicks.

Van Gundy is exasperated by the notion the Rockets only play well on big stages such as New York and Los Angeles. With the Rockets playing for the first time since an inspired victory over the Knicks in Van Gundy's homecoming at Madison Square Garden, the coach doesn't want to see a letdown tonight against the Celtics.

"I would just say that the good teams know that every regular-season game means exactly the same when it comes to trying to make the playoffs or get a seeding in the playoffs," Van Gundy said. "We don't get two for winning in New York. We got one. And we got one loss in Detroit (on Wednesday)."

The players joked that maybe they need to be on national television every night. Having Kim Cattrall, star of Sex and the City, in the front row probably wouldn't hurt.

The Rockets haven't fared well after "big games." After defeating the Lakers last season in the heavily anticipated first meeting between Yao Ming and Shaquille O'Neal, the Rockets went to San Antonio and started a four-game losing streak.

The Rockets also stepped up and shocked the Lakers again this season -- on prime time Christmas night. Heading into that game in Los Angeles, Van Gundy's club had dropped five of its previous seven games, beating only the Cavaliers and Clippers.

But after cruising to a surprisingly smooth 12-point victory over the Lakers on Dec. 25, the Rockets lost their next two.

"It's like when I was a kid in math class," Yao said. "I'd always get the tough ones right, and then surprisingly I'd mess up on the easy questions."

That baffled Yao as a youngster, and it isn't any easier for him to understand the Rockets' sliding scale from prime time.

The Rockets know their potential, but Van Gundy has yet see them commit to playing at that level on a daily basis. He isn't stressing only game days but every practice and every shootaround.

"The question for us is not whether we can sustain good play," he said. "It's whether we will commit to sustaining good play. We know exactly what it takes to play well. And it's just a matter of if we're going to commit to doing all the hard things that it requires to play well.

"It's not the want-to at the game. It's the want-to from game to game. So you put in the right preparations in practice, walk-throughs, study film, study your opponent. That's what it takes."

Van Gundy refuses to admit his first trip back to Madison Square Garden as a coach was a big game, but he wouldn't mind carrying over some of the points his inspired team amassed for him in the 32-point victory.

"I'd be confident if they would spot us 31 (against Boston) -- so we won by one in New York," Van Gundy said.

If that were the case, Mobley still would be required to show up.


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Rockets summary

Focus elsewhere

In the most recent issue of The Sporting News, Yao Ming is ranked as the most powerful athlete in sports.

The magazine rated the 100 most powerful people in sports, and Yao made the annual list for the first time. He was ranked No. 25 in the overall category, where individuals are ranked regardless of sport, industry or job title.

The only other athletes in the top 40 were Tiger Woods (No. 26) and LeBron James (No. 28).

The Sporting News honored Yao for the potential he has to grow the game of basketball in China. The magazine said he earned the No. 25 ranking because he "got `LeBron money' from Reebok, plus royalties in China, where he is royalty. With the NBA pushing to expand in China, Yao could become a Jordanesque figure (earning Jordanesque figures) in the world's largest country with its white-hot economy."

Yao was told of the article after practice Saturday. He hadn't seen the issue, and didn't seem interested in getting a copy.

"I don't have any special feelings about it," he said. "That's not where my interests are. My interests lie in how to play the next game -- and how to get more rebounds."

Whole new team

The Rockets cannot use last year's films from their two victories over the Celtics to prepare for tonight's matchup.

The Celtics have undergone major changes in the past year. Paul Pierce is the only starter still with the team.

The Celtics have adapted to the changes well, however. They are 19-19 and second in the Atlantic Division. They also have a better record on the road (9-8) than they do at home (10-11).

The Celtics enter tonight's game after winning their last two games, including a 107-82 victory over Cleveland on Friday. The 25-point victory was their most lopsided of the year.

"They played great against Cleveland," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "They made 11-for-25 on 3s, and Pierce got to the free-throw line 13 times because of the space they created with their offense."

The Celtics are fifth in the league in 3-point percentage. But Van Gundy is concerned with more than just Boston's perimeter threats.

"They play the most unusual defense in the league, in that they front every post-up," Van Gundy said. "They have exceptionally good weakside help."

 

Man, the Celtics are 19-19 and second in the Atlantic Division?! Holy crap the east is weak. I knew they were doing bad but I had no idea the east was this terrible!

sorry about the double post, accidently pressed submit before I was ready.

 

No kidding. I just don't understand the Rockets. Didn't we win one at home by about 20pts? Then they played in Detroit where they lost by about 20, then win by 30 in New York! So inconsistent.

We have good defense, but our Offense can not disapeare like it has been.