[Chron] Rockets waver late but still handle Pistons

Rockets handle Pistons
Blown lead lets Van Gundy make a point

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

For three quarters, the Rockets gave everything any coach could want. They scored the game's first 10 points, led by as much as 20, and still led the Detroit Pistons by 17 heading into the fourth quarter.

Then the Rockets nearly blew it all, surrendering all but the last four points of their once-imposing lead before surviving a tense final few minutes to hold off the Pistons 91-85 on Thursday night at Toyota Center. And with that, they might have given Jeff Van Gundy something that could be far more valuable.

The Rockets gave him a chance to hammer home a point without sacrificing a game to do it.

"I was very happy with the first three quarters," Van Gundy said. "Unfortunately, I've seen in the fourth quarter where we get a lead, we don't have a finishing mentality. If we can't correct it within the next 27 days, it will come back to bite us at the most inopportune time.

"As I shared with Tracy (McGrady) and Yao (Ming), it already has — two years ago (in the playoffs) against Dallas, up 2-0, 88-82 two straight games. No finishing mentality cost us."

With that, he had made a point as beneficial as most of the 91 the Rockets scored. They had their fifth consecutive win and eighth in nine games, moving within a game of fourth-place Utah in the Western Conference race for home-court advantage. So Van Gundy saw a chance to work on the postseason.

"He's always a teacher," Rockets forward Shane Battier said. "Any time he can find a moral of the story, it's a good day for him. He's definitely a teacher. If he were a minister, he would be a master parable teller."

He had one for Thursday.

"What we did tonight," Van Gundy said, "we struggled to the finish line, and we fell over the line and we won. Two years ago, we stumbled to the line and we fell just short.

"That's why I think it will change. We have great guys who care as much as any team in this league."

For three quarters, they played as well as most teams have all season. They pounced from the start, never trailing. Even when Yao picked up two fouls in the first 90 seconds, he stayed in the game, and he had 16 points by halftime, making five of seven shots.

"I looked across court at Jeff and I said, 'I'm fine. I can handle this,' " Yao said.

When they scored eight of the first 10 points of the second half, they led by 19, and they led by 15 with 5 1/2 minutes remaining. Then the Rockets eased up just enough for the Pistons to roll through a 13-2 run capped by a Chauncey Billups 3-pointer that cut the lead to 86-82.

McGrady had missed all three of his fourth-quarter shots. Yao had just hit a jumper, but that made him just 2-of-5 in the quarter after he had made eight of 13 shots for 23 points through three quarters. He finished with 27 points, four in the fourth quarter.

"Yao has done a good job," Van Gundy said, before rushing right back to the night's talking points. "I think he needs to get a finishing mentality. You have to be able to go to him late. He has to be able to get good, clean looks off. It has to do with a hunger, a mentality to keep wanting to kick (butt)."

Rafer Alston, who made five of seven shots for 16 points with six rebounds and six assists, sank a runner in the lane to interrupt the Pistons' run, and after a Billups free throw, McGrady put in a baseline jumper. But the Rockets could not get the stops they had to have until the final minute.

After an Antonio McDyess jumper cut the Rockets' lead to five, Carlos Delfino broke down the lane and toward the rim, only to have Yao swat away his shot with 22 seconds left.

"I had no choice," Yao said. "You have to go for the first shot. I knew there was a guy behind me, my man, McDyess. I can't just stay there waiting for him to miss it. I have to go."

Alston put in one more free throw, and when Rasheed Wallace missed a 3-pointer, the Rockets finally could exhale.

jonathan.feigen@chron.com

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