[Globe] Houston May Have A Problem (wow - that's orginal)

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/03/18/houston_may_have_a_problem/

Houston may have a problem
Streaking Rockets take on NBA's best

By Marc J. Spears
Globe Staff / March 18, 2008

SAN ANTONIO - Paul Pierce is looking forward to enjoying a rare night when the target isn't on his team's back.

The Rockets hope to extend their winning streak to 23 games when they face the Celtics tonight at the Toyota Center in Houston. Only the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, winners of 33 straight games, have won more regular-season NBA games in a row.

With the league's best record, the Celtics will bring a stiff challenge to the hot Rockets for this nationally televised contest (TNT).

"That's an impressive streak that they got going, really," said Pierce, who scored a team-high 22 points in last night's 93-91 win over the Spurs. "It seems like for once the target is going to be on the other team's back now. When you see a team do such an incredible feat, you think, 'Hey, you don't want them to do it on us.'

"There is going to be a lot of hype around the game. You got the team with the best record playing a team that is doing something that hasn't been done in a while."

Ex-Lakers star Gail Goodrich is confident the Rockets won't break the record win streak that he was a part of; in fact, he wouldn't be surprised if it ended tonight.

"I've said this all along: The streak won't get broken," said Goodrich, now an analyst for NBATV. "The Rockets are playing outstanding, obviously. But this week we will find out how good they are.

"They have been playing great defense and they have very good scorers. They face a very good Boston team."

Rockets star Tracy McGrady, when asked about the streak possibly ending tonight, told the Houston Chronicle: "We don't worry about what everybody says. We have a winnable ballgame to play. We all understand they are the best team in the East, the first team in the league to 50 wins.

"It's a winnable game for us. It's going to be a challenge. It's going to be a tough game for us. But we're capable of winning it."

Allen still out

Celtics guard Ray Allen missed his second straight game with a left ankle injury that is expected to keep him out tonight, too. He sustained the injury Friday night against Utah and didn't feel comfortable returning to action following a workout prior to last night's game.

Coach Doc Rivers said Allen could return Thursday at Dallas.

"He's obviously day-to-day," Rivers said. "He shot and just didn't feel great. The one thing you always kick yourself is, should he have shot at all? You just don't know because it's a bruise.

"We want him back. It's nothing serious, obviously. We just want it to heal 100 percent."

Extra points

The Nuggets had one of the most impressive scoring performances in NBA history Sunday when they racked up 168 points against the Sonics. But the best performance in NBA history (for a regulation game) still belongs to the 1958-59 Celtics, who scored 173 points at Minneapolis - without the 3-pointer.

Phoenix also scored 173 points against Denver on Nov. 10, 1990, but that was with a 3-point line.

During Boston's 173-point game, Tommy Heinsohn scored a game-high 43 points and Bob Cousy added 31 points and 28 assists. Those Celtics scored 52 points in the fourth quarter, had four players score at least 20, made 47 free throws, and shot 50.4 percent from the field.

"The funny part about that game when we scored 173 points is that [Bill ] Russell didn't play in the game," said Heinsohn, a longtime TV analyst. "He was hurt. Gene Conley took his place. We had many games with 40-point quarters and 80 halves back then.

"The other funny part about it was then-NBA commissioner Maurice Podoloff was going to have the game investigated. He couldn't believe any team could score that much. It was a complete up-and-down game."

Pierce expressed his admiration.

"That goes to show you there was no defense played back then," Pierce said. "It must have been one pass, then a shot, had to be. You had to have some talented players to be able to do that.

"I don't care what era it is. You've got to be able to have some guys that can put the ball in the hole just because of the time on the clock and the possessions. They didn't turn the ball over. With no 3-point shot, you definitely didn't turn the ball over."