http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/2978691 Rockets had better start running now They'll need a head start to keep up with the Suns By MEGAN MANFULL Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle ------------------ COMING UP Wednesday: vs. Phoenix, 8:00 p.m. TV/Radio: Listings; KILT (610 AM) The Rockets warmed up Sunday night against Utah, but the race actually starts tonight. Phoenix, which at 27-4 owns the best record in the NBA, has dominated opponents throughout the season by running circles around them. Led by point guard Steve Nash, the Suns have a potent offense only a handful of teams have been able to contain. Just one game ago, the Rockets scored a season-high 22 fast-break points against the Jazz. But if the Rockets want to extend their three-game winning streak, they will have to do a lot more running than that, especially on the defensive end of the floor. "What they do well is they run at you for 48 minutes," Tracy McGrady said. "And they run fast, and they run hard. "I don't think you're going to be able to slow them down. I just think once we score, we have to get back in transition. Just have everybody back to make them play a half-court game." Few teams have been successful at employing such a strategy this season. The Suns have run their offense almost flawlessly. They lead the league in points per game (109) and average the fewest turnovers (13.2 per game). They are also second in field-goal percentage (.478) and 3-point percentage (.384). After beating Minnesota 122-115 on the road Tuesday night, the Suns arrive at Toyota Center only two victories shy of matching last season's win total. They have put together an amazing turnaround from last year's 29-53 campaign, which was marred by an ankle injury to Amare Stoudemire early. Nothing has slowed Phoenix this season. The Suns acquired a solid starter in Quentin Richardson during the offseason, Shawn Marion is putting together another All-Star-caliber campaign, and Stoudemire is flourishing in his third year. The 6-10 center is averaging 26.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and is second in the league with a .591 field-goal percentage. It's Nash whom the Rockets can't stop worrying about, though. He is credited for much of the Suns' turnaround and is also an early favorite for league MVP honors. "You've got to kind of cut the head off the monster, and he's certainly the one that drives them," Bob Sura said. "Everywhere he's been, he's gotten his team to play that transition, up-and-down game, and (Phoenix) has been really successful at it obviously." Nash is the only player in the NBA averaging more than 10 assists per game (10.8) and the only guard to rank in the top 20 in field-goal shooting. He ranks fifth in the league, hitting 52.2 percent of his field goals. He also averages 15.5 points. Sura will have the initial job of defending Nash tonight, but he won't be alone. With Nash's ability to penetrate and create easy shots for his teammates, the Rockets will try to slow him a number of ways. "I think we're all going to get a part of it, and if we don't, we're not going to win," guard David Wesley said. "One guy is not going to stop him in transition, because he uses screens so well. He probes so well, and he sees the floor so well. It's going to take all five of us to get him stopped." Of course, the Rockets still have other concerns besides Nash. Mismatches abound against Phoenix, which has a smaller and quicker roster. Marion entered the league as a small forward but plays power forward. Stoudemire is a true power forward but now plays center and presents a number of problems for Yao Ming. "There's no real strategy," said Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, "except that they are in a track meet, and it's a question of: Does Yao's power beat speed?" Houston has strung together three of its best games of the year this past week, and the players said they look forward to facing the league's best team. They don't underestimate the test ahead, but they said it's one for which they are ready. "It's a good challenge for this team," Wesley said. "And I think we're ready for this challenge. "Our biggest test is going to be defensively all night long. If we let them stay in our paint all night long, they will embarrass us. We have to collectively close the paint down. Not let Stoudemire do what he wants to do. Not let Marion fly around and do what he wants to do. "We really have to control their transition and control our own paint." megan.manfull@chron.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rockets Summary No consolation When Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy called his brother, Stan, on Tuesday, the Miami Heat coach was hardly basking in the glory of being named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month. The honor was announced after the Heat's 14-game winning streak was snapped by a 98-96 loss to Seattle "Like he said, he'd much rather have won last night," Jeff Van Gundy said. "All he sees is the misery of today. "They won more in a row than we had won at a certain time, so I always feel like I'm cheering him up when he loses. I felt like he had just lost like we had all year." MEGAN MANFULL
i agree with you. a track meet with these guys will be ugly. the only guy on our team that can match any of their starters in terms of speed and quickness is t-mac. maybe sura but nash can outquick and outrun just about any point guard in the league.
"I don't think you're going to be able to slow them down. I just think once we score, we have to get back in transition. Just have everybody back to make them play a half-court game." It doesn't sound like we plan on getting into a track meet with them.
