Michael Murphy Houston Chronicle While the Rockets lost the biggest game of the year -- at least so far, and at least from a visceral level -- they made tremendous strides as a team in their 91-88 overtime loss to Portland on Friday night. Face it, you expected a blowout. We all did. After all, the Rockets were hammered by 40 points at Portland last season, and that was when the Rockets had Scottie Pippen. And this year the Blazers not only had Pippen to go with Rasheed Wallace, Brian Grant, Damon Stoudamire, Arvydas Sabonis and Jermaine O'Neal, but they also had Steve Smith and Detlef Schrempf as well. The Rockets? They were 3-10 and falling fast in the NBA galaxy. They were the polar opposites of very young and very old, the past and (possible) future, not a good mix in the league these days. But there they were, going toe to toe with the Blazers, matching them shot for shot -- until the very end, that is. When Matt Bullard's final three-pointer rimmed out, leaving them three points short. This, with Hakeem Olajuwon missing much of the second half with a groin injury. You hate to talk about morale (yes, that's morale, not moral) victories in the NBA, but that's exactly what this game could be for the Rockets -- a teaching tool that finally gets the message across that they can indeed be one of the upper-echelon teams. And for once, their plan to play the halfcourt offense was sound, and the Rockets executed that game plan to perfection. The Blazers like to get out and run, where they can use their depth and athletic ability to plow teams into the ground. But the Rockets controlled the tempo, forcing the Blazers into their halfcourt tempo, and it worked. Now, if only the Rockets can learn to finish off games like this. Maybe that's next. POSITION ANALYSIS Center: Hakeem Olajuwon could be out awhile with the groin pull he suffered against the Blazers Friday night. Olajuwon had been struggling with his offense for the past couple of games, finishing with just eight points and six rebounds in the Rockets' 20-point victory over Dallas last Tuesday, and then having just six points and five boards against Portland before being forced to leave in the opening moments of the second half. Grade: C. Power forward: Charles Barkley took the high road in his meeting with Scottie Pippen, refusing to take shots at his former teammate in the big matchup Friday. If only he could have made a few more shots. Barkley went just 3-for-11 vs. the Blazers, even though he did excel on the boards (11 rebounds) and in distributing the ball (six assists). Grade: B. Small forward: Walt Williams simply isn't getting the job done, finishing with just five points against Portland while Pippen was lighting him up for 11 first-quarter points. Williams wound up playing only 19 minutes, and that came after playing just 22 minutes vs. Dallas on Tuesday. Williams hasn't been the answer (yet), especially defensively. Grade: D. Off guard: Shandon Anderson looked like he was starting to find his way, scoring a season-high 16 points against Dallas (on 7-of-7 shooting from the field), but he went scoreless against Portland on Friday, taking just one shot. Certainly the lack of production against the Blazers can be attributed to the huge game played by Cuttino Mobley, who came off the bench to score 25 points, which limited Anderson's minutes. And since the Rockets were forced to go big against the Blazers' front line, there weren't any minutes to be had at small forward, either. Grade: C. Point guard: Steve Francis is struggling, but it's with his health, not his game. Francis hit just three of 17 shots against the Blazers, but that was while playing with a sprained left ankle suffered in the Dallas game last Tuesday. While Francis didn't hit many shots, his penetration created opportunities for his teammates (Kelvin Cato sent the game into overtime with an offensive-rebound dunk of a missed Francis drive), so it wasn't like the guy had no value at all. Grade: B. Bench: Finally, they're starting to play well. Cuttino Mobley ripped the Blazers for 25 points, including several tough free throws in the clutch. Kelvin Cato was huge, especially after the Rockets lost Olajuwon to the groin injury. Playing against his former team, Cato finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and blocked two shots. Bryce Drew still won't do much passing, but he scored six points against the Blazers, including a couple of big baskets to keep the Rockets rallying down the stretch. Matt Bullard also hit key shots, even though his final game-tying attempt from the three-point line just missed. Now, if only they could have gotten something from Carlos Rogers. Grade: A. Coaching: Rudy Tomjanovich had the team ready to play against the Blazers, and they executed the game plan to perfection. The key was slowing the Blazers down and making them play the in the halfcourt, which took the Blazers running out of the equation. Also, it put a premium on rebounding, and the Rockets won that battle, too, finishing with a 55-47 edge against the bigger Blazers. Grade: A. INJURY REPORT Center Thomas Hamilton (lower back strain) has been placed on the injured list. . . . Center Hakeem Olajuwon (strained groin) is out indefinitely. WHO'S HOT There's no way Cuttino Mobley could be any hotter, ripping the Blazers for a game-high 25 points, his fourth consecutive game of double-figure scoring. Mobley has hit nine of his 19 three-pointers in that span, and 16 of his 18 free throws, so he's on fire. And he's also averaging 3.5 assists during the streak, so he's been on fire. WHO'S NOT Bryce Drew has been hot offensively, averaging nine points over the past three games, including 14 points vs. the Mavericks on Tuesday, hitting 4-of-6 three-pointers in that game. He still doesn't pass much (just six assists in the last three games, none against the Blazers Friday), but maybe that will come. STRONG TO THE HOOP While you hate to see any player go down with an injury, perhaps the Rockets can use the absence of Hakeem Olajuwon to experiment a bit with their game plan. Minus Olajuwon, who demands the ball so much in the low post, maybe the Rockets can now get back the running game they abandoned after the preseason. Kelvin Cato, Olajuwon's replacement in the post, is hardly the low-post threat Olajuwon is, so the Rockets are going to have to figure out a way to better utilize him in the offense. That, no doubt, means more running and more motion in the offense. Cato is better on the move, more content to catch the ball in transition or crash the offensive boards to get his points. With no real offensive moves down low, that's pretty much the only way he's going to be effective. And clearing a big body out of the post will create opportunities for other Rockets to attack the basket, something they did with great effect against the Blazers Friday. SEE A DIFFERENT GAME It all comes down to the rotations now. Minus Hakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets are going to need some production off the bench, and it goes beyond the obvious point of Kelvin Cato starting in the middle. One would expect Carlos Rogers to swing from small forward over to power forward, giving the Rockets a different dimension at that position, and with perhaps Shandon Anderson playing more small forward in certain situations. The Rockets will have the opportunity over the next week or two to hone their fast break. Whether they do that remains to be seen. FEARLESS PREDICTION The next five games against Western Conference opponents could go a long way towards turning around the Rockets's season. They face Vancouver twice and the Clippers once, so that could be (should be) three wins. And they play the rebound-challenged Phoenix Suns twice, too. Should they crash the boards and remember the lessons they learned Friday against Portland, maybe they could eke out a win or two against the Suns as well, setting them up for a nice Eastern Conference swing afterwards. http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/teams/rockets/index.html
I think Rudy is a good coach, and has done a terrific job in the past, but how can you give him an "A" with a 3-11 start?
