http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/rockets/4478947.html At the least, Rockets earn some style points in defeat By RICHARD JUSTICE Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle IF you believe in style points, the Rockets scored several Wednesday. If you're into moral victories, they picked up one of those, too. Don't take that kind of talk into their locker room. Find another angle, Mr. Sportswriter. "We're still good enough to win," Rafer Alston said. "We have depth. Hey, no one is going to have any sympathy for us." Down the stretch, the Rockets believed they were going to beat one of the NBA's best teams Wednesday night. That's probably the thing that thrills Jeff Van Gundy even as he deals with slow defensive rotations and lousy fourth-quarter shooting. This was a night when a professional team, a team that measures itself only by the bottom line, did things that can't be measured. If effort and professionalism count — and they should — the Rockets did themselves proud. "You get the circle-the-wagon mentality," Shane Battier said. "That speech has probably been given in locker rooms the last 100 years. It's true." I know what you're saying. You've seen Hoosiers a dozen times, and frankly, you never thought it was that good. To quote Bill Parcells: "You are what you are." The Rockets lost to the Phoenix Suns 100-91 on Wednesday night. They led by 15 points in the first half but gave up too many open 3-pointers and didn't have enough offense at the end. They were reminded of what life is going to be like on those nights when they don't have the two guys they constructed a team around. They'd won nine of 12 without Yao Ming. They did themselves proud. Tracy McGrady again performed like a franchise player. Battier and Juwan Howard became scoring options. Dikembe Mutombo did a terrific job on the defensive end. Another obstacle Then McGrady's back flared up again Tuesday night, and he was out of the lineup Wednesday. Surviving one critical injury is tough enough, because everything becomes harder. Victories extract every last ounce of effort, and amid the fatigue and the changing of roles, teams can come undone. The Rockets kept winning thanks to their coach and to the maturity of their group. And then the math changed again without McGrady. They still did enough things right, still played with so much effort, still showed they're going to be more than respectable with the guys they still have. All they didn't do is win. They know how many things they did right. They also know they failed to do the only thing that really counts. "If I was a fan watching, I would have enjoyed the game just as much," Van Gundy said. "For us, it's so personal that you're not going to enjoy it as much. You've got a lot of guys that have to do things in roles that they normally wouldn't be in. That's not easy. We just have to play better." The Rockets rode hot starts by Luther Head and Alston, who combined for 19 points in the first quarter. They were within four with 2:45 left in the game. They stumbled down the stretch. John Lucas missed some jumpers. Battier missed a layup. And Phoenix had too much Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Raja Bell. This is where it gets interesting. With McGrady, the Rockets will coast into the playoffs. If they get Yao back for the stretch run, they could be a formidable playoff club. Until then, they're going to find out a lot more about themselves. "It's a great opportunity for other guys to step up," Battier said. "You never know what you have. Sometimes you're pleasantly surprised when you face adversity." They have no idea what they'll get out of Yao when or if he returns. And McGrady has missed so much time the last two years that he can no longer be counted upon. Capable club The Rockets are also better than you think. Alston threw in 29 points Wednesday, and Head and Battier added 16 apiece. If not for poor shooting nights by both Howard and Lucas, the Rockets might have pushed Phoenix to the buzzer. As Van Gundy rearranges the roles again, he's asking more from Lucas. He's hoping Bonzi Wells plays himself into shape. He needs a cohesive effort even without the two guys who were supposed to hold everything together. "The only thing that matters is the box score, whether you won or lost," Battier said. "Playing for the great Hubie Brown, one night after an ugly win, he came in and said: 'Get your heads up. Two weeks from now, all they'll notice is the 'W' in the win column.' It would be great if you got heart points and style points, but it's about winning games here." They earned the style points and heart points anyway. That ought to count for something. richard.justice@chron.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Did they change yao's expected date?
i think they did push it back. wasn't it mid february at first? the last i heard was his expected return date is now mid-late march. i guess justice is thinking that if we go that long without yao, we won't be in the playoff hunt, and so why not keep him out the rest of the way.
Please add a link to every article that you post... I updated this one for you. http://bbs.clutchfans.net/faq.php?faq=faq_etq#faq_faq_etq_postarticle
Richard Justice is a moron. Fran Blindbury is a moron. And that Mexian guy for the Chronicle is a moron as well.
Is it entirely out of the realm of possibility that Yao won't be much of a factor for the remainder of this season?
