ROCKETS AT 3 - ESPN - New Power Rankings (January 15th, 2007)

Yeah, I remember the passive Tmac

This Tmac would have never allowed us to lose that game.

As good as our record is, it should have been better with some close losses and a few games where Tmac wasn't even involved much

 

pretty sure we have lost to the spurs once. sorry to burst your bubble

 

The Spurs didn't beat us. We beat ourselves

 

Wow when was the last time the Rockets were ranked this high.

 

Didn't know that this waranted its own thread, but Steve Kerr wrote a niece piece on the Rockets and ranks us 4th.

link

Sky Rockets

By Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports
January 15, 2007

Game of the Week
Tuesday: Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks – One of the reasons the Rockets traded for Shane Battier in the offseason was that they needed someone to guard Nowitzki. Battier will be on the spot as Houston tries to slow down the Mavericks in this Southwest Division showdown.

When Yao Ming went out with a broken leg on Dec. 23, the Houston Rockets figured to tumble in the standings. After all, over the past two seasons, their record without Yao has been horrendous. On top of that, Tracy McGrady was struggling through a tough, injury-prone season himself.

But this is a different Rockets team.

Perhaps it's the leadership and defense that Shane Battier has provided. Maybe it's the improved play from Houston's young guards, Rafer Alston and Luther Head. Or it could be that Dikembe Mutombo is playing like he's 10 years younger in Yao's absence. Whatever the reason, the Rockets have not only managed to survive without Yao, but they've also flourished. McGrady has caught fire at the right time, and Houston has somehow won nine of 11 games since Yao's injury.

The Rockets' strong play not only vaulted them five spots in this week's rankings, but it also begs the question: How good can they be once they're at full strength? Here's a look at this week's rankings (records and statistics are through Jan. 14):

1. Dallas Mavericks (31-8, Last ranking: 1) – Jason Terry is starting to heat up. He made 31 of 55 shots in four games last week and averaged 21 points.

2. Phoenix Suns (28-8, Last ranking: 2) – Boris Diaw started the season slowly, but he's really clicking now. He's averaging 11 points, seven assists, four rebounds and is shooting 59 percent since the New Year.

3. San Antonio Spurs (27-11, Last ranking: 6) – Tim Duncan is very quietly having his best season in years: 20 points, 10 boards and two blocks per game, and he's shooting 55 percent from the field.


4. Houston Rockets (25-13, Last ranking: 9) – Dikembe Mutombo is enjoying a season right out of "Cocoon." The ageless wonder had 19 rebounds and five blocks in a rout of the Lakers, and in doing so, he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for second place on the all-time blocks list.

 

Holy Crap!

...not much to say other than. GO ROCKETS!

 

One TMAC:

It's a back injury. Which means there really are no miracle cures.

Yet Tracy McGrady thinks he's found the closest thing to a fix for his chronic back woes.

Which means almost as much.

That might be the key to McGrady's work with John Patterson, on top of the obvious physical benefits. The Waco-based rehab expert -- whose client list includes big-time names like Andy Roddick and Terrell Owens -- has McGrady believing in his body more than he has for years, thanks to Patterson's biomechanics-based treatment program which calls for four specialists working on T-Mac at once, all trying to get him in head-to-toe alignment as opposed to just focusing on the back.

The result?

McGrady's long-standing dread that something is sure to go wrong soon has been replaced by increasing confidence, as confirmed by his recent run of six straight 30-point games in Houston's 7-2 surge since losing Yao Ming on Dec. 23. If anything, Houstonians have been trying to keep T-Mac on an even keel, lest he get too giddy about his newfound spryness and set himself up for another major disappointment.

The Rockets, you see, know that the 27-year-old's problems are caused by a congenital defect in his back. It's something that has to be managed, since it can't be cured.

What the Rockets have found, then, is best described as a way, through Patterson's help, to manage T-Mac's health better than ever before.

Given what they've been through with T-Mac and Yao for the last season and a half, they'll take it.

Nor will Houston mind if Dikembe Mutombo's determination to prove that there really is a fountain of youth -- seven straight double-digit rebound games as Yao's replacement for the 40-year-old entering Friday -- lasts into February.

 

Just as long as we hold up records like this, after that we're back to last team to get national media attention! (thanks to losers at espn)

 

rafer is a young guard?

 

ok....I don't know what your expecting from them. being forth best team in western conferance isn't easy buddy! and it does show they have the heart of champions!!!

 

Great to see but don't really care. I just want the rockets to win on tuesday and wednesday.

 

I will give my left nut.. and youtube it if this happens...




























just kidding...

 

Just thought I should note that this is from a Chron article, and not in fact, from this poster. Didn't seem very kosher to leave this unmentioned. Unless he's the author, and I'm stupid.

On the Steve Kerr article, I find it very surprising to see the Rockets given that much credit. I really hope we can maintain this pace to show all of the naysayers who flip-flopped about us preseason that we can hang in there with the toughest of teams. I remember all of the "If T-Mac and Yao can stay healthy" talk from a few months ago. We've shown that without Yao, we can still take some teams to the woodshed.

 

That's actually from the ESPN daily dime box 7.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime_070113-14

 

Doh. I read both articles at the same time, got them confused. My mistake

 

Hard to believe that the Suns and Mavs - who started so badly and everyone was kinda beginning to count them out - are now by far the class of the league.

The next two games are going to be thrillers.