[Rockets.com]Rockets Perfecting The Art of The Bounce Back

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Houston - It's tough for any team to summon consistency when it can't even conjure the same starting lineup on a night-to-night basis. It's not an excuse; it's just reality. And, unfortunately, such has been the fate of the Houston Rockets ever since training camp began. It explains why this team can look like world-beaters one night, and tragically-flawed the next.

Yet for all the ups and downs the Rockets' roller coaster has produced thus far, there has been one area in which the club has been wholly reliable this season: Their ability to bounce back from excruciating losses.

Peruse Houston's schedule through the first 24 games and you'll see the same theme repeated over and over (and over) again: When the Rockets suffer a particularly dispiriting defeat, they immediately respond in a big way, no matter the caliber of competition.

The trend began following a devastating overtime loss to Portland on November 6th, when Brandon Roy's 30-foot buzzer-beater sent the Rockets from elation to dejection, all in the span of 0.8 seconds (or more, depending upon how much trust you placed in the Portland timekeepers that evening). But instead of letting the loss linger, Houston came back and knocked off the Clippers the next evening, setting a precedent which has held up without fail ever since.

Lose by 29 to the Lakers? Respond by blowing out the Suns in Phoenix. Blow a commanding fourth quarter lead to the injury-riddled Spurs? Come back the next night and take out their frustrations on New Orleans. You get the idea. In a season which has witnessed a fair amount of inconsistency from the Rockets, they've been thoroughly consistent in their ability to respond to adversity.

And wouldn't you know it: Team Resiliency finds itself in that all-too familiar position once again this evening, having fallen flat against the lowly Los Angeles Clippers over the weekend. So with red-hot Denver visiting Toyota Center tonight, the stage seems set for the Rockets to put their bounce back ability to the test once again.

"It just shows the fight in this team," says Aaron Brooks. "We know we’ve let some games get away, but we know we’re a good team and we can fight through adversity.

"But it is kind of interesting. It’s like we can’t put a full game together until we meet some adversity. I think we just come out with a different kind of fire and passion, and I think you’ll probably be seeing that tonight."

Truth be told, the Rockets don't have much choice but to put their best foot forward this evening. Since acquiring Chauncey Billups, Denver is 16-4 and currently sporting a 4-game winning streak. And the Rockets are already keenly aware of the difference Billups has made; when the two teams faced off in Denver two weeks ago, the Nuggets' new acquisition poured in 28 points while adding 10 assists to lift his club to a 104-94 victory.

"We need to play with more energy," says Shane Battier. "Last time we played them it was the second night of a back-to-back and we were flat, and just didn’t really give it our best effort. We’ll have the home crowd behind us [tonight], and we just need to play better and make some more shots.

"We know it’s a big game so I’m not really concerned about our guys getting up for it. They’re ahead of us in the standings right now. Those are the games we’re not worried about; those are the easy games to get up for."

And 1's: With Rafer Alston sidelined due to a strained left hamstring, Aaron Brooks will get the starting nod in his stead. Meanwhile, Ron Artest will be a gametime decision for tonight's contest. He says his sore ankle is definitely feeling better but he wants to proceed with caution, so he'll test things out during warmups before a final decision is made.