[Statesman.com] There's no explaining these Rockets

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COMMENTARY: CEDRIC GOLDEN
There's no explaining these Rockets
Houston claims top spot in West with 22nd consecutive victory.
Monday, March 17, 2008

HOUSTON — This thing is bigger than the Houston Rockets.

It's taken on a life much bigger than the record crowd of 18,409 that packed the Toyota Center on Sunday.

It's more hyped than MVP front-runner Kobe Bryant, whose 24 points on 33 field goal attempts were not enough Sunday afternoon.

It proved bigger than the nationally televised struggles of possible MVP runner-up Tracy McGrady, who scored 11 points after making just one of his first 10 field-goal attempts.

It's alive. And possibly growing.

Houston's 22nd straight win, a 104-92 decision over the Los Angeles Lakers, was just big enough to give the Rockets the top spot in the Western Conference. And with apologies to Frank the Tank, these new-school Rockets are streaking fully clothed. And they're doing it with an old-school approach.

Game by game.

"I know it gets old to hear it again and again, but it was another good win,'' said coach Rick Adelman, who added it's a lot nicer to be first in the West than 10th. He also reminded us that Houston is 31-4 in 2008, which is more of a testament to this team's overall excellence than the happenings of the past 22 games.

The Rockets lead the West with a 46-20 record.

Repeat: The Rockets lead the West with a 46-20 record.

Let's not call it unbelievable because we live in a world where a man has walked on the moon and celebrities are videotaped in rehab.

After all, we've seen this streak play out in our living rooms for the last 77 days. Unbelievable like Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak? No. Hard to fathom? Yes.

And before you attempt to bring logic into this discussion, consider that point guard Rafer Alston, aka Skip to My Lou, hit eight three-pointers and scored a career-high 31 points in the biggest regular season game of his life.

"He had a little bit of T-Mac blood in him today,'' said teammate Luther Head.

This is the same Alston who thanked several team beat writers for being nice to him one day before training camp because he thought his days in Houston were numbered after Houston drafted guard Aaron Brooks in the first round and brought in Mike James.

By the way, Brooks dressed but didn't play, and James is playing 15 minutes a night in New Orleans. Meanwhile, Alston has become a willing go-to guy in the fourth quarter.

"We knew coming in what type of atmosphere it would be,'' he said. "I felt the attention would be on Tracy today, and I wanted to do something to switch their attention. If there was a shot that needed to be made, I thought I would be the guy to do it."

Houston hasn't had this type of swagger since Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, who were both present Sunday, led the No. 6 playoff-seeded Rockets to a second straight championship in 1995. Olajuwon believes games like Sunday's matchup are the best tests for a team that's hot but still a question mark in the West's ever-changing power structure.

"Everybody's working so hard, and they have that chemistry,'' he said. "They're looking strong and playing to win every ballgame. That's important because playing in different situations like this will help them in playoffs. They know how to win."

The Rockets are taking a lesson from the New England Patriots, who ran off 18 straight wins but whiffed when it mattered the most. For Houston, the NBA Finals is not a make-or-break situation, but postseason success is a must with all that's happened up to now. And with East leader Boston coming in Tuesday, the time for celebrating another win has passed.

"It's still just the regular season,'' said McGrady. "This team is all about getting to the postseason. That's where teams are judged. It's all about what you do once you get to the playoffs."

McGrady is happy, but he's not going to flash those pearlies until he wins a playoff series, something Vince Carter's cousin hasn't done in his 10-plus seasons. That drought won't be much longer if this keeps up.

So try to figure out this streak if you want to give yourself a migraine. There are no explanations. It would be easier to negotiate an oil discount with the Middle East than it would be to put into words how these Rockets — minus their best player — are in the same breath with the 1972 Lakers, who ran off 33 straight wins.

Remember, those Lakers did it with Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain. That's Mr. Clutch and Wilt the Stilt, a far cry from Skip to My Lou and T-Mac.

That's what makes this thing so incredible. Wins. Pretty ones. Ugly ones like the last three, where Houston has made less than 39 percent of its field goals. But those numbers don't seem to matter because this thing is bigger than numbers.

cgolden@statesman.com; 912-5944