Sixers Rout Rockets

I didn't watch much of Monday's butt-kicking the Rockets (11 - 11) received from the lowly Philadelphia 76ers because I was working late.

The final score, Philly 100, Rockets 88, does not tell the tale of just how thorough the beat down was; but, check out some of the comments from the Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen's article on the game:

For the second time in as many days, the Rockets lacked the fortitude to handle a tough stretch. And after a second-consecutive game, Yao Ming lamented what had become of the Rockets.
"When you are soft yourself, everything will feel tough," Yao said. "It's not because they are so tough. It's because of how soft we are."

It gets worse:

Until the fourth quarter, when Adelman benched his starters to play a group with ample reason to be hungry, the most emotion the Rockets demonstrated came with a brief shouting match between Shane Battier and Mike James.

Andre Miller had stripped James four minutes into the second half, sending Andre Iguodola on his way to a dunk-contest-worthy slam that inspired Battier to bark at James, presumably for standing in the backcourt watching. James shouted back at Battier. Battier later called it a "miscommunication. We got our wires crossed."

And finally, words from Tracy McGrady, sum up the current state of the Rockets:

"Just not playing hard, not playing smart, just, I don't know, man, we look discombobulated out there in all areas," McGrady said. "We really look like a team that doesn't have any identity, doesn't know how to play the game. It was really bad. If we continue to play that way, the results are going to continue to be the same as the last two games."

Wow! Those words sure seem like they've been spoken by someone playing on a team who has lost a lot more than just two games in a row.