14 Straight Wins for the Rockets

The Houston Rockets made quick work of the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night in front of the 16th sellout of the 2007 - 2008 season. The Rockets scored the first 14 points of the game and never looked back and defeated the Griz 116 to 95. Houston picked up win number 38 on the season and the 14th straight. The franchise record for consecutive victories is 15.

Tonight's win also caps of an undefeated February for the Rockets.

"It was terrific," said head coach Rick Adelman on the 13-0 February. "I mean, that's a hard thing to do. It's always interesting because early in the year we were playing all those good teams; and, we were .500, back and forth; and, you weren't doing the job. And now, you sweep the month; and people bring up the fact that you only played for or five good teams. I don't know; that's what you're supposed to do -- win. I think it's a terrific accomplishment -- especially when you have the All-Star Break in the middle of it.

The Rockets (38 - 20) led 27 to 5 just seven minutes into the ball game and 37 to 17 at the end of the first period.

Memphis (14 - 44) showed some life in the second quarter; but, still trailed 60 to 41 at the half.

Dikembe Mutombo and Shane Battier each blocked four shots as the Rockets' defense limited the Grizzlies to just 38.5% (35 for 91) from the field for the ball game. In addition to his four blocked shots, Mutombo added 13 rebounds -- in just 17 minutes and 33 seconds. Deke has eight blocked shots over his two starts for Yao Ming.

All twelve Rockets played and all twelve scored. Tracy McGrady scored a game-high 25 points. Luis Scola, Carl Landry, and Luther Head each added 15 points. Newcomer Bobby Jones scored just two points; but, Jones' two points were a fast-break dunk from a bounce pass by rookie Aaron Brooks.

Overall tonight, the Rockets matched a season high in points; set a high with 44 defensive rebounds and 13 blocked shots. The Rockets also tied a season high with 12 steals.

"It was a good win," Adelman added. "We started off great. We came out with a lot of energy. Overall, 48 minutes, it was a win we needed to get. Now, we move onto the team (the Denver Nuggets) that's right there next to us in the playoff race. Very happy with the win."

Rockets Crush Wizards by 25

With the news star center Yao Ming would miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his left, the Rockets players did not feel sorry themselves. The Rockets simply made the Washington Wizards look sorry.

Different media outlets will give sole credit to the Houston Rockets defense for tonight's 94 to 69 win over the Washington Wizards.

Not me.

The Wizards' (lack of) effort and performance in the first half tonight was laughable. Washington scored 12 points in the first quarter and followed that with a big bad 11 points in the second quarter.

Add it up: 12 plus 11. Twenty-three points in 24 first half minutes. Pathetic.

"We were drained but you have to give credit to Houston," said Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan. "After the announcement with Yao, they came ready to play. They were popping and played very well."

Washington's 23 first-half points are a franchise low. The Wizards made only 10 of 47 (21.3%) from the field. The 23 points set the lowest scored by an in opponent in Rockets' history, too.

Tonight's win is the 13th straight for the Rockets.

The Rockets led the Wizards 48 to 23 at halftime.

Luis Scola set the tone on offense for the Rockets with 10 first-quarter points on perfect 5-for-5 shooting. Shane Battier (two blocked shots) and Dikembe Mutombo (three blocked shots) set the tone on defense.

The Wizards showed a pulse and some pride in the third quarter and outscored the Rockets 26 to 17 in the third period to trim the Rockets' lead to 68 to 49; however, the Rockets restored order and led by 24 points four times in the fourth quarter before leading 82 to 56 with 5:23 left in the ball game.

Luther Head led the Rockets with 18 points. Scola finished the game with 14 points (7 for 7). Rafer Alston scored 13. Carl Landry scored 12 and Tracy McGrady added 11 points.

"If we play this hard like we did tonight and if we continue to play defense and believe, then we really control it ourselves," said Tracy McGrady. "Everybody is really counting us out which is cool but we just have to keep believing."

Yao out for Remainder of NBA Season

From the Rockets:

Rockets All-Star center Yao Ming has been lost for the remainder of the 2007-08 NBA season due to a stress fracture in his left foot. Yao underwent a series of MRI and CT scans yesterday afternoon after noting persistent swelling and pain in his ankle. The tests, which were administered at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, confirmed a stress fracture in the tarsal navicular bone in his left foot. A medical course of action has not yet been determined. While no timeline has been set for his return, Yao will miss the remainder of the 2007-08 NBA season.

“This is obviously a very disappointing day for our organization and our fans,” said Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey. “The team has been playing at an exceptional level and Yao has been a major factor in that success. While this is a setback, we have a great group of hard working players that will step up to the challenge and continue our exciting playoff push.”

“Yao had been experiencing an increasing amount of soreness in his left ankle over the past few days,” said Clanton, who will be overseeing Yao’s ongoing care at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. “We ran a series of tests in the area and found a stress fracture in the tarsal navicular bone.”

Rockets 110, Bulls 97

The Houston Rockets continued rolling right along Sunday night with a 110 - 97 win over the Chicago Bulls which makes straight victories for the red-hot Rockets.

Seven Rockets (and seven Bulls) scored in double figures tonight. Tracy McGrady led all scorers with 24 points. Luis Scola chipped in with 17 points. Yao Ming scored just 12 points; but, newest Rocket Bobby Jackson scored 14 points (5 for 8 from the field) in his debut.

The final stats were fairly similar for both teams: each team made 40 field goals; dished out 28 assists; and swiped eight steals. The Bulls outrebounded the Rockets by one (39 - 38) and committed one less turnover (16 to 15).

However, the big difference was the Rockets drained 13 three-point shots compared to just four made threes by the Bulls..

Houston shot 13 for 24 from behind the arc including 9 for 15 in the second half. The 13 made 3-pointers and the 54.2% owere both season highs .

The Rockets led the Bulls 20 to 18 at the end of the first quarter and 49 to 46 at halftime. The first half was free flowing for both teams as the Rockets (50%, 19 for 38) and the Bulls (52.6%, 20 for 38) shot above 50 percent from the field.

The Rockets tightened up their defense in the third period and started pulling away from Chicago. Houston limited the Bulls to 34.5% (10 for 29) in the third quarter.

"Terrific second half for us," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "Chicago really came in and played hard. They came after us. They were very aggressive at both ends of the court. I didn't think we defended as well as we have been in the first half. A lot of it was due to them; but, then in the second half, we took it up a notch; responded; and took control of the game."

Houston led by as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Bobby Jackson and Shane Battier each sank two three-pointers in the final period.

Tracy McGrady added, "Right now, we're playing with a great deal of confidence. We just have it rolling defensively; and, offensively tonight knocking down 13 threes. We're playing way above our heads right now."

Let's Talk Trades

Today was the deadline for NBA teams to make trades. Many people thought the day would come and go quietly.

Wrong!

First, the biggest deal of the day:

In an 11-player deal, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Chicago center Ben Wallace, Chicago forward Joe Smith , Seattle forward Wally Szczerbiak, Seattle point guard Delonte West and a 2009 second-round pick from the Bulls.

The Bulls, looking to shake up their roster after a very disappointing first half of the season, received Cavaliers forwards Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons and Cavaliers guards Larry Hughes and Shannon Brown.

The Sonics, focusing on acquiring expiring contracts, obtained Cleveland forwards Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall along with Chicago forward Adrian Griffin.


HRR take: Charles Barkley is nuts on this deal! On TNT tonight, Charles called this a "great trade" for the Cavaliers. Huh?

The most productive (and consistent) player the Cavs picked up today is Joe Smith. Think about that for minute...

Joe Smith.

Not Ben Wallace. Not Wally Szczerbiak. Not Delonte West.

Barkley described West as the true point guard the Cavs have needed for two seasons. Uh, no. West is solid; decent; not great. He's a streaky shooter; and a good defender. He's not great at running an offense which means LeBron will still carry the load and create shots for his teammates.

Szczerbiak is a very good spot up shooter. "Wally World" will love being LeBron's teammate because Wally will get open shots all game long. However, Wally and defense are like oil and water -- they don't mix.

Ben Wallace hasn't been a factor (in a good way) for his team since he left the Pistons. Ask the Bulls. When Anderson Varejao gets healthy, Wallace won't take long to complain about his role in Cleveland.

Joe Smith doesn't have three-point range like Donyell Marshall; but, Smith has played well on both ends of the floor this season.

The Bulls rid themselves on Wallace's huge contract; his moodiness; and most importantly, his diminishing skills. Drew Gooden is an enigma. He produces decent numbers year in and year out; but, for some reason he cannot stay with one NBA team for very long.

Larry Hughes cannot stay healthy. Period. He's a streaky scorer and defender. Hughes' arrival means Ben Gordon's days in a Bull's uniform are ending.

Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown are decent players. Both were very good college players; but, this is the NBA, fellas.

Seattle joined this deal in order to free up salary cap space for this summer. The Sonics are building for their future -- in Oklahoma City (or elsewhere).


Next:
The Houston Rockets acquired swingman Gerald Green from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kirk Snyder, a 2010 second-round pick and cash considerations.

HRR take: Snyder asked to be dealt; and, he got his wish. Way to go, Kirk. You've gone from a team on the verge of the playoffs to a team that is in phase one of a rebuilding project. Be sure you enjoy those minutes.

Gerald Green is an incredible athlete! However, Green has yet to show he's a 'good' basketball player. Green barely played for a rebuilding Timberwolves' team. His work ethic has been questioned; so, now that Green returns to his hometown, Green must prove he's ready and willing to become a basketball player instead of a guy who can blowout a cupcake and dunk a ball.

The Rockets also acquired guard Bobby Jackson, rookie guard Adam Haluska, forward Marcus Vinicius and a 2008 second round pick. The New Orleans Hornets picked up guard / forward Bonzi Wells, guard Mike James and cash considerations from Houston. As part of the three-team deal, Memphis will receive Vinicius, the rights to Malick Badiane and cash considerations in exchange for the rights to Sergei Lishouk.

HRR take: On the surface, this a good deal for the Hornets. A happy and focused Bonzi Wells should help the Hornets' bench. Mike James barely got off the bench in Houston this season; so, despite his veteran status and playoff experience, James is not guaranteed he will beat out Jannero Pargo for back up minutes to Chris Paul.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets made this deal to avoid the luxury tax and to allow them flexibility this summer and next season. Okay. However, who's going to defend the big guards the Rockets will face in the playoffs? Who's going to score in the low post against lightweight wing players and who's going to get rebounds when Yao Ming; Luis Scola; and Carl Landry can't get to the ball?

Bobby Jackson could be a nice guard off the bench for the Rockets -- on offense. Jackson's defense is similar to Wally Szczerbiak's.



The Detroit Pistons acquired guard Juan Dixon from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for center Primoz Brezec.

HRR take: The Pistons acquired Dixon to help stabilize their young bench. Dixon is a scoring guard; but, he can ease the burden on Pistons' rookie Rodney Stuckey and help run the offense for a few minutes per game. Brezec, 7'0, was acquired from Charlotte in December. He's a solid big man; but, with young Piston's big man Amir Johnson, 20, playing better and better off the bench. Primoz's minutes were non-existent.


Lastly,
The Denver Nuggets traded guard Von Wafer to Portland for former Florida Gators guard Taurean Green.

HRR take: Instead of trading for Ron Artest, the Nuggets pick up rookie Taurean Green. Yawn.

Novak's 3 Rescues Rockets

The Houston Rockets are living right. Not many teams can blow an 18-point lead (after three quarters) and win on a three-point jump shot.

Rockets forward Steve Novak took a pass from Tracy McGrady and drained a three-point shot to give the Rockets an 89 to 87 lead over the Sacramento Kings with 2.7 seconds left. Kings' center Brad Miller missed a desperation 3-point shot as the game clock expired.

Novak said, "I was just glad to be out there in the end; and, Tracy put it in my hands at the right time; and, I knew I got it, I was going to put it up. My man helped off and Tracy found me. It feels good."

Tonight's win improves the Rockets' record to 32 and 20 and is eight straight wins for the club.

Yao Ming led the Rockets with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Rafer Alston scored a season-high 23 points. Alston added seven assists.

Ron Artest scored a game-high 30 points for the Kings. Artest scored 15 points in the fourth quarter (6 for 6 from the field) as the Kings outscored the Rockets 26 to 10 in the period.

The Rockets offense went completely south in the fourth quarter. Four turnovers; 3 for 15 shooting (including Novak's game-winning three).

Artest put the Kings ahead 87 to 86 with a turnaround jumper that rolled in with 24.1 seconds left in the game.

After a Rockets' time-out, McGrady took his time against tough defense from Artest; dribbled into the paint; dished to Novak; and, Novak let fly a shot that banged into the net.

Artest said, "I held him (McGrady) scoreless (in the fourth quarter); but, he still made a big play at the end. He got a big assist at the end of the game and that really hurt."

The Rockets are 17-3 over their last 20 games. Houston has not allowed an opponent to score 90 points in any of its last six games.

Rick Adelman added, "Not a lot happened in the fourth quarter for the last shot. We just got so stagnant and missed so many shots. I really thought it started at the end of the second quarter, we did the same thing. In the last five minutes, we couldn't get anything to go down. We had a decent third quarter and then they just came back. We talked about it -- any team in this league could get it going and they have some good offensive players. Artest really got rolling, making every shot. Fortunately, Tracy found Steve at the end. Big shot by Steve. Steve hadn't played much the whole game and hits the game winner. Good way to finish though, to take the win and go to the All-Star break and get ready for the second half."

Rockets Roll By Blazers

Monday night, the Houston Rockets shifted into a higher gear and defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 95 to 83. Houston led by as many as 18 points in the game.

Yao Ming led all scorers with 25 points. For the first time this season, all five Rockets' starters scored in double-figures.

Rafer Alston scored 17 points; dished out seven assists; and pulled down five rebounds.

Tracy McGrady added 12 points; six assists; and four rebounds.

Shane Battier and Luis Scola each scored 11 points.

Battier did a solid job defending Portland's Brandon Roy throughout the game. Roy finisihed the game with 15 points; but, he made just five of his 13 field goal attempts.

"He just keeps working," said Rick Adelman of Battier. "It's gotta be a combination of things, obviously. This (Portland) team plays about as many pick and rolls as anybody in the league and he (Shane) is really good at it. He (Brandon Roy) is really good at the pick and roll but I think Shane just keeps making it work. He really follows the defensive plan and I think that is probably the key. He knows this is where I want him and where I want to send him and he should have help when he does that."

Portland was led by LaMarcus Aldridrige's 22 points. Aldridge attempted 26 shots and made just 10.

The Blazers led the Rockets 24 to 18 after the first quarter; and, Portland led for much of the second period before the Rockets used a 7 to 2 run to lead 44 to 43 at halftime.

Rafer Alston scored 13 points in the third quarter to help the Rockets outscore the Blazers 25 to 19 in the period.

“Well, we came out with a little more energy than we did to start the game," Alston said. "It helped us get up and down the floor and move the ball. We had so much energy to help us put forth the effort in the third quarter.”

The Rockets' defense keyed a 15 to 6 run in the fourth quarter to increase the lead to 18 (86 to 68) with 4:45 remaining in the game.

"We picked it up in the second half defensively," said Tracy McGrady. "We were kind of going through the motions in the first half. They were getting every shot they wanted and we came out with a different focus and a different intensity in the second half. We kind of got after them a little bit."

"Battier is a very good defender and he made Brandon work hard all game," said Blazers head coach Nate McMillan. "He does a very good job defensively. Shane's energy is used to take out one of the top scorers each game. He has the freedom to really gamble with Yao back inside, and he made some big defensive plays against us."

Brandon Roy added, "He does a very good job of staying close to me all game. He's a hard worker and a very tough guy. He's one of the best defenders in the NBA."

The win is the seventh straight for the Rockets which stands as the team's longest winning streak since the 2004-05 Rockets captured their final seven games of that season (4/7/05-4/20/05). The Rockets have won 11 of their last 12 games.

Not Bad for Not Good

When the Rockets were 24 and 20, I heard a colleague describe the Houston Rockets as "not good".

Six straight wins later, the Rockets are 30-20; and, I must say Saturday's 108 to 89 Rockets' win over the Atlanta Hawks looked darn good for a team not good.

After seeing three games earlier Saturday, I told myself 'I hope the Rockets game isn't a blow out.' The Rockets had other plans.

Yao Ming dominated the shorter Hawks. Yao finished the game with 28 points and nine rebounds. Five Rockets scored in double-figures for Houston.

The Rockets never trailed the Hawks in the game. Houston jumped on the Hawks early in the first quarter; then, the Rockets limited the Hawks to just 10 points in the second quarter.

"That was a great job on our part," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "They were ready to play. Doing what we wanted to do defensively, trying to make (them) a jump-shooting team, they're very athletic, get to the basket, and we really passed the ball well. We had 30+ assists and those things lead to a lot of good opportunities, but the 1st half we really played well on both ends of the court."

Houston dished out 32 assists on the 44 made field goals.

The Rockets led the Hawks 56 to 31 at halftime.

The Hawks showed some signs of life during the third period and pulled within 20 points; but, the Rockets responded and increased the lead once again.

The Hawks scored 34 points in the fourth quarter; but, the game was extended garbage time the entire quarter.

"We put ourselves in a great position to keep on moving up (the playoff standings)," said Tracy McGrady. "We know this is a team that played last night. We are playing extremely well and we didn't want to take them lightly. We came out focused and ready to play. It's all about business and taking care of home court right now. We've been playing extremely well on the road and now we have to do that at home and I think the last 2 games, I think we've shown that we are capable."

Six straight wins and counting. Ten games above .500. Not bad for a team that's not good.

T-Mac Misses Shootaround

UPDATE: 6:32 pm, Feb. 7, 2008.
Tracy McGrady is going to play versus the Cavaliers.

Keith Jones, VP of Basketball Operations and Athletic Trainer, told the media at about 5:45 this evening:
"Number 1 is on his way here. He's going to sit with us. He's not going to sit in the stands and drink beer. He's going to sit with us."

"He's been released from the hospital and he's on his way over. He's not 100%; but, he's going to give it a go. He had a long day at the hospital with the IVs and the shots and all that. But, he said from the time he got there (the hospital) this morning, he told Dr. Muntz he was playing. Hopefully, he'll come here and feel all right. He'll put on his uniform and do something."



While I was attending the Cleveland Cavaliers' shootaround and talking with Daniel Gibson (Houston Jones HS and University of Texas) and Damon Jones (Galveston Ball HS and University of Houston), I heard from one of the media who attended the Rockets' shootaround, Rockets' forward Tracy McGrady missed the shootaround shession because of a "severe upper respiratory" infection.

Apparently, T-Mac is now at the hospital getting checked out.

Currently, it's uncertain whether or not T-Mac will play in tonight's game versus the Cavs.

Shaq in Phoenix

The trade sending Shaquille O'Neal to the Phoenix Suns has been a done for a few hours; but, I haven't given my take on the trade -- in print, that is, yet. (I gave a quick take on Sports Rap (www.kcohradio.com); but, it's time for a few more details.

The Suns are taking a huge risk simply because Shaq hasn't been healthy for the last few seasons. If The Diesel is healthy enough to play 20 to 25 minutes the rest of this season and the two remaining years on his contract, the risk the Suns are taking would be worth it.

I'm not one of the critics who complain the Suns cannot run their fastbreak with Shaq.

Tell me this: how many teams run a five-player fast break? Very, very few -- if any teams at all.

You need one guy to rebound and make the outlet pass; one guy to push the ball up the floor; and, at least, one guy to finish. That's three players! Of course, a four-player fast break is possible, too; however, I don't recall seeing any "5 on 1 fastbreaks".

As Suns forward Boris Diaw said of the deal: "I think it will be OK. Usually, when we play fastbreak, it's not five guys down the court. It's always two or three. We're still going to play some fastbreak and now we've got more leverage for the halfcourt."

Shaq can rebound the ball; pass to Steve Nash; and watch his new teammates finish at the other end of the court.

Next, for all of their firepower, how many NBA titles have the Suns won since 2000? None.

That tells me the Suns needed to make change because Phoenix losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs year after year had gotten old.

Plus, Shaq's presence will allow Amare Stoudemire to play power forward -- his natural position.

Next, team chemistry was a problem. Shawn Marion wasn't thrilled with all of the trade talks involving him the past two seasons. Marion wanted a contract extension; but, the Suns weren't willing to discuss it. Stoudemire wasn't happy as well.

Diaw summed up the problems this way: "Even though we got a good record on the season, we still got some problems on the team so that's what we tried to rectify. I never thought I'd play with Shaq ever. I always heard he's a good teammate and a great guy."

As far as the Heat in this deal, the Heat has gained flexibility with this trade. Marcus Banks should be a solid replacement for Jason Williams who is not expected to re-sign with Miami this offseason.

Shawn Marion can opt of his contract this summer. However, Shawn needs to realize teams aren't going to pay him the $17 M he'd leave on the table if he decides to opt out. If Marion does indeed opt out of his contract, Miami will have a huge amount of salary cap space to make a push for some top notch free agents such as forward Elton Brand.

Miami should end up with a top 5 lottery pick in the 2008 Draft. Therefore, a top 5 pick; plus Elton Brand and Dwyane Wade is a very good way to return to the winning ways.

Overall, clearly, Phoenix is taking a big risk with this trade. Suns' GM Steve Kerr knows he's taking a huge risk. Shaq must be healthy; in shape; and motivated. However, if you're standing pat in the NBA, you're falling behind.

The 2008 Western Conference playoffs should be spectacular!

Historic Race?

Interesting note from today's NBA News media newsletter:

Six games. That's all that separates the top 10 teams in the Western Conference. If the playoffs started today, the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets, who own winning percentages of .587 and .574, respectively, would be prepping for the Lottery. This is the closest 10 teams ever have been this late in the season. Prior to this, the closest 10 teams had been this late was on Feb. 5, 2001, when seven games separated first-place Sacramento (31-12) and 10th-place Seattle (27-23) in the Western Conference. That year, two teams from the West with winning records -- the Houston Rockets (45-37) and the SuperSonics (44-38) -- failed to reach the postseason.

Griz trade Gasol to Lakers

In phase one of yet another rebuilding project for the Griz, the Memphis Grizzlies have reportedly traded center / forward Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers for center Kwame Brown, rookie guard Javaris Crittenton, guard Aaron McKie, the rights to Gasol's brother Marc, and two first-round draft picks (2008 and 2010).