Cue Dan Patrick's line... now

You can't stop Luis Landry - you can only hope to contain them. Memphis did no such thing.

Good God, Memphis sucks.

I want to have some idea of how good our team is without Yao, but games against Memphis and Washington just do not help me make that evaluation when our opponents make D-League teams think they have a chance to win.

Short notes from this game:

Rafer Alston started out amazing, then returned to the Rafer we know. Turnovers, more turnovers and a bunch of missed 3s. Yeah, I expect a LOT more of that against better teams.

Luis Landry - 11/13 FG, 30 points, 8 rebounds (rebounds not needed tonight), *6* steals, and 8-9 FTs. I love the free throw and steals stats. That's just me though...

Luther Head is trying really, really hard to get the negative attention we give to Rafer. Bad passes, bad shots, an inability to make post passes OR layups, and some ridiculously awful defense on Lowry and Crittenton... I'm thisclose to starting a "Luther Head sucks, too" tag for game reviews. He was that bad tonight. Fortunately we have 10 guys on our team who do not suck, so we could cover for him.

Our new guy, Bobby Jones - he may be one hell of a golfer and he can also shoot the basketball with ease. Problem is, he doesn't seem to do anything else. Not much defense, not much handle of the basketball, no discernable passing ability. He's only on a 10 day contract, but I had higher expectations...

then again, I've been drinking since 7pm. You be the judge.

Rockets 116, Grizzlies 95. That's 14. Hate to say I told you so, but ... alright!!!

We are here to stay - that means PLAYOFFS!

Hey, Stephen A. Smith... up yours, buddy!

On SportsCenter last night, they put SAS on camera. For some unknown reason. Anyway, they asked him about the Rockets and the Yao situation. Considering how tough the West is, whether or not the Rockets can survive is a legitimate question today. That I understand. SAS's answer, however... I do not understand (and I am only slightly paraphrasing here):

MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THE ROCKETS CAN STILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS WITHOUT YAO MING. I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN WIN IS TO GIVE THE BALL TO TRACY McGRADY AND THEN GET OUT OF HIS WAY AND SHUT-UP!

(He then proceeds to give like 3-4 other reasons for how we can win, but hey, who's counting?)

I fail to see how Mr. Cheezy Doodles has any expertise on the Houston Rockets. I'm pretty comfortable saying I have a better feel for the team than he does.

Yes, we still have Tracy McGrady. NO - T-Mac should not be shooting 27 times a game for us to win. The Rockets have played soooooo much better when T-Mac is a distributor and seeks to get his teammates involved. If he wants to actually try a layup or two each night, I would not oppose.

Also, we still have a really good team. T-Mac is the cowardly lion in the 4th Q, but "Luis Landry" is not. Shane Battier is a tough character, too. Rafer sucks, but he's at least not afraid to shoot the ball. Bobby Jackson is a playoff tested veteran. Chuck Hayes didn't get his Chinese shoe contract by sucking. This team can (and will) win basketball games against tough competition.

Granted, the Wi--rds are not a good barometer for our ability. They are from the East, and teams from the East suck. I think this season has made that rather clear.

The Rockets are going to make the playoffs. We are going to win at least 50 games. Including the next one, which will give us a perfect February.

After some time to reflect

I've now had about 3 hours to digest the Yao Ming news.

A few things I have concluded:

1. The Rockets are going to make the playoffs. Even without Yao.
2. "Luis Landry" is going to step up huge for us.
3. When Yao returns in October 2008, he's going to be very, very angry. This is bad news for the rest of the NBA.

While I am still heartbroken and pissed off and confused and dealing with an entire range of emotions commonly associated with grief and mourning - do not doubt for a second the talent still on this team. The Rockets will compete every night (okay, maybe not Rafer). The Rockets will make the playoffs. And, just for good measure, the Rockets will win tonight.

They still will win 16 in a row. On pure adrenaline if necessary. Scola has an abundance of it.

upcoming schedule:

Washington (sans Agent Zero and Tuff Juice?). Winnable.
Memphis (sans NBA talent at all positions?). Winnable.
Denver (sans team players?). Somewhat winnable - but tougher without Yao.
Indiana (sans Jermaine?). Definitely still winnable.

Each of our next four games are at home. We can do this. As Hollinger stated in his chat today, if the Rockets finish 12-14, they still finish the season with 48 wins. That should be enough to at least limp into the playoffs and avoid the lottery. This will be done.

Yao will be missed. But we will win for him. Go Rockets!