Another undefeated February for Rockets?

After reviewing the 2008/09 schedule for the first time earlier this week, I wanted to punch the NBA schedule-makers. A straight-shot, right to their collective baby-maker(s). But then I noticed something... as bad as November and April might be, we could see the Rockets taking part in yet another epic month of February. It was kind to us last year... check out this year:

Chicago
@ Memphis
Minnesota
@ Milwaukee
Sacramento
New Jersey
Dallas
Charlotte
Portland
Cleveland
@ Chicago

8 home games. 3 road games. Only Dallas and Portland really concern me here. And Dallas is backsliding. Portland is scary, but a healthy Yao can handle a one-legged Great Oden's Raven. At worst the Rockets go 9-2 in February next year. It gets better... here's the three games immediately before February:

@ NY Knicks
Philadelphia
Golden State

Sure, Philly gave us the January Debacle last year. And Golden State is always a bad matchup. But these are home games. And no one is scared about the Knicks.

But, wait... there's more. Here are the three games to begin March:

@ Minnesota
Toronto
@ Utah

We are beating Minny and Toronto. And we really, really hate the Utah Jazz. Hopefully Crazy Pills Artest does, too. So let's just chalk that up as a "W" today. Utah is goin' down. Rockets just need to keep their head on a swivel, cause that's what you gotta do when you find yourself in a vicious cock fight.



I'm quite sure no one in Utah would be surprised if RonRon tried to stab someone with a trident. But it's okay... the Jazz have it comin'.

It's time to start a 17 game winning streak!

Lee will probably have tonight's game preview up this afternoon. Prediction? Rockets win in last game of the year and T-Mac and Scola get lots of time to share jokes with Cookie Monster on the bench in the 4th Quarter. It's the last regular season game of the year.

Oh, the memories we had...I bring this back up not only because it's a picture of two barely-legal Rockets fans (we don't need to resort to such things for attention, do we?), but instead - because the Rockets need to use tonight as the launching pad for ... wait for it ...

A 17 game winning streak!!!!!!

Yes, yes, I know... "you are delusional, dude!" "That's not going to happen!" "You looked like shit against Utah and San Antonio!"

But -- what if it happens? It would be legen....... dary!

I'm just sayin'... there's a chance. Maybe the last few weeks of uninspiring basketball has just been the prelude to a re-charged Rockets team (and fan support). Maybe they have just been playing possum with the rest of the NBA... i.e., no need to let Utah know how we intend to play them when it really matters. Damn I hate the Jazz.

All I know is the playoffs tend to bring out the best in everyone. T-Mac needs a playoff series victory. Battier apparently needs more games to prove he truly is DPOY. Scola needs a championship ring to put next to his Olympic Gold Medal. Rafer needs to keep playing so he doesn't go and assault anyone.

Tonight's opponent may only be the lowly Clippers. But the playoff run begins at 7:30pm tonight! Be ready!

note: Around 4:00pm CST today, I will be on the Steve Mason Show on ESPN radio (station 710 Los Angeles) to chat about the Rockets and the playoffs.

To hell with it - everyone is On Notice!

It wasn't enough that Ian Thomsen and SI.com started bashing the Rockets.

No, the Sports Guy had to pile on, too (though, with flawed analysis).

Even ESPN has their backhanded compliment of the week for the Rockets. Almost expecting T-Mac and Adelman to fail in the playoffs.

Now bloggers and commenters everywhere are starting to call the Houston Rockets "frauds" and similarly unkind words.

And, insult of all insults, even our buddies over at Hardwood Paroxysm are now suggesting that other teams in the Western Conference might resort to tanking just to position themselves to play the Houston Rockets in Round 1 of the playoffs.

Hey, Corn, right here buddy!

Yes, I know yesterday's game against the Spurs gives a LOT of fuel to the fire of any critic of the Houston Rockets. I'm quite sure that sometime yesterday afternoon, Stephen A. Smith was dancing around frenetically all giddy that one of his random statements might possibly, possibly be accurate. (It was not, but that's a discussion for another day.)

Let's backtrack for a second.

mid-January... Rockets languishing in 10th place. No hope of playoffs or anything. I say not to worry, we're making the playoffs. We'll be fine.

early-February... Rockets begin the Streak. Everyone dismisses it as an easy schedule. But I don't recall anyone else in the NBA winning 22 in a row.

mid-February... Yao is hurt. Out for Season. Every single NBA analyst that I can recall declared the Rockets' playoff chances dead. T-Mac and the gang ignored them and won another ten in a row.

March 18th... Rockets lose to Boston. Streak ends. Critics sharpen their pencils.

March 30th... Rockets lose to Spurs. Badly. Rockets now "frauds"... even though we've beaten New Orleans, Los Angeles (Lakers), Golden State, Dallas AND Denver -- all without the services of Yao. And in some instances without Carl Landry, too.

Rockets still are 49-24. Pretty freakin' good. And we should at least win seven out of our last nine games to finish at 56-26. Which is also pretty freakin' good.

San Antonio scares me in the playoffs. But they scare everyone.
Phoenix scares me because Rafer can't stay in front of Nash. And Shaq might confuse Landry and Scola with a hamburger and fries. Dangerous.

Beyond those two teams, I truly believe the Rockets have a good chance of seeing some playoff success. Bonus points if we get to beat up on Utah at home. Really.

Rockets and Celtics - a pro/con list!

The Boston Celtics come to town tonight. Lee tells me the game is on TNT at 8:30pm because it's a marquee game. So I have to wait an extra hour for my entertainment now? That's a bunch of crap! Anyway...

I've constructed a pro/con list to truly gauge tonight's matchup and the viability of a potential 23 game winning streak:
Pro: The Rockets are really good.
Con: The Celtics' record (53-13) suggests they might actually be better.

Pro: The Rockets are at home tonight.
Con: Boston is 24-8 on the road, including last night's victory over the Robert Horrys.

Pro: St. Patty's Day was yesterday... no distractions!
Con: St. Patty's Day is over. :-(

Pro: Ray Allen unlikely to play tonight!
Con: Yao is not walking through that door.......

Pro: But Carl Landry just might!
Con: Boston still has that KG guy.

Pro: The Rockets still have T-Mac.
Con: The Celtics also have Paul Pierce. And Sam I Am.

Pro: The Celtics played last night... it's a back-to-back for them!
Con: It's not like KG is prone to getting tired.

Pro: The Rockets are on a 22-freakin'-game winning streak!
Con: Yeah, there's no "con" for that - we're awesome.

Pro: Rafer Alston is coming off a career high 31 point effort on National TV!!!
Con: Rafer might actually think he's good now. Uh oh.

Pro: T-Mac is unlikely to have a 4-16 game again tonight.
Con: Rafer probably will...

Pro: The Rockets are the #1 team in the Western Conference.
Con: The Celtics are the #1 team in the Eastern Conference.

Pro: The Eastern Conference sucks.
Con: Boston is 21-4 against the West.

Pro: Shane Battier is the Defensive Player of the Year.
Con: Shane can't guard KG *and* Paul Pierce. Or can he?

Pro: We have Luis Landry.
Con: Ha ha! There is no "con" here! Suck on that, Boston!

Go Rockets... 23 in a row! What a cool number for a Streak.

The NBA: Where the Houston Rockets happen

I suck at YouTube... but fortunately I'm in the minority there.
Saw this today.
It is awesome.



Go Rockets!

Rockets vs. Lakers - a new kind of double/double!

The Rockets have won 22 games in a row. Yes, in a freakin' row. 22!!!

For all those who said the Rockets' Streak was just a fluke... that we didn't play any good teams... that we're really not that good of a team? Yeah, suck it - we just beat the Lakers. Who were the #1 team in the West until the Rockets decided today that it's our turn at the top.

So, yeah, that's 22 consecutive wins. The 2nd best Streak of all time.
And, in case anyone has forgotten - that is now TEN (10) consecutive wins since the Ming Dynasty abdicated his throne until next season.

It's like a double-double... 12 wins in a row with Yao. 10 wins in a row without Yao.

Before anyone says anything about it... yes, I saw Rafer score 31 points. And make eight (8?!?!) three-pointers. I am still in shock and in total disbelief. He'd have gone for 40 if he could make a layup!! (Hey - I can't completely be nice to Rafer - even after a career day on national TV!)

Okay, okay - Rafer killed the Lakers and gave a double-middle-finger to my season-long criticism. I admit it.

On the flip side... Rafer's career day effort was sorely needed. Tracy McGrady had a rough and I mean really rough day. Maybe not as rough as Kaz Matsui's backside... but rough nonetheless. 4-16? In a huge matchup against Kobe? 0-4 from the three-point line? 11 total points? Ouch, babe - very ouch.

But this is why the Rockets are a true team. And why this team kicks ass. When T-Mac has a bad day - it's not a problem. Rafer steps up. Or Scola steps up. Or Mike freakin' Harris steps up. Or Bobby Jackson? Bobby Jackson?!? Wow - awesome game from Bobby, by the way.

Of course, the real MVP of today was one Shane Battier. Considering he's a Duke grad and all - it should not be surprising given that today was Selection Sunday for the NCAA tournament. It's kind of a big deal at Duke I hear. As an SMU alum, I would not know. But back to Shane. The MVP of the NBA this year is Kobe Bryant. It is, just trust me. What does Kobe do with Shane guarding him? 11-for-33. Yes, that's not a typo. THIRTY-THREE shots. 33%. It's like Evil Rafer played for the Lakers today and wore #24. And in those 33 shots, Kobe only scored 24. That's a phenomenal defensive effort.

Shane Battier must have earned himself a spot on the NBA All Defensive First Team with today's effort (he already belonged, but today's performance should get him all the votes).

Kobe? pwn3d, bitch.

The Houston Rockets - #1 in the Western Conference. #1 in the Southwest Division. #1 in the hearts and minds of NBA fans and all of America. 22 and counting.

Next up? Rockets host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. We did a Q&A with the guys over at CelticsBlog. Their answers to our off-the-wall questions should be posted here sometime on Tuesday morning.

Also - for a gameday live-blog of today's Rockets/Lakers game - head on over to Hardwood Paroxysm. Matt did a bang-up job blogging Rafer's big day.

Blackjack! (The good, the bad and the ugly)

That's 21 in a row. TWENTY-ONE!

In a row!

It was another trap game we survived. Barely. It was rather clear that everyone was looking ahead to Sunday. Or scoreboard watching. Or calculating "what ifs" for the standings. And that's okay - it's natural. I'm quite happy with winning 21 freakin' games in a row.

The Rockets are now in FIRST PLACE in the Western Conference. And in first place in the impossibly difficult Southwest Division (must still hold off San Antonio, New Orleans AND Dallas. Yikes.)

Also - do not attempt to dunk on Dikembe. It's a bad, bad idea.

That's the good.

The bad? Uh... am I allowed to say anything bad about Rafer? [yes, yes I am.]

You took another 19 shots? Where at least six or seven of those were wayyyyy too early in the shot clock or purely forced. Things to remember, Rafer: (a) you have teammates. Pass them the ball; and (b) you make about 50% of your layups. T-Mac, Scola and well, most everyone else makes a higher percentage. Pass them the ball.

There is no excuse for ever going 2-10 from the three point line. Ever.

That leaves us with... the ugly. And there's no good way to say this, but, why the hell was Tracy McGrady playing all of the 48 minutes?!?!? We shouldn't need him to play the full 48 just to beat Charlotte.

We need him for the next five games. Which, oh, by the way - FU NBA schedule maker! We have to play the Lakers on Sunday and then Boston, New Orleans, Phoenix AND Golden State... all in 7 days. Now T-Mac is going to be dragging ass because of pure exhaustion. This scares me. The only consolation at the moment? Well, for one - we have a 21 game winning streak. And the Lakers, Celtics, Hornets, Suns and Warriors DO NOT. Ha ha. But also - Pau Gasol, Chris Paul AND Ray Allen all got banged up last night. I'll take that.

I just need a healthy and rested T-Mac.

Who has won NINE in a row without Yao.




Go Rockets - make it 22 on Sunday!

Word of the day: "hyperbole"

I've been inundated with e-mails the last day or so claiming that I'm being overly harsh to Rafer Alston. Which surprises me because I actually said something nice about him on Wednesday. All kidding aside, yes, I know I'm harsh on him. Yet it's nothing new. The tone of this blog has always been to critique and criticize if/when appropriate - and often when it isn't. Rafer has always been our whipping boy. Ever since post #1.

Every single time we've tried to be nice to Rafer or give him credit for not being mediocre - he goes and shoots 3-18. Or has 7 turnovers. Or participates in the Philly Debacle. So I can't trust the guy. Consequently, I make over-the-top posts comparing him to Towelie, or Warren Harding, or I say that he would be beat by a chick-with-a-dick (which, by the way, got me directly linked by NBA.com).


The word we are looking for is "hyperbole".

hy·per·bo·le /haɪˈpɜrbəli/ [hahy-pur-buh-lee]

–noun
1. obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”

Has Rafer played better lately? Yes.
Has Rafer improved on his November/December performances? Very much yes.
Is Rafer the starting point guard for a team on a 20 freakin' game winning streak?!?! Oh, hell yes!!!

Is Rafer an All-Star? No.
Is Rafer a career 40% shooter? No.
Is Rafer going to ever catch a break from the writers of this blog? Probably not.

Do I have to be nice to Rafer? Uh, no. Sorry. Not going to happen. Not even if we win 37. In a row. Which would be a record or something.

Getting back on topic - Go Rockets!

I have an urgent and horrifying news story.

I need everyone to stop what they are doing... and listen.

It's a ROCKETS CANNONBALL!!!!!

No - really, I have big news. The Rockets are going for TWENTY (20) wins in a row. Tonight. Yes, tonight. The good guys have traveled out to Atlanta to take on the Atlanta Hawks. An under .500 Eastern Conference team. Which means if we somehow were to lose, I am going to cry. All night.

Flashback: In the fall of 1993, the Houston Rockets started the season 15-0. Yes, the 1993 Houston Rockets kicked a ton of ass, but that's another story for another time. Anyway, the 16th game on the schedule saw Hakeem, Otis, Horry and Sam I Am have to travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks. Granted, those Hawks had Dominique Wilkins, but we still should have won.

Instead, the Rockets had plane trouble and didn't get into Atlanta until late from New York (yes, they had to play a back-to-back after facing the Knicks. Such b.s.). They were so late that Veronica Corningstone almost had to play in Hakeem's place. Hakeem should have punched someone right in the ovaries for that insult, but it was too late and the damage was done.

What was the result? An ugly, ugly, ugly 133-111 loss. It was horrible.

[edit: Lee is mad and says I stole his story idea relating to the '93 Hawks game. This is semi-true.]

Let's hope the gang learns from that history lesson and takes care of business tonight.

No Yao (and no Hakeem)... but there shouldn't be any problems. Unless Carl Landry can't play. We need him back!!

Go Rockets!

Hey, that's *my* joke!!

She stole my line!! Sort of...

Besides, the real "legal" age is 17 here. Yes, 17. 18 is voting age, as we've covered here earlier.

Rockets to make it 19 in a row tonight against New Jersey. 7:30pm CST!

The streak is maturing before our eyes!

18!!!

The streak is now of voting age!

(Uncle Sam wants you... to get on the bandwagon)

CP3 tried everything he could do. And I mean the 37 points and 11 assists kind of everything, but the Rockets continue to win. And win by double-figures. Again.

T-Mac had 41. First player to score 40+ in the Toyota Center since Carlos Boozer in the playoffs last year. I guess T-Mac doesn't hate the home rims so much anymore.

Rafer continues to figuratively give me the middle finger every time he takes the court now. A very, very impressive 20 points, just enough to cancel out the only All Star on the court last night. Rafer was apparently trash talking Chris Paul the whole game, too. Ballsy. For example:

"I don't like them. They don't like me," Alston said. "They keep telling me to stop talking. I'm great at talking trash."

Paul, considered an MVP candidate, was pretty good at it, too. "I wish I could be half as good as him one of these days in the NBA," Paul said, "since he thinks he's so great."

For a while I thought it was the Duke/Carolina game I was watching - with all the long-distance shooting and complete lack of free throws. Rafer, Novak, T-Mac, Battier, Luther Head... everyone was making threes. It was crazy. And I loved every minute of it.

Bring on New Jersey... as the streak marches onward to 21 (and it better hit 21 - our next three games are against sub-.500 Eastern teams).

Rockets/Mavs - "17" is legal in Texas!

To get the proper perspective on what is now a SEVENTEEN game winning streak - we go straight to the voice of authority. Chef.

Hey, Chef, what's the right size for a winning streak?

17.

But what if our best player gets injured and is out for the season after only the 12th win?

17.

But what if everyone says that we can't win without Yao and we're only winning because our schedule is soft?

17.

Okay! Thanks, Chef!

The Rockets absolutely destroyed the supposed streak-breaking Dallas Mavericks last night. No, they didn't have Dirk, but we'd have won even if he played. We didn't have Yao - and you don't hear us bitching about it. We've won five straight after having our season declared dead by such NBA luminaries as Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, Jalen Rose and most of the blogosphere.

Our daily Luis Landry update? 29 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and a handful of soul-crushing dunks by that Landry guy.

And holy hell - the Mavericks made Rafer look like CP3. Shooting, passing, dancing around... Dallas could not stop Rafer Alston. Rafer had a SEASON-HIGH 24 points to go with his 4 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. The best part? During the game Marv Albert was openly fellating Rafer. 2 seconds after tip-off, Marv said that Rafer was having an "excellent season" (Marv must have been busy doing something else in November/December). Then, after halftime, Marv said Rafer is "having a career year" (no, he's not, but he was an absolute badass last night).

Then again, Reggie Miller said that Carl Landry's "weakness" is rebounding. Yeah, apparently Landry is a poor rebounder. Do the TNT guys watch any game film at all? Landry's weaknesses are free throw shooting and an inability to hide his God-like tendencies among normal human folk. That's it. The dude rebounds. He just doesn't have to when we shoot 54% and the other half of Luis Landry gets the available rebounds. Teamwork rules.

Speaking of ruling... I rule!!

I predicted a win against Dallas. I backed it up by taking a bet. And now that bet is paying off. Sometime later today, the unfortunate victims at The Big and The Brown will be posting my recap of last night's game. And, oh yes, I went back to the Toni Braxton story. Picking on Jason Kidd is fun and necessary all at the same time.

Don't mess with the Rockets, Texas (or me). Just stay out of my way. Or you'll pay. Listen to what I say.

17 wins in a row. Rockets are 41-20. Playoff bound.
Dallas? Not so much.

We should seriously open up a Psychic Hotline

The only thing better than being able to enjoy the Rockets' 16 game winning streak?

predicting it.

here. here. here. here. here. here.
And, just for good measure... here (where it all began).
Who needs a magic 8 ball? We're here to tell ya that the streak is 17 after tonight.

edit: And the bet is on. After we win our 17th in a row tonight, look for me playfully taunting some Dallas Mavericks fans over at the Big and the Brown.

And the beat goes on!

"You're sixteen... you're beautiful... and you're mine!"

Who would have thought that Ringo freakin' Starr would be the person to best sum up the Rockets' winning streak -- which is now SIXTEEN (16)!!!

Rockets beat Pacers. Win by 18 points and the Pacers were never really in the game once the first quarter ended. That's seven in a row where we've beaten down the opposition by double figures. That's some imposing stuff there! Almost as if Yao's presence never really left.

Chuck Hayes - of all people - chipped in with 9 points and 11 rebounds. If you ever wondered why Luis Scola is now starting, Chuck's 9 points is a SEASON HIGH. Yes, it's true, look it up.

Meanwhile, Luis Landry had another 26 points and 14 rebounds. It's becoming routine.

The Sports Guy even took time out of his Celtics/Patriots/Red Sox schedule to notice that Carl Landry is seriously kicking ass all over the NBA. Which is awesome and yet... we're the ones who started the bandwagon. Simmons can't just take over. And all this time I thought Simmons was too busy fluffing Tom Brady, KG and David Ortiz to ever pay attention to the Rockets. I guess no one is able to ignore 16 game winning streaks.

I just like saying that - 16 game winning streak.

It's 17 as of tonight if we can take care of business.

No Yao... but No Nowitzki, too!

The true first threat to end the Rockets' winning streak is/was Dallas. Who we play tomorrow night on the wrong end of a back-to-back. (If Indy wins tonight, more power to them, but I'm not ready to write the necessary rant and rave if the Rockets F this up tonight).

Dallas was an even bigger threat until about an hour ago. When we learned that the Diggler had been naughty and won't be able to come out and play.

Dirk suspended for 1 game.

And since Yao is out for, oh, another 20 games... no sympathy here, Dallas. Next time try not flagrantly fouling. Only Robert Horry gets away with that in this blog. And only sometimes.

In the meantime, Dirk, I suggest you try to enjoy your time off. Maybe have a cool, island drink or two. Spend some time with a quality lady friend. And, definitely, take pictures.

Just don't watch the game, because you might not like what you see.

It's a bird... it's a plane... it's...

Superman???

No! It's Luis Landry! Here to save the day for the Rockets -- again.

That's 15 in a row, bitches! We kinda called it. And yet no one believed us. Maybe now you will listen?? Hey - the Rockets are going to make the playoffs. We are. In fact, we'd have an awesome re-match with Utah if the playoffs started today. And we'd have home court freakin' advantage, too. Just like last year.

But unlike last year, the Utah Jazz will actually have to defend our power forwards. Who can actually catch, shoot and just enjoy being awesome. Sorry, Chuck Hayes, I like you, but awesome you are not. Okay, maybe a little awesome, but not Luis Landry awesome.

No Yao? No problem. Luis Landry only tore up the Nuggets for 30 points (on 14-26 FG) and 19 rebounds. I think they even made Iverson piss himself in fear. The Answer went an awesome 7-22 from the field, doing his best Kevin Durant impersonation. Looks like you do need practice, there, Allen.

Rockets... 39-20, 5th in West (though would have HCA against Utah, currently 4th because of the stupid rule that division winners get seeded higher).

Teams that may NOT make the playoffs:

Denver
Phoenix

Yes, I'm calling it now. The Shaq trade has backfired so much that the Phoenix Suns are going to be in danger of completely missing the playoffs. It's not Houston that has a playoff problem, it's the Fat Ass and his band of merry men.

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!!!

I have urgent and horrifying news!

... I will be attending tonight's Rockets game!

Oh, yeah, once again in the good seats! So if you see a tall skinny guy near center court proudly wearing a replica Luis Scola #4 jersey - that's me.

Go Rockets! We're winning 14 in a row!!!

We are winning 14 in a row! Book it!

After tomorrow, the Rockets will have the longest winning streak in the NBA all season. 14.

Portland won 13 in a row earlier.
Detroit has a couple streaks beyond 10 games.

But the Rockets will have the longest. And most distinguished.

Am I overlooking Memphis? Uh, yeah. If we can't beat Memphis - our whole "we are making the playoffs!" push will seem rather pointless. Sure, Memphis stole one from the Rockets earlier this season. But that was when they had Pau. Now they don't - he's out banging groupies in Los Angeles as we speak.

Besides, we have "Luis Landry" - a pretty good combination. Which we didn't have last year when Yao went out. From David Thorpe's Rookie Watch on ESPN.com:

"• Luis Scola's consistent production is an important part of the Rockets' success. Chuck Hayes, who used to be the Rockets' starting 4, is a glue guy with no offense, while Scola is just as "gluey" and is a capable scorer. He can play off of franchise guys or get his own shot when needed.
• The Rockets have the luxury of playing Carl Landry behind Scola, making Houston strong at the power forward position. Landry could start for some teams right now and is going to be a relative force in this league. Amazingly, at 24 years of age, he's not even the oldest rookie on the team (Scola turns 28 in April)."

(images courtesy of ClutchFans)

The Rockets continue streaking....... tomorrow night at home against Memphis.

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!