Houston Rockets Respond To "Ridiculous" Holiday Schedule with Wins
Rick Adelman called the schedule given to his Houston Rockets in December "utterly ridiculous."
With four back-to-back sets slated in a 18-day span, including tough second-nighters in Denver and Orlando, his gripe with the schedule makers was understandable.
This week, however, his team delivered the response he should have expected from the start.
Instead of using the absurd itinerary as an excuse to flop like Derek Fisher and Manu Ginobili at a foul-drawing clinic, the Rockets just won.
It was all they could ever do.
“I just think every team should have a chance when they’re home a little bit to spend time with their families, and we have no chance,” Adelman told the Houston Chronicle. “This is the most ridiculous schedule I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t even know Christmas was coming unless someone told me, because that’s all we’re doing is traveling and playing games.”
Winning three out of four might not qualify as season-defining in Laker land or Celtics country, but for the increasingly banged-up Rockets, it will suffice.
This brutal stretch, which concludes with a New Year's Eve rematch with the Dallas Mavericks, will test the team's sterling resolve. It may well determine if a trip to the playoffs is a reasonable goal or a pipe dream.
The Rockets know that they cannot pencil themselves in for one of the final postseason slots in the Western Conference, even if their 16-11 record has opened eyes and shocked more than a few.
The Phoenix Suns have returned to their running and winning ways, thanks to the offseason departure of Shaquille O'Neal and All-Star seasons from Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire.
They may not be in the same class as the contenders, but they no longer look like an outfit doomed for a seventh- or eighth-place finish.
The L.A. Clippers have managed to hover around .500 without Blake Griffin, still sidelined by a knee injury.
What might this talented bunch accomplish if the top pick returns and plays to expectations?
A championship? Hell no, but a playoff spot is a possibility.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, the team the Rockets fended off Saturday night 95-90, will compete for a slot if they can survive a telling stretch in December and January.
The New Orleans Hornets, still in the mix with only three home losses, will not fade to oblivion or fall to the lottery if Chris Paul has anything to say about it.
With averages of 22 points, 11 assists, and three steals, the Wake Forest product will say a lot.
That leaves the Rockets in the same position they have relished for most of the year.
Undermanned. Underdogs. No All-Stars. Because of that, no good.
Charles Barkley will never live his prediction down.
He said the Rockets would finish with the worst record in the West and struggle to win 14 games.
Here's hoping he did not bet on that lousy premonition.
The Rockets have struggled on many nights, but their unflappable resiliency has often saved them.
Blowout losses to the Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors rank as embarrassing low points, while road wins over the Mavs, Lakers, and Jazz add sparkle to the resume.
On some nights, the team fails to compete.
On other occasions, the team needs more than a competitive edge to overcome its flaws—a lack of imposing size up front, no shot blocking, and no proven superstar to carry the load in crunch-time.
The Rockets won three games this week in a variety of ways.
Tuesday night, with leading scorer Trevor Ariza serving a one-game suspension for throwing an elbow at DeMar DeRozan in the Toronto defeat, Chase Budinger made his first start and contributed 16 huge points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
Houston flummoxed Detroit by shooting a season-best 54 percent and knocking down 23-of-32 foul shot attempts.
The squad emerged victorious, despite connecting on a paltry 2-of-16 from behind the arc.
Friday in Dallas, Kyle Lowry poured in a career-high four treys and 26 points to go along with 10 dimes.
David Anderson dropped 16 points, including an emphatic slam on the break.
The next night, the Rockets rode Ariza's hot shooting to a sizable lead against the Thunder and held on by single digits in the final minutes.
The Rockets bricked their final five shots versus Oklahoma City and clanged 10 freebies, with Ariza missing five foul shots of his own.
Carl Landry leads the team in 20-point games and had record 12-straight double-figure performances before a nasty collision with Dirk Nowitzki forced him to a Dallas emergency room.
Nowitzki, a future Hall of Famer and former MVP, unintentionally hit Landry in the mouth.
Landry required serious dental work, and Nowitzki needed stitches after several of the Rocket forward's dislodged teeth pierced his elbow.
While the Dirkster's absence helped the Rockets winning chances, Rick Carlisle should not look to Rick Adelman for any sympathy.
Aaron Brooks missed a free throw late in regulation that would have given the team a two-possession lead.
Then, Tim Thomas, a surprisingly useful addition to the Dallas bench, drained an open three from the corner to send the contest to overtime.
The Rockets won their first game against the Mavs, thanks to a stellar 55-point effort from their two-headed back court of Brooks and Lowry.
Saturday, Brooks and Lowry mostly misfired and combined for eight points.
Inconsistent? Uncouth?
Peculiar is the Rockets' new M.O.
They will need to continue to get contributions from unexpected sources, especially when they visit Orlando on Wednesday, the night after a date with the L.A. Clippers in Houston.
Dwight Howard will prove more difficult to contain, with Yao Ming unavailable to clog up the middle.
The Magic's size may thwart the Rockets' chances at an upset, just as Carmelo Anthony turned them back with a superstar effort last week.
When 'Melo shoots as many foul shots as the entire Rocket squad and makes one more (he shot 20 freebies alone to the Rockets' 20), it will be difficult for Adelman to coach his bunch to a victory.
The team must continue to respond to these inevitable vanquishments with gritty showings, as it did this weekend against Dallas and OKC.
In other words, the Rockets must be what Adelman called the ongoing holiday schedule.
Ridiculous.
The one recourse?
Win.
Schedule Tough by Today's Standards But Far From Insurmountable
Fox Sports NBA guru Charley Rosen dispenses some valuable advice to Adelman. Rosen coached in the CBA, where teams often played in minor league cities, traveled in coach, and headed to arenas in broken-down vehicles.
His teams sometimes played three nights in a row.
It's hard to sympathize with current NBAers who fly in luxury jets and enjoy lavish hotel rooms and luggage service.
Still, like Rosen, I can understand Adelman's distress.
Here's the schedule through January:
| Tue 22 | vs LA Clippers   | 7:30pm | FSNHOU |  | 610 AM KILT |
| Wed 23 | @ Orlando | 6:00pm | FSNHOU |  | 610 AM KILT |
| Sat 26 | @ New Jersey | 6:30pm | FSNHOU | | 610 AM KILT |
| Sun 27 | @ Cleveland | 5:00pm | FSNHOU | | 610 AM KILT |
| Tue 29 | vs New Orleans | 7:30pm | FSNHOU | | 610 AM KILT |
| Thu 31 | vs Dallas | 6:00pm | FSNHOU | | 610 AM KILT |
| January | Opponent | Time | Local TV | Nat TV | Radio |
| Sat 02 | @ New Orleans | 7:00pm | KTXH | 610 AM KILT | |
| Tue 05 | @ LA Lakers | 9:30pm | FSNHOU | 610 AM KILT | |
| Wed 06 | @ Phoenix | 8:00pm | FSNHOU | 610 AM KILT | |
| Sat 09 | vs New York | 7:30pm | KTXH | 610 AM KILT | |
| Tue 12 | @ Charlotte | 6:00pm | FSNHOU | 610 AM KILT | |
| Wed 13 | vs Minnesota | 7:30pm | FSNHOU | 610 AM KILT | |
| Fri 15 | vs Miami | 7:30pm | FSNHOU | 610 AM KILT | |
| Mon 18 | vs Milwaukee | 2:00pm | FSNHOU | 610 AM KILT | |
| Fri 22 | @ San Antonio | 7:30pm | FSNHOU | 610 AM KILT | |
| Sat 23 | vs Chicago | 7:30pm | FSNHOU | NBATV WGN America | 610 AM KILT |
| Mon 25 | vs Atlanta | 7:30pm | FSNHOU | 610 AM KILT | |
| Wed 27 | vs Denver | 7:30pm | FSNHOU | 610 AM KILT | |
| Fri 29 | vs Portland | 7:30pm | FSNHOU | 610 AM KILT | |
| Sun 31 | vs Phoenix | 6:00pm | FSNHOU | 610 AM KILT |
Lucky 13?
The Rockets made it 13 straight over the Seattle Sonics/Oklahoma City Thunder with Saturday's win. The Thunder have not beaten the Rockets in six tries.
Some Props for Budinger's Hops
If you haven't seen this slick Brooks-to-Budinger connection, watch it now. Late in the third quarter of Tuesday's triumph against Detroit, Brooks lobbed the ball to Budinger from half court, and the rookie caught it and threw it down with two hands.
See, Woody, white men can jump.
Ausie Ausie Ausie, Oi Oi Oi! Anderson Finding His Way
Aussie import David Anderson struggled to see the court in the season's first month, in part because his atrocious defense matched his shaky shot.
In the last two weeks, and in the big L.A. road win, Anderson flexed the skills that made him attractive to Daryl Morey as a Yao fill-in and eventual backup center.
In his last three outings, he has scored 10, 17, and 16 points, respectively. He scored eight fourth-quarter points Saturday night, drilling free throws, a hook shot, and a sweet step-back jumper.
He's averaging a mere three boards a game, a concern for the roster's only active 6-11 player, but his defensive awareness has improved to the point where he can play key minutes without killing the team's odds at a 'W.'
His minutes should still be limited given his deficiencies, but with continued work, he'll become a commodious role player.
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