Houston Rockets' Obstacle to Playoff Success Is Themselves

Injury bug stings, but it's no excuse for mediocrity

Shane Battier, Rafer Alston, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Chuck Hayes, and the rest of the team's vets have all been on the injured list or played in key games when others were.

The Rockets showed bravery and resiliency in last season's 22-game win streak. What became the hallmark of that joyous near two month stretch of victories has returned.

Frustrating as it may be for Rick Adelman to have shoulder this, knee that, groin for certain, the players must understand that playing hard every night is a requirement, not an optional feat.

Maybe that's why a stink Nov. 21 performance against the Wizards, still a win, offers the gravest warning of all. The Wizards horsewhipped the Rockets for three quarters, and then fumbled the lead the minute the guys in red decided to show up.

Tracy McGrady and Rafer Alston played through Yao Ming, and each drilled wide-open trey bombs. The scoring came easy, and when they decided to play defense, they found the Wizards then 1-9 record was accurate.

Morey has assembled a roster with enough talent to survive the early revolving door lineup. Sophomore speedster Aaron Brooks and dunk-a-licious Carl Landry are joys to watch and each can drop 15-20 on a dime. What the Rockets must do and understand is how that collection of talent must play if it wants more than another first round ouster.

Play hard. Play smart. Never play down to the competition. Always play up to it.

In Monday's Nets smackdown, Brooks and the rest of the guards, minus Alston, harangued Vince Carter and Devin Harris into 10-points-a-piece clang fests. When they needed baskets, they ran the offense, moved the ball, and most importantly, rode Yao when he was on the court.

Yao Ming is no Hakeem Olajuwon, but that's OK. No one confuses Tim Duncan with Mark Price at the free throw line or a former slam dunk champion. No one would accuse Dwight Howard, Wilt Chamberlain, or Shaquille O' Neal of stroking it from the charity stripe, either.

The Rockets can win 90 percent of their games when they make the effort to post and repost Yao, steady as the rain. He will throw up occasional clunkers, and he sports plenty of flaws (defending the pick and roll and a sluggish frame come to mind), but the Rockets cannot forget about him.

Great teams use what they have, flawed as it may be, and accept that a few nights' performances will smell like flaming sewage. Most of them, such as a second-half smash against the Denver Nuggets last week, will be just as the dreamers imagined.

The Rockets played with fire late against the Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night, and nearly paid for it, allowing Al Jefferson to mark off the paint as his personal playground. Then, they got a clue. Brooks found Yao in the post against the out of position Jefferson, and he nailed a money jump hook. Yao then dropped his unguardable turnaround to seal the 107-102 win.

Talent? Check. The will to make the beautiful music fans expected this summer every night? We'll call it a work in progress.

The Rockets as the Celtics: When performance trumps ability

What defense aficionado would not salivate at the prospect of Shane Battier and Ron Artest as dual perimeter defenders? A team that was already amongst the best in the major defensive categories seemed more than ready to join the Celtics in the offseason. It wasn't.

Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce had each sniffed at least the second round before their assembly in 2007. Brent Barry and Artest are the only Rockets to have escaped the first round. The reasons to doubt them are obvious.

Can Yao Ming survive 82 games plus the playoffs without again destroying his glass feet? Can McGrady overcome nagging knee and shoulder injuries and play with the same passion as Paul Pierce does for the Celtics? Will the glut of undersized big men behind Yao Ming wilt when he sits?

Will Artest ever shake his yuck shooting? Will playing in a reserve role allow him to quit the niceties and insert himself? Will Alston continue his famous 20-percent shooting streaks?

Does anybody want Luther Head? Does Head have it in him to not be himself and make consistent contributions? Will the ScoLandry power forward tandem learn to play without committing silly fouls?

The Rockets have answered some of these questions with a resounding, "yes." Others will be answered in April and May.

What matters for the Rockets now is heading into Cleveland—where MVP runaway LeBron James awaits—with a purpose and a reason to believe they can win.

The Rockets play the Celtics again in 2009, and a chance at redemption against the Lakers flickers in the distance. Has this team gotten over itself and figured it out?

Will the Rockets battle toe-to-toe with the defending conference champions in late May and June?

The Rockets control their own destiny, and if they don't defeat themselves, a summer's worth of expectations will become the appetizer to the delicious main course Houston hoops fans have craved for 10-plus years.

To borrow from a former team slogan, "It's Time" for liftoff. Will you be there to witness it?

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