Houston Rockets in Self-Destruct Mode in Latest Losses To Sixers, Heat

Somebody wake me up from this bad dream.

I understand it’s still early as the All-Star break looms, but Houston’s Rockets are completely out of sync heading into mid-February’s annual shootout.

Even without guys like Trevor Ariza and Kyle Lowry, I still thought the Rockets and their scrubs would be able to put up a fight against D-Wade and the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

But I was obviously completely wrong.

“I don’t have much to say; we played very poorly and they played very well,” Rockets head coach Rick Adelman told Rockets.com staff writer Jason Friedman. “We got our heads down at the end of the first half; we also missed a lot of good shots the first quarter.

"During the second quarter it seemed like they were making every shot. I really thought we hung our heads at the end of the second quarter then we saw a little light during the third quarter and brought it to where we were only down 16 or 17 then they just exploded again. We just didn’t have it.”

That may be an understatement, considering how poorly Houston played on Tuesday night in Florida.

“Too many turnovers, we didn’t make shots, and [Dwyane] Wade got going,” Rockets rising star point guard Aaron Brooks told Friedman. “We haven’t been playing good basketball as of late. During the break we’ll have time to think about it and be ready for the next round of games.”

I hope Brooks is right, because Houston absolutely needs to get back on track as soon as possible if they plan on attaining that final spot in the West.

But a lot of it has to do with a positive attitude, and with natural born leaders like Shane Battier leading the Rockets that upward climbing momentum should return to Houston quickly and smoothly after the All-Star break.

“All things considered not a bad first half,” Battier told Friedman. “In the first quarter we missed shots, turned the ball over, and they hit shots. It got away from us; we started to hang our heads; we got passive.”

Let’s put passive in the past and focus on the future; it’s time for Houston’s Rockets to begin shining like they did at the start of the season.

And there’s no better time to begin that run than the present; that is, as soon as Battier and the good guys return to the hardwood after a much-needed rest…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at [e-mail]