Saturday, March 1

Streaking Rockets

14 straight win. The longest in the NBA so far this year. And one short of tying the franchise record. And that was an unbeaten February for them, going through the whole month unbeaten.

With Yao Ming out injured for the rest of the season, it looks like a daunting task for the Rockets to keep up with their winning ways. But with Tracy McGrady back to full health, and the Rockets rosters providing ample support, they might just have the chance of progressing far in the playoffs this time around. The West has not been won yet, and any 9 teams at the moment have the chance of winning it. The Rockets are sitting way down on 7th place, but only 2 games separate them from the Spurs who are at the top of the Conference.

The thing is, the lead has been changing for the past few days. The surprising Hornets have been on top, Suns and Lakers alternated a few times, and the rest of the pack are keeping close to them. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rockets making it to the top, if they keep on playing like they did in February.

I have been particularly impressed with rookie Carl Landry. The power forward has been performing well, averaging 7.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game with an average of 16 minutes each game. He is also shooting really well, averaging 64.2% from the floor. Other than him, Luis Scola is also doing well, pumping in good numbers for the team, and for the first time in many years, the Rockets finally have a good supporting cast. The recent trade also landed them Bobby Jackson, a 10 years veteran who can provide enough experience and some offense from the bench.

Up next, it's Allen Iverson and the Nuggets at home tomorrow. Then it's the Pacers, and then the Mavericks, which could be the pivotal game that determines which team will finish above the other. But with 24 more games to go, a lot of things can happen. They still have to play the Hornets twice, and Spurs one more time. These might be the games that might shake the standings in the tough Southwest Division.

But if the Rockets keep on playing the way they do right now, with superb defense and workable offense, it could be a good season for them.

And I'm counting on that.

4 comments:

najibest said...

hey look...you're writing about the Rockets :) ...anyway my wish list for the Rockets would be:

1. proceed past the 1st round of play off
2. get some good picks in the draft and a backup center to share the minutes with Yao (well i'm seeing Chuck Hayes as being the casualty here)

ardy said...

Najibest,

Yeah, they finally gave me a reason to do a write-up. It's 15 now and counting!

najibest said...

17 in a row. next up is the big test against the Hornets. i stand corrected on my previous comments, if Carl Landry and Luis Scola can keep it up this way, we might no need someone to cover Yao's spot at all. Chuck Hayes can sub at forward and those 2 can rotate at center

ardy said...

Najibest,

The way the play, it's simply amazing. Did you see the half-court alley-oop by Rafer to T-Mac early in the 4th quarter in today's game? Superb!!