http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_lo...-215799-34.html<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>HOUSTON -- Nearly an hour after beating the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night, Shane Battier wasn't much interested in trying to figure out what the Rockets needed to do to move up in the Western Conference's pecking order.He had other thoughts in mind about the Rockets' future."We've reached the point in the season where it's crucial that we start playing at a high level," Battier said. "We're just trying to build some momentum for the playoffs."The Rockets wouldn't mind getting started on Friday night.With a little more than a month remaining in the regular season, the Rockets will visit the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors with hopes of beginning a late-season surge towards the NBA playoffs.The Rockets (40-25) have won three of their past four games, but they've experienced mostly up-and-down play since returning from the All-Star break. They're just 7-6 over that span and haven't had at least a four-game winning streak since January.Despite the muddled play, the Rockets are only trailing fourth-place Utah by 3 1/2 games. The Jazz have come back to Houston in the standings after dropping consecutive road games on a swing through Florida.The Rockets wouldn't mind moving past Utah, but they're more concerned with getting in a groove over the final month of the season."We have to qualify (for the playoffs) and after qualification, we have to get the best seed," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "But we can't become so distracted by trying to make the playoffs or improving our seeding that we forget about improving. This is the time where you have to get your individual game right and you got to have a team game that can stand up to anything under any conditions.""We have 33 more days in the regular season," the coach added. "If you improve well enough, you'll give yourself chances to win games (in the playoffs). And if you don't improve, even if you win enough to qualify, you're not going to be in position to play well enough."Unsurprisingly, Van Gundy has concluded that his team needs to play better.After watching the Rockets blow a 17-point advantage before sliding past the Clippers Wednesday, Van Gundy wasted little time ticking off a list of concerns that have been bugging him since the All-Star break.He didn't care for the Rockets' relaxed style of play in the second quarter. He criticized his team for not making Elton Brand work harder for his buckets. And, of course, he was less than thrilled with his team's rebounding performance.Over the past three weeks, Van Gundy could have made some of those same points on any other night. The Rockets have been outrebounded in eight of their last 13 games. Even more astonishing, a team that has boasted the league's best defensive numbers through most of the season has allowed nine of its last 13 opponents to shoot better than 44 percent.Van Gundy simply sees a team that needs to do a better job of getting better with the NBA postseason on the horizon."If we continue on the same path of low peer pressure to demand better play, then we're just going to continue to march on with some good and some bad," Van Gundy said. "I wish they believed the same way that I did that we could make a push to greatness."Van Gundy's players, actually, don't disagree with the assesment."We still have some improving to do," Rockets star center Yao Ming said. "We're giving up too many points in transition and we haven't done a good of job rebounding."Despite all of those issues, the Rockets still have a chance to gain home court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs if they can catch the Jazz. They'd like to make up that ground and open the postseason inside Toyota Center. But their far more interested in improving their own game."We've got 17 games left and every game is so crucial to postseason aspirations," Battier said. "We're trying to win them all and get on a roll."</div>Records: Houston (40-25), Raptors (36-29) Day/Time: Friday, 6:00 PM CST<u>Projected Starting Lineups</u><span style="color:#FF0000"><u>Houston Rockets</u></span>PG: <span style="color:#FF0000">Rafer Alston</span>SG: <span style="color:#FF0000">Tracy McGrady</span>SF: <span style="color:#FF0000">Shane Battier</span>PF: <span style="color:#FF0000">Chuck Hayes</span>C: <span style="color:#FF0000">Dikembe Mutombo</span><u>Injury Update</u>C Yao Ming (tibia), G Bob Sura (knee/back) are out for the Rockets and Bonzi Wells (sore foot) is questionable for the Rockets.<span style="color:#8B0000"><u>Toronto Raptors</u></span>PG: <span style="color:#8B0000">T.J Ford</span>SG: <span style="color:#8B0000">Anthony Parker</span>SF: <span style="color:#8B0000">Jorge Garbajosa</span>PF: <span style="color:#8B0000">Chris Bosh</span>C: <span style="color:#8B0000">Rasho Nesterovic</span><u>Injury Update</u>No injuries for the Raptors. <span style="color:#FF0000">LETS GO <u>ROCKETS</u>!</span>
Nice win for the Rockets. Yao and T-mac bein their usual selves. Skip almost gettin a triple double, steppin up against his old team. This should help build up momentum for the playoffs.
