http://www.nysun.com/article/46754 <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Rockets Soaring Even Without Yao Basketball By MARTIN JOHNSON January 16, 2007 A D V E R T I S E M E N T A D V E R T I S E M E N T When the season began, the conventional wisdom on the Houston Rockets was that they were a good team (a rung below the elite) ? and that stature depended on the team's superstars, center Yao Ming and swingman Tracy McGrady, staying healthy. But as we approach the halfway mark, that thinking needs some revision. True to their track record, the Rockets' stars have missed time. McGrady has sat out seven of Houston's 38 games with back ailments that have nearly derailed his stellar career. Ming has missed the last 11 with a knee injury and is not expected back until mid-February. When Houston was forced last season to play large chunks of the campaign without its superstars, whose combined absences totaled 60 starts, it plummeted to a 34?48 record, just one season after going 51?31 and taking Dallas to a seventh game in their opening round series. Now, the Rockets are 25?13, the fourthbest record in the league, and they've won nine of 11 since Ming's injury. This alone should get their coach, the curmudgeonly former Knick, Jeff Van Gundy, to crack a smile every now and then, but there's more. The Rockets sport a point differential ? an excellent predictor of future performance ? far better than their lofty winning percentage. Their average victory margin of six points a game puts them on pace for a 60-win season. (By contrast, the differentials of the Jazz and the Lakers suggest struggles ahead). These kinds of numbers matter to Rockets assistant general manager Daryl Morey, who will take over as team president when current general manager Carroll Dawson retires after the season. Morey built his reputation on statistical analysis rather than scouting, and has sought to bring in more efficient players to support T-Mac and Yao this season. It's been whispered that his impending takeover in the front office would put VG on thin ice. Yet, this is a Van Gundy team through and through. Houston plays at a snail's pace: Their 88.8 possessions per game is the fifthslowest in the league, and the team ranks first in Defensive Efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions) at 99.6. If all this doesn't make Van Gundy's lips tick upward from time to time, then we can assume the agony of those millennial-era Knicks teams have ruined him for life. ... </div> Nice to see the respect we're getting from the media these days.
<div class="quote_poster">tracymcgrady_01 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Man.. Rockets are starting to lose again and I hate when articles like this jynx us..</div> don't worry this paper has a circulation of about 4,000
<div class="quote_poster">tracymcgrady_01 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Man.. Rockets are starting to lose again and I hate when articles like this jynx us..</div> The Rockets just lost to the two hottest teams in the NBA, and were able to stay in both until the fourth quarter. It's definitely not great to lose but I'd say it's expected, especially without Yao and TMac for the second game.
