Chron: Rockets seek to end topsy-turvy habits

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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3118357

Van Gundy says team has shown lack of humility
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

OAKLAND, CALIF. - The feeling was wonderful then. Everything was in place. Everyone was healthy. The Rockets felt unbeatable.

They arrived in Oakland last month riding three road wins, each more complete than the one before, over the SuperSonics, Suns and Kings. Bob Sura had returned from his back injury, putting the Rockets' rotation in place for the first time. They were speaking of championship contention, and it seemed a legitimate possibility.

"That was a beautiful time, wasn't it?" guard Mike James said. "We were moving that ball. The ball was going in the basket. Everybody was running down the court smiling.

"We're going to get back there. There are ups and downs in this game. The strong survive in this game. That's what makes the OK good and the good great. Even through tough times, you just have to keep at it."

When the Rockets return to Oakland tonight, the feeling will be much different. These are the tough times, with shots rattling rims and bodies aching. And instead of speaking of chasing a championship, Rockets players have joined coach Jeff Van Gundy in speaking of simply securing a place in the playoffs.

"We're at the crossroads," Sura said. "We have eight (regular-season) games left, and we have to win four or five of them. It's time to lay it on the line."

No. 7 a possibility

The Rockets had briefly overtaken the Kings for fifth in the Western Conference, but they hit the road for the start of a four-game trip in sixth place, just two games in front of the surging Nuggets. A fall to seventh would likely mean a first-round playoff matchup with the Spurs, who at 54-19 have the NBA's third-best record.

But much more than postseason positioning could be at stake on this trip.

The Timberwolves' charge for a playoff spot has brought them within five games of the Rockets with eight to play. Minnesota plays the Jazz, Warriors, Nuggets, Sonics and Spurs at home and the Hawks, Jazz and Hornets on the road.

The Rockets follow road games against the Warriors, Lakers, Suns and Sonics with games at home against the Grizzlies, Nuggets Clippers and Sonics.

It would not take many wins to hold off the Timberwolves, winners of six of their past seven games. Minnesota holds the tiebreaker against the Rockets, but if Houston wins just three of its remaining eight games, the Timberwolves would have to win all eight of their remaining games to force a tie.

Power of positive thinking

But if the Rockets felt unbeatable the last time they played the Warriors, they now have to fight thoughts that they could suffer so great a collapse.

"We have to clear our minds now," James said. "We understood that New Orleans (a loss Friday at Toyota Center) could come back to haunt us. But we know we just have to win games."

The Rockets followed their worst shooting night of the season on Friday (when they made 30.8 percent of their shots) by making 34 percent of their shots against the Suns on Sunday.

They failed to reach 80 points in either game, and in the two games, guards David Wesley, Jon Barry, Sura and James combined to shoot 20-for-80.

"We're just going through a funk right now," Wesley said. "We're not shooting the ball well, and it certainly makes this game a lot easier and a lot more fun if you are (shooting well)."

There is another potential threat. As much as they have to notice how well the Warriors have been playing, the Rockets have lost to five of the other last-place teams and also have dropped two games to Charlotte and one to Toronto.

'Value of experience'

The Rockets seem to have learned from the latest losses, but they also seemed to have learned from the losses to the Knicks, Bucks, Hawks and Jazz.

"We have proven that we are a very experienced team that does not use its experience well," Van Gundy said. "If you learn from experience, which we haven't done, that's the value of experience. If not, you might as well be a young team. (We could be) 'young and athletic' versus 'slowed down and experienced,' because we have not used our experiences in any positive manner.

"We lack humility. We don't give the proper respect to the opponents or to the game or how long the game is. Every team is good. We buy into the media perceptions of who should win and who should lose a game. Maybe that's why we haven't been more successful, not just here this year but in general, because if you haven't learned from your experiences, all you are is older.

"Maybe this is the time we learn. Or maybe it will cost us dearly. We make the same mistakes a young team would make."

Much work to do

The urgency Van Gundy has been seeking seems to have been forced on his team. Since the Rockets strutted into Oakland last month, Van Gundy has insisted all along that they still had to earn a playoff spot. As they limp back, there seems no doubt.

"These two (losses) really hurt," Wesley said. "We haven't really done the job at home that we need to do. We have to go out on this road trip and win games. We're looking at the team in front of us and all the teams behind us that are right on our heels. We have to really be going out here and getting wins, because we're in a playoff race."

jonathan.feigen@chron.com

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Rockets Summary

Barry stays home

Rockets guard Jon Barry, whose back spasms forced him to miss Sunday's game against the Suns, did not accompany the team to California on Monday and will miss tonight's game against the Warriors at Oakland.

"Jon's doing OK," Rockets trainer Keith Jones said. "We're going to let Jon stay here, get treatment twice a day (Monday) and (Tuesday). We'll see how he is on Wednesday and maybe fly him to L.A. Wednesday or Thursday."

Though the Rockets did not practice Monday, Barry was far from alone at Toyota Center. Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Juwan Howard all came in for treatment.

McGrady (tendinitis) and Yao (bruised calf, sprained ankle) are both expected to play tonight. Yao had stitches on his chin to close a gash suffered against Phoenix on Sunday. He also turned his right ankle in the fourth quarter, but it isn't expected to be a problem.

"Tracy has sore knees, a little tendinitis, but he'll be able to play," Jones said.

Turnaround for Bowen

With the Rockets starting Ryan Bowen to put a quicker defender on Shawn Marion on Sunday, the Suns backed off Bowen on defense to help on Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Bowen had made six of eight shots in his previous five games, but he was initially hesitant to shoot and then misfired, going 1-for-6.

"I was telling Ryan Bowen if they're going to dare you to shoot, you shoot," coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Don't worry about the result."

After a timeout, Bowen stole a Steve Nash pass and led a break, passing to Yao for a slam. Bowen knocked down a jumper. He sank a running hook. He hit another jumper, giving him nine points — more than he had scored in a game this season — in four minutes.

Bowen finished with 14 points, four shy of his career high, on 5-of-11 shooting.

-- JONATHAN FEIGEN