Is our glass half full or half empty??

Get on the cel and call AAA. We've got car trouble.

It's acting like one of the weights fell off a front wheel. The car is shaking and vibrating. The alignment could also be shot because it's pulling to one side, too. I could have sworn I heard the brakes grinding... it could be... heck, it's probably not serious but lets just get a tow truck here to make sure.

Folks, the loss of Bobby Sura has got the Rockets looking like a washing machine with an unbalanced load. And the week off only magnified that loss. What the Rockets have lost is a balance and a rhythm. That elusive thing called chemistry manifests in a magical flow and ticks like a finally balanced watch. Like a spinning top that gets bumped, the Rockets wobbled all night long. The same shooters that seemed dead-eye before the All-Star break threw up clunkers and air balls. The same team that seem to get to their share of loose balls stumbled and fumbled the ball away. The same team that had reduced their turnovers and fouls to acceptable numbers piled them up like a kid in a candy store. The Sonics did their best to let a crippled team appear to have an ugly win but in the end they just couldn't go through with it. That 3rd loss in a row just wouldn't go down no matter what beverage they chased it with.

And things are likely only going to get worse before they get better. I wouldn't put any hope in some miraculous trade to save the delicate psychological state the Rockets are in. They may be tougher mentally than I think but I don't see them regaining their 8 game win streak form before they head into San Antonio. And even if they traded for someone to try to fill the hole left by Sura's absence it would take time for that rhythm and balance to be restored, if at all. I think we all recognize real chemistry. There have been many mixes of talented players in NBA history that just never had it.

Lets hope the news on Bobby Sura's injury is not as dire as first reported. But you have to be concerned at this point. Bobby Sura by himself is not a great player. And nobody could have predicted what the rotation of players that finally clicked would be, in spite of the temptation for someone to try to claim that credit. But there's no denying that his presence was sorely missed tonight. I have a strong feeling that had he been on the floor the game would not become a nail biter and the Rockets would have won. No, chemistry like the Rockets had just seems to happen. It can't be forced. And regaining it if and when Bobby Sura returns will be affected to some extent by just how much ground the Rockets may lose while he is out. If they struggle and lose in San Antonio, which is highly probable, the psychological part of the 8 game win streak will be in serious trouble. It's how downward spirals begin.

Let's also hope that Tracy McGrady's back isn't a played-down problem. Something is causing him not to be as mobile and shoot as well as he did a couple of weeks ago. He told people at the All-Star game his back was bothering him and tonight the one slam-dunk he might have otherwise made with authority he more or less caressed through the basket. I hope he was being humble and not favoring a bad back.

Dang! How come AAA doesn't answer?