Two games, two wins: Evaluating the Rockets

December 21, 12:07 PMHouston Rockets ExaminerDavid Hartnett

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When you play two teams —the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves — whose combined win total is lower than that of your own — it’s almost a given that those two games should result in wins.

Thus, this is exactly what happened as the Rockets defeated both the Kings 107-96 and then the following night the woeful Timberwolves 109-102.

As these aforementioned opponents may not necessarily pose the greatest challenge to the current Southwest Division leaders — a win is a win.

Therefore, after reviewing the play of the team during this particular two-game stretch, it was interesting to take a deeper look and evaluate those who made these wins possible.

Yao Ming – The more he plays, the more annoying it becomes for him to receive such little respect and at the very least — not be acknowledged as a possible MVP candidate. It seems redundant to say, but when he is on the court, the Rockets are a much better team. If the team needs a basket — he provides it for them. In the game against the Kings, Yao provided 14 of the team’s 25 points in the final quarter. He was nearly perfect from the field throughout the game (11-of-13) and with 30 points — Yao imposed his will.

Then take look at his performance against the Timberwolves. With Al Jefferson leading a comeback late in the fourth, who provides the shot to extend the lead to five and end any hope of a Rockets collapse? Yao does. It’s subtle things like this that makes Yao so valuable. The list can go on, and one day (hopefully soon) there will be further detail and a better case presented for why Yao is one of the most valuable players in the league.

However, until that day arises, and his case is made, we are left to watch his play in these two games and how they further illustrate the importance he has on this team. Without him, the Rockets wallow in mediocrity.

Tracy McGrady – Maybe the days of him scoring 40+ points are over. Maybe the T-Mac we should grow accustom to is the one, which was on display Friday night. The one who will shoot a fair percentage from the floor (5-of-12) but still scored a fair amount (18 points) and more importantly became a great facilitator and playmaker (eight assists).

His explosiveness isn’t what it once was, and because of that, he is maturing as a player to fit what the team needs on any given night. He’s starting to realize he doesn’t need to fire 20 shots and score 40 points to give his team a chance to win.

Look at the game against the T-Wolves. He wasn’t overly aggressive. Some of his shots came on open looks predicated upon Yao’s double teams. McGrady is beginning to understand his role in the offense, and because of it, the team is better.

Maybe these performances are indicative of how he will play throughout his remaining days in Houston. On the other hand, maybe his playing ability is currently hampered by a rehabilitating knee. Regardless, this T-Mac, though not necessarily as flashy nor may not fill up the stat sheet like before — he is still effective.

Ron Artest – He’s beginning to transition himself more and more into the sixth man of the Rockets rotation. Against his old team, he was a non-factor with nine points, and he was unable to fit himself into the flow of the game. Yet when he went up against the T-Wolves, he had a great performance. Exploding off the bench for three 3-pointers and 19 points, the Artest who provided a scoring spark off the bench is the Artest the coaching staff would gladly see more of throughout the remainder of the season.

He still seems to struggle a little without Yao on the court, as Yao’s presence gives him easier looks. Therefore, he needs to make strides and assimilate himself into the group that comes off the bench, to find where everyone fits and how they do so — this will take some time. However, so far, the sixth man role has fit him well.

Aaron Brooks – Rafer Alston has missed the last three games due to a hamstring injury. Moreover, while in an earlier game this season Brooks struggled as the team’s starting point guard, these last three games, including these aforementioned pair of games — he’s been solid.

As he wasn’t flashy against the Kings, he remained effective and kept mistakes to a minimum. Moreover, in the game against the T-Wolves, he played even better. With 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, not to mention the great play he made when he led a 1-on-3 fast break for a pair of points, Brooks continues to make great strides running the team’s offense.

Scolandry (Carl Landry and Luis Scola) – It’s best to include these two together as their play are oddly similar. Consider that during the game against the Kings, both Scola (23 points and 10 rebounds) and Landry (9 points and 11 rebounds) had productive outings. Then the following night both were non-factors as they combined for three points and six rebounds. The ability for this duo— that are unable to sustain a series of productive outings — refers to a trend, which could potentially fester itself and hamper the team throughout the season.

While at varying stages of the season, each have shown glimpses of playing great, the problem that continues to arise is their outings of “productive basketball” is hampered by a subsequent “poor outing”. This is apparent in the pair of games. While it may seem a bit sinister to try to make a large issue over a bad outing by the power forwards, the pair of games is actually a microcosm of the inconsistent play these two have demonstrated throughout the season. Thus, it is quite unnerving when on any given night you’re uncertain what you will get from a particular position.

The defense – For many years a staple of the team, now it has become somewhat lax . 198 points in two games seems highly irregular for this group. Their rebounding ability remains somewhat strong, as they were able to outrebound both opponents. However, as it has been mentioned before, the Rockets interior defense isn’t strong — especially with Yao out of the game.

The Rockets seem to employ the “bend but not break” approach to their defensive philosophy, and while they continue to win by simply outscoring their opponents rather than playing great defense. The former tough and fierce defensive philosophy shouldn’t be neglected, and great strides need to be made to improve the overall quality of their performances.