Rockets Win Late vs. Lakers

The Rockets have started the season off with one of the NBA's worst records. However, the have won 7 of their last 9 games including a last second victory of the L.A. Lakers last night. About the last second victory last night, McGrady said "I knew it was in my hands, All I had in my mind was to attack the basket. For us to come out and get this win is really big." He was right about one thing, this win is really big.

The Rockets are in dead last in the Southwest Division, even trailing the displaced Hornets. They are 8.5 games behind the Spurs, which is a deficit they will likely never make up. Their goal now should be to win enough games to put them in the number 8 seed in the playoffs. If the Rockets can stay healthy, they can make it. There is still a lot of basketball to be played, and the Rockets are only about 3 games behind the number 8 seed Lakers.

Houston's poor performance at the start of the season is due to their struggles with injuries. Most of their problems coming from the week or two span when Tracy McGrady was hurt. Yao Ming missed his 3rd game of his career last night with a sore toe. And they say Yao isn't tough! Maybe if his toe wasn't the size of my whole foot, he could have played. Regardless of Yao's status, they proved they can win without him. Mutombo might not be the best replacement for Yao, but he comes out with fire and defense. He energizes the team and the crowd.

Tracy McGrady is the Rockets leading scorer with a 24.7 ppg average. That's a number that should rise as the season progresses. McGrady also leads the team in minutes per game, assists per game, and steals per game. It's no secret that the Rockets are contenders with him in the lineup. With everyone healthy the Rockets can make a push for the playoffs. The season is still young and they have something this year they didn't last year, and that's a healthy Juwon Howard.