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Tuesday January 23, 2007 12:05 PM


Not Half Bad


Rockets looking to maintain playoff push after reaching season's midway point


Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer

HOUSTON -- The Rockets have survived a slew of injuries and finished the first half of the season with their best record in a decade.

So is Houston playoff bound?

The Rockets aren't counting themselves in just yet after a strong first half.

"We put ourselves in a good position halfway through the year to do some good things and see where we can take it," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "If we're healthy and we get in (the playoffs), we'll feel fine. But we got to get in it. There is a long haul left without Yao (Ming)."

Despite being mentioned around the league among the top teams in the Western Conference midway through the season, the Rockets are still anticipating a grind towards the playoffs.

The Rockets (25-16) are sixth in the West after posting their best record at the halfway point since the 1996-97 season with a 31-10 mark.

They've won without Yao Ming and have improved their perimeter shooting from last season.

Big wins have been sprinkled in along the way. Houston thumped Dallas in their home opener, ended a 17-game losing skid in San Antonio and scored a big win over Miami, the defending champion, before Shaquille O'Neal was placed on the injured list.

The Rockets, however, aren't convinced their strong first half assures them of a playoff spot in April.

Since Tracy McGrady's back spasms flared up and kept him out of the lineup on Dec. 12, Van Gundy's bunch has been missing either McGrady or Yao.

The Rockets are still looking at two more months without their star center and McGrady's back could prove troublesome at any time. The team is just 11-10 since their stars began spending time in the trainer's room.

They've also shown over their current three-game losing skid that they're going to have a hard time winning unless they're smothering opponents with their defense and controlling the glass. Bench production has been inconsistent.

Because of those issues, Van Gundy doesn't hold any illusions that his team is a lock for the postseason after their strong first half.

"We have to win 44 or 45 games to make the playoffs and we're a long way from there," Van Gundy said. "We're 11-10 since Dec. 12 and to get 45 wins, we'd have to play one game under .500. If we were healthy and we were whole, we'd (probably make the playoffs). But I know what we're going up against. We don't have one star and we're always one play away from not having McGrady. I think my experience warrants the reality of the situation. The Clippers, the Warriors and the Timberwolves are all in the same position."

Despite their recent troubles on the defensive end, the Rockets know they'll have to rely on their defense and rebounding to reach the postseason.

The Rockets are holding opponents to a league-low 42.1 percent shooting and are fifth in the NBA in rebounding differential. Besides holding Charlotte to a franchise-record low of 62 points, Houston has limited 11 teams under 80 through the first 2 1/2 months.

The good news is that Houston has found plenty of help from unlikely sources in Yao's absence. Dikembe Mutombo has provided a major boost with his shot blocking and rebounding and Juwan Howard has added help on the glass.

But the Rockets haven't always been sharp in those areas without their star center.

During the past four games, the Rockets have been outrebounded three times and have seen all of their opponents break the century mark. Houston ended up with a 1-3 record over that stretch.

The Rockets believe they've learned from their recent skid.

"Everyone has to take pride in doing their jobs," McGrady said. "I think everybody realizes we need to get back to playing the ball that we've been playing. We have to execute on defense and fix some of the things that we've been lacking in. We just got to get back to doing what made us a good team. We had a little slippage, but that's it. We're going to regroup."

Van Gundy is certainly hoping so.

The Rockets coach has started questioning his eight-man rotation after recent losses, but he has been careful about not making a quick change. He said he could stick with his current rotation if his team gets back to doing the things it did during a streak in which it won nine of 10 games.

Bonzi Wells has been added to the rotation since returning from a back injury, but Kirk Snyder hasn't worked his way back in the lineup since missing two months with a broken hand.

"We're just trying to get back to being more balanced," Van Gundy said. "We can't wait much longer. I am concerned that we're having guys play out of (position to) what their strengths would be, but it's got to fit sooner rather than later."

Van Gundy's team is well aware of it.

The Rockets are pleased with the first half of their season and they have certainly worked their way into playoff contention.

They just can't take their start for granted in the West.

"The challenge in the Western Conference is just trying to get in," Rockets forward Shane Battier said. "We can't worry about who we're going to be dancing with in the playoffs at this point because we're just trying to get enough wins to be in the dance."