Just one day after I wrote that the Rockets definitely still need Yao, my point was driven home hard given the Rockets’ lousy game against Minnesota Sunday afternoon, losing 103-99 in OT.

It was painful to watch Houston launch ill-advised jumpers and bad shots (37% through 3 quarters). Minnesota didn’t shoot much better and only led 71-62 heading into the fourth quarter. That’s when the Rockets woke up, got the pathetically shooting Rafer Alston out of the game (0-for-10 in the 2nd and 3rd quarter), put John Lucas in, got T-Mac going, made Luther Head get more aggressive offensively, and got back into the game to tie the game late in the fourth and force OT.

It looked like the Rockets were going to pull off an improbable win when T-Mac started off OT by hitting a long two, and Juwan Howard hit two jump shots to give Houston a 94-93 lead with 2:24 remaining.

But the rest of the way, the game ended by the Rockets laying bricks…

Steve Novak missed a three
Mark Blount scored on Novak
T-Mac missed a 7-footer
Rafer (back in the game) missed a trey (no surprise there)
T-Mac missed a trey
Luther turned it over

Meanwhile, the T-wolves capitalized on the Rockets crumbling defense, and Minnesota took a game that — if Yao had been it –would have been a different story.

Here were other keys to the loss:

Alston hitting only 4-of-17 shots. Something has GOT to be done. After stinking up the joint, at least Van Gundy played John Lucas 22 minutes, the most number of minutes he has played all season by far. I did a quick calculation of Alston’s shooting percentage over the last 12 games, and it’s an unbelievably bad 31%.

I think I know the Rockets’ front office well enough that they are looking RIGHT NOW to clear the missing-in-action Bob Sura off the roster and bring in someone who can also play PG, as well as give Lucas a few more minutes. There’s probably not much out there, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Rox bring back Casey Jacobsen (I think he could be in Europe), who they reluctantly let go when Sura said he thought he could still play this season. I know it’s not the answer, but at least JVG liked him enough to publicly acknowledge that he had something to offer, which is saying alot for Van Gundy. Thanks, Sura. Were you hanging around Jeff Bagwell the past few months before claiming you thought you could come back?

T-Mac was really off the first three quarters, hitting only 6-of-19 shots (many of them bail-out jumpers) until he woke up and made 4-of-6 in the fourth quarter to bring the Rockets back and send the game to OT.

Kevin Garnett (11-of-24, 26 points, 13 boards), Blount (6-of-12, 21 points, 10 boards), Trenton Hassell (5-of-10, 14 points), and Ricky Davis (6-of-12, 16 points) just killed the Rockets. Without Yao clogging up the middle, the Wolves had their way with the Rockets only getting two blocks all game long. The only thing that made the game close was Mike James making only 3-of-12 shots, but he did have 10 assists – 7 more than Alston. So even on a bad night for James, he still was able to prove he was the wrong man the Rockets said bye-bye to last summer during the free agency period.

On the bright side, Shane Battier made 7-of-12 shots and hit 4-of-7 three-pointers for 20 points. Solid as always. So was Juwan, who was 7-of-14 with 19 points, and Dikembe grabbing 13 boards. And Lucas was 3-of-5 with only one turnover.

All I know is that all the praise the Rockets were getting having won four games in a row without Yao is going to be long forgotten if they lose to Chicago Monday night in a back-to-back.

For those fans who think the Rockets may not need Yao since they have been playing so well without him having won four in a row, I would like to remind them about what happened during the 1990-91 season that is strikingly similar to what is happening now.

On January 3rd of that season (compared to December 23rd for Yao), Hakeem Olajuwon received an ‘accidental’ Bill Cartwright elbow around the left eye that broke the bones around it. That injury sidelined Hakeem for 25 games, taking him all the way to the end of February before he could return (sound familiar?).

Everyone thought that injury would doom the Rockets, who were a respectable 16-13 at the time.

Instead, with an old veteran and rebounding specialist (sound familiar?) like Larry “Mr. Mean” Smith putting up astronomical rebounding numbers, and role players like Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, David Wood, Otis Thorpe, and Buck Johnson stepping up, the Rockets put together a shockingly nice run of games (sound familiar?). During that stretch of 25 games while Hakeem was out, the Rockets at one point won 11-of-14 games, and were 16-9 overall.

I remember during that surprisingly nice stretch of wins, many fans were asking if Hakeem was really that important to the team after all? Perhaps by the offense revolving around him so much, and his being parked in the low post all the time, maybe he was creating too much stagnation in the offense? Or perhaps the other players’ talents didn’t have a chance to come out since they relied too much on Hakeem to do his thing down low? Now with Hakeem out of the picture, they had a chance to emerge from his shadow, and they were better off without him, right?

I have to admit I was wondering the same thing. Back then everyone knew Hakeem was a great player, but it was before he had shown he could really win a championship, which he proved in 1994 and 1995 he could do. There were also a few questions about his overall ability to win and lead. And he had a few run-ins with the Houston front office questioning his work ethic (if you can believe that). I remember anxiously waiting upon The Dream’s return to see if he would disrupt the chemistry that the other players had developed with him out of the lineup.

Well, everything turned out better than expected when Hakeem came back. After his return, the Rockets ended up winning 13 games in a row, and pushed their 32-23 record to 52-30.

I think the main reason for their success that season was because everyone else had a chance to get some playing time while Hakeem was out, and that bench strength really helped them down the stretch when the rest of the teams in the league were starting to fatigue from the always grueling NBA schedule.

Not to say this season’s Rocket team will do the same, but history does have a way of repeating itself considering we’re talking about two very similar big men like Dream and Yao who are just dominant offensively. On top of that, this year’s Rocket team has an advantage over that 1991 version – they have another superstar in Tracy McGrady who can carry the load (when healthy) for when Yao or the role players have an off night.

Meanwhile, the Rocket players today are sharpening their skills while Yao is out, but they can only go so far without him. Dikembe can’t continue to play long minutes like he has been doing at his age. T-Mac won’t always score 30+ points. Juwan Howard will have bad shooting nights, as will Rafer Alston (too many of those lately). The three-pointers won’t always fall. The Rockets won’t turn the ball over less than 10 times a game each game. And they are going to play much tougher opponents during their next stretch of games, like the following:

Sunday – at Minnesota
Monday – at Chicago
Wednesday – vs. LA Lakers
Friday – at Denver
Saturday – at Sacramento
Jan. 16th – at Dallas
Jan. 17th – vs. Phoenix
Jan. 20th – vs. Denver

So no matter how tempting it may be for the people (e.g. national media) to say the Rockets don’t need Yao because they are 5-1 in games since he hasn’t played, they will be even better with him. Especially if you account for Van Gundy‘s ability to work the lineup so that the players on the floor compliment and mesh with each other to the best degree possible.

Rocket players continue to honor and respect Yao while he is out of the lineup, keeping his spot open during pre-game fesitivities. A few minutes later, the Rockets got off to a fast start thanks to Tracy McGrady’s aggressiveness, and they never looked back, beating a very good Utah Jazz team 100-86. Click here for more photos from the game.

The Dallas Mavericks are getting all the publicity, having won their 13th game in a row on national TV against San Antonio Friday night. Meanwhile, the Rockets are quietly humming along, beating a very good Utah Jazz team at Toyota Center Friday night, 100-86.

That’s okay with me. Let’s let Dallas, San Antonio, and Phoenix get all the pub and have everyone overlook the Rockets. Remember what happened with Miami last year when they flew under the radar for most of the season – just like the Rockets are doing – and shocked the world by winning a ring?

T-Mac was amazing once again, scoring the most number of points he has scored in Houston as a Rocket: 44 points, along with 9 boards. That’s his fourth game in a row with 30+ points. Absolutely no one expected McGrady to be this dominant after coming off the injured list from back spasms.

He was aggressive all game long, taking it to the basket every chance he could, it seems. He just knew that to beat a good 23-9 team like the Jazz, they were going to have to do something different to keep them on their heels. He started off the first quarter propelling the Rockets to an incredible 18-3 lead, scoring 17 in the first. He followed it up with 10 in the second, 8 in the third, and 9 in the fourth. And he had only one turnover all game long.

That was another key to this game: the Rockets turning it over only 7 times! And four of those were from one player – Juwan Howard, who didn’t have a good shooting night (3-of-11).

But Dikembe Mutombo had his back on the front line, racking up 19 boards (8 of them on the offensive glass) while playing a season-high 36 minutes.

Rafer Alston continued to struggle from the field, hitting only 5-of-17 shots and bringing the team FG% down to 41.5%. But the Rockets traditionally strong defense held the Jazz to only 40% shooting, and they outrebounded a very good rebounding team 48-43.

Alston is still attacking the basket, which is good to see, but he’s not making those running tear-drop shots he was making earlier in the season. He missed several of those Friday night, and if he hadn’t hit a surprising 4-of-9 from three-point land, his FG% would have been even worse.

So the Rockets have now won five in a row and are 5-1 since Yao’s injury. Many people may be thinking that Yao is overrated and/or the Rockets don’t need him after all, or that he could disrupt the chemistry that the team is currently developing when he returns. But I’ll have something to say about that in my next blog post.

I have been out sick with a cold and bad cough, so I wasn’t able to watch the Rockets-Sonics game on Wednesday night. It looks like I missed a great performance by Tracy McGrady, who scored 31 points to help beat Seattle 103-96.

It was the Rockets fourth straight win since Yao went out with his fractured tibia, and T-Mac’s third straight game with 30 or more points. It looks like he’s determined to get to the basket and be aggressive as shown by his 11-of-21 shooting from the field, and hitting 3-of-6 from three-point land. He also chipped in a team-high 7 assists and six boards.

I’m sorry I can’t provide much other commentary. I’m pretty wiped out and need to get some rest.

The Rockets held their first practice of the New Year on Tuesday, with Yao making an appearance along with other injured players Bonzi Wells and Kirk Snyder. Click here for more photos from the practice. Click here for more photos.

Our YaoMania! correspondent in China, Raymond, has created a thread in the discussion forum where he has been translating the Chinese media’s coverage of Yao’s recuperation — which is much better than the Western media’s coverage. Click here for one of the translations, and proceed through the forum to see part 2 of the translation.

They shot almost 10 percentage points lower than their opponent, they missed critical free throws down the stretch, but because of amazing 3-point shooting (14-of-31), the Houston Rockets held on to beat Memphis New Year’s Eve at Toyota Center, 111-109.

Tracy McGrady continues his improbable scoring binge after missing 7 games because of back spasms. He made 15-of-30 shots on his way to 38 points, making 5-of-8 treys along the way. After making only 40.5% of his shots and 28% of his 3-pointers before Friday’s game against Atlanta, he has hit 58% of his shots and 64% (9-of-14) of his threes his last two games.

It might be because of inferior defenses, but clearly T-Mac’s concentration — and confidence — is running sky high. The Rockets need that while Yao is sidelined with his fractured tibia.

Juwan Howard continues to look like his Fab Five self, hitting 5-of-10 shots but also making 12-of-13 free three throws on his way to 22 points and 7 boards. What’s surprising is that Howard’s shooting at the line is no fluke. He shot his average Sunday night – 92%. Pretty good for a big man who is playing extended minutes (38 Sunday night) and probably more winded because of Yao’s absence. He has been the biggest surprise of all during the Rockets 3-game winning streak.

Luther Head made two huge 3-pointers in the games final two minutes to give the Rockets some cushion against the hot shooting Grizzlies (52%), making 5-of-6 three-pointers overall for 18 points. Van Gundy gave the rising star props after the game. “He’s a terrific shooter…he’s had the courage from day one to shoot late,” Van Gundy said.

Howard and Head’s production were sorely needed considering Rafer Alston showed his inconsistency by making only 4-of-18 shots (1-of-7 three-point shooting), and missing those big FTs down the stretch – Yikes! But at least his line wasn’t a total disaster – only two turnovers on a night the Rockets gave up the ball 10 times.

The Rockets now head into the New Year with 3 days off before playing Seattle on Wednesday, and a 19-12 record. If you had told me before the season that the Rockets would have that kind of record with T-Mac missing 7 games and Yao out for 4, I would have taken it.

The added bonus is that the Rockets’ bench has been getting some welcomed playing time during those games without their studs, which will be crucial come playoff time. With the way they are playing, that’s a high probability with the Rockets currently seeded 6th in the West.

Click here for the Houston Chronicle’s story on the game.

I was on a plane during the Rockets’ 94-68 blowout of the Atlanta Hawks Friday night, so I haven’t been able to watch the game yet. However, I plan to watch it on my Tivo over the weekend, and maybe post a few observations that perhaps the Houston Chronicle didn’t already write about the game.

I am hardly believing my eyes seeing routs like this one — and the one in New Jersey on Wednesday night — with T-Mac back in the lineup so recently after coming off the inactive list with back spasms 3 games ago. He dominated by putting up 31 points, and probably could have put up even more if he hadn’t got his thumb whacked midway through the third quarter.

I know it’s only the woeful Hawks we’re talking about, but a win like this one is still impressive because it shows that T-Mac’s back may not be as bad as we thought it would be. It also shows the Rockets are not going to curl up in the fetal position now that Yao is out.

When Jeff Van Gundy compliments his players about playing with great passion, and Juwan Howard (17 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists) and Dikembe Mutombo (14 boards in just 22 minutes) turn back the clock ten years, you’ve got to give them lots of credit for giving fans hope that maybe they can still make the playoffs even with Yao’s absence over the next 6-8 weeks.

Just when you think the Rockets are doomed for another season because of injuries and Yao being out with a fractured leg, they get a huge 25-point 96-71 win against the Nets in New Jersey on the second game of a back-to-back.

T-Mac struggled (17 points only 4-for-16 shooting, 5 turnovers) for the second straight game since coming back from his back spasms Tuesday night, but Shane Battier reminded everyone of the professional he is, picking up the scoring load and scoring 23 points on an amazing 7-of-12 three-point shooting night, along with 9 boards.

What’s also incredible is that the Rockets won by such a big margin while committing 24 turnovers and Luther Head scoring only 6 points. Obviously, the defense was the key to this victory, holding New Jersey to only 33% shooting and outrebounding the Nets 54-32. I had said a few posts ago that the Rockets’ defense will always keep them in games, and it did the job again this time against the Nets.

I loved Jeff Van Gundy‘s saracastic comment after the game when asked what was the key to the game. He replied, “We kept our turnovers under 25.”

I have been out-of-pocket since Yao got injured over the holidays, so I wasn’t able to watch Tuesday night’s 81-76 loss to the Indiana Pacers (and probably won’t be able to watch Wednesday night’s game against the Nets in New Jersey). As expected, without Yao the Rockets lost to Indiana, but the good news is that Tracy McGrady finally played after missing the last 7 games because of back spasms.

T-Mac scored 19 points (7-of-22 shooting), but played 39 minutes and ran out of gas at the end of the fourth quarter when the Rockets had a chance to tie the game by missing 3 shots, and turning the ball over a couple of times (7 TO’s overall). I’m not too disappointed, though, since it’s good to have at least one superstar back in the lineup.

If you have gotten over your depression about Yao being out (I’m still struggling with it), and are still interested in the details of the loss to the Pacers, I’ll refer you to the Houston Chronicle story about the game.

Sorry I can’t get more into these games right now. With the holiday break occurring creating a disjointed schedule for me, the Rockets not having Yao in the lineup, and T-Mac still getting his legs back, it’s tough to watch these games.

Yao gets attention from the Rockets medical staff after fracturing his right tibia Saturday night in Houston against the Clippers. Yao is expected to miss at least 6 weeks of action during a season where he had a legitimate chance to win the league MVP award. Click here for photos of Yao leaving Toyota Center on crutches.

Like millions of Yao fans tonight, I’m completely depressed. Yao suffered a fracture of his right tibia and is out at least 6 weeks.

I suffered a similar fracture in my left tibia almost 3 years ago, and it hurt like hell. I’ll never forget the pain and trauma inflicted on my knee that created the fracture. Ironically, I fell and landed right on some concrete steps at a Rockets-Warriors game. It hurt so much, I’ll never forget the day — March 19th. When I saw Yao rolling on the court in extreme pain, it reminded me of my own pain at the time. Looking at his reaction, I’m sure he’ll never forget it either.

To recuperate, I had to rest as well as do some rehab work for the injury inflicted on my knee and tibia. What sucked was that I couldn’t run on it, and I quickly lost my cardiovascular fitness. I could still ride a stationary bike as much as I wanted, but it’s just not the same as running. I expect Yao will have a big adjustment period to get his conditioning back once he returns, hopefully right around the All-Star game break (February 18th).

Rafer Alston summed it up just as well as anyone after the Rockets game against the Clippers. “That’s our guy. You’re talking about a guy who’s on an MVP pace, a guy that’s been carrying this team for the last two seasons. That hurts.”

Van Gundy also echoed my sentiments. “If there’s ever been an athlete who doesn’t deserve the bad breaks he’s gotten the last two years, it’s him. He works hard, he’s in great shape, so I feel badly for him.”

I was so looking forward to seeing Yao make a run at the MVP award this year. He could still do it if his recuperation period of 6 weeks stands, but the chances will be slim since the Rockets need to make the playoffs in order for that happen. Without T-Mac and/or Yao playing together, the Rockets will probably lose more games than they win, and that will most likely not cut it in the tough Western Conference.

Oh, by the way, the Rockets lost tonight against a Clipper team that had lost 5 in a row and was probably going to get beat before Yao’s injury entered the picture. Even Clipper coach Mike Dunleavy acknowledged how lucky the Clippers were. “We got a major break when Yao went down. We moved the ball better, we had open gaps and we were able to make our shots.”

It’s like the Clippers gained confidence after Yao went down that they could win this game, and played knowing they could win.

I was surprised the remaining Rockets still made a game of it, taking an 11-point lead in the first half at one point. Shane Battier took on a lot of the scoring load after Yao left the game, scoring a season-high 28 points. You have to love Shane — a player who doesn’t score much but does many of the little things needed to win — for being able to immediately turn on his offense like that when the team needs it. Not many guys can do that. The ultimate pro.

Along with Shane, Luther Head chipped in with 22 (7-of-15 shooting) and Alston had 21 (8-of-20). But not having Yao in the lineup took its toll on the Rockets, who made only 14-of-40 shots in the second half.

But the two guys who shot so well on Friday night – Juwan Howard and Bonzi Wells – made only 2-of-10 shots and 1-of-6 field goals, respectively. That’s just not going to cut it when the Rockets need all hands on deck hitting for a high percentage while Yao is out.

Click here for the Houston Chronicle story about Yao’s injury and the game.