Saw the Rockets win #19
We are still not sure which was better:
- Mutumbo getting 5 blocks + finger wagging opportunities….all in the first half (bless his 41 year old body);
- Richard Jefferson of the Nets dunking on Mutumbo, trying to wag his finger at Deke, and getting T’d up for taunting (yes, we know Deke is protected by a double standard, and we like that);
- Novak the designated three point shooter draining a few 3’s;
- T-Mac having only 2 points for a long time, then moments later he has 19 and can sit out Q4;
- Rice University grad Mike Harris making the most of his playing time with some hustle plays;
- Carl Landry, the rooking Harris is replacing, looking sharp in a suit on the bench (resting up for the Lakers this weekend).
The Rocks play Atlanta on the road, then Charlotte…then the Lake Show and the Celts. They are now 3rd in the Western Conference, closer to the top than to the bottom.
I was at many of the games in the Rockets 15 game winning streak many years ago, with Olajuwon and a supporting cast. That streak was at the beginning of the season; this one, being so close to the playoffs (there are only 19 games left in the season) is building on an “us without Yao against the world” attitude than the one before; in the 15 game streak, they were expected to win…in this one, they are surprising everyone but themselves.
They still need to beat LA, SA and Utah to show they are ready for the 2nd season. They have all the confidence that they need to do it.