Houston Rockets Playoff Preview - 2008 - Round 1

Houston Rockets: Record Highs & Lows

After kicking off the season at 6-1, the Houston Rockets suffered a rocky start – dropping six straight losses in November, then hovering around .500 basketball throughout December and much of January. The Houston Rockets held a 24-20 record on Jan. 27 with a loss to the Utah Jazz – the Houston Rockets’ longtime rival both in the regular season and in the playoffs. Little did the Houston Rockets, the city of Houston, or the rest of the NBA know that this Houston Rockets basketball team wouldn’t lose another game until March 18, 2008, while taking on the Boston Celtics – another former NBA playoffs rival for the Houston Rockets. The Houston Rockets made history (and plenty of noise) when they reeled off 22 consecutive wins – good for second place on the all-time consecutive wins list.

Houston Rockets: Wild, Wild West

Prior to the win streak, the Houston Rockets were practically left for dead in a competitive and extremely tight Western Conference Playoffs race. As the 10th playoff seed on Jan. 27, the Houston Rockets parlayed their 22-game win streak into first place in the playoff picture on Mar. 16 with a big win over Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. While many critics discredited the Houston Rockets’ streak – owing it to an easy schedule, the Houston Rockets followed their winning streak by dropping a couple of losses to playoff contenders – Boston Celtics, New Orleans Hornets, and Phoenix Suns – while escaping with a win against the Golden State Warriors. The Western Conference Playoff standings should continue to fluctuate right until the last day of the 2008 regular season. Interestingly, nine teams in the hunt for the Western Conference Playoffs could potentially win 50 games, but only eight can move on, proving just how wild the Wild West really is.

Houston Rockets: Strengths

In the early months of the 2008 season, the Houston Rockets experienced a stretch of inept shooting and scoring, which prompted Houston Rockets head coach Ric Adelman to insert Argentinean rookie and off-season acquisition Luis Scola into the starting lineup at the power forward position to add much-needed offense. Adelman included another rookie power forward, Carl Landry, into the lineup after Landry enjoyed an explosive offensive game against the Minnesota Timberwolves back in mid-January. Since then, the formidable rookie tandem has helped spark the Houston Rockets’ winning ways, while exciting Houston Rockets basketball fans city and nationwide.

During the historic win streak, however, the Houston Rockets lost All-Star center Yao Ming to a season-ending foot injury, which prompted many sports critics and writers to count the Houston Rockets basketball team out of the playoffs altogether. In true Clutch City fashion, the Houston Rockets rallied together due in large part to their solid team chemistry and trust in one another, running Adelman’s motion offense to perfection and moving the basketball better than they had early in the season.

Without the services of Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets turned to veteran center and defensive enforcer Dikembe Mutombo, who helped spur the Houston Rockets’ focus on defense. In 2008, the Houston Rockets have been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, sharing elite company with the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. During the win streak, Houston allowed just 95.1 points per 100 opponent possessions. In addition to stellar defense, the Houston Rockets have protected the ball, keeping their turnovers low as well.

Houston Rockets: Weaknesses

While the Houston Rockets are executing the fast break to perfection without Yao Ming, the Rockets lack a dominant force in the middle to match up in a half-court offense. If the Houston Rockets make the playoffs, they will have trouble matching up with any team with size – the Phoenix Suns with Shaquille O’Neal, the San Antonio Spurs with Tim Duncan, or the Los Angeles Lakers with Pao Gasol and possibly Andrew Bynum, and the Dallas Mavericks with possibly Dirk Nowitzki. The Rockets must rely on Tracy McGrady for much of the offensive production.

Houston Rockets: Lineup

Heading into the NBA playoffs, the Houston Rockets starting lineup includes: Rafer Alston (guard), Tracy McGrady (guard), Luis Scola (forward), Shane Battier (forward), and Dikembe Mutombo (center), along with backups Carl Landry, Bobby Jackson, Luther Head, Chuck Hayes, Mike Harris, Aaron Brooks, Steve Novak, and Loren Woods. Steve Francis and Yao Ming (both members of the Houston Rockets team that lost in Round 1 of the playoffs in 2003-04 against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers) are out with season-ending injuries.

Houston Rockets: Schedule

The Houston Rockets’ Round 1 playoff opponent has yet to be decided. If the Houston Rockets can lock down one of the top four seeds, the Houston Rockets will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. In 2008, the Houston Rockets arena – Toyota Center – has averaged upwards of 17,454 in attendance through the end of March. As the playoff race gets clearer, expect Houston Rockets tickets to sell fast as Rockets basketball fans continue to buy Houston Rockets tickets to see the Rockets move past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 season.