Rockets' streak not diminished by its ending
By RICHARD JUSTICE
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
TWENTY-two games. Forty-eight days. No apologies. Nothing that happened Tuesday night changes anything.
The Rockets ran into an opponent with more talent, resolve and energy. They had no answer for Boston's depth or defense. They had no heroes and were beaten badly 94-74.
They'd known this day was coming. They'd known there'd be a night when the shots didn't fall, the defense was slow and the passes were lazy.
No answers this time
Stuff happens. All the Rockets did these last seven weeks was make history, and no matter where these players go or what else they accomplish, they'll have this warm, splendid memory.
"We'll have something to tell our kids," Rafer Alston said. "It was a wonderful thing."
When it was over, they seemed almost numb. For so long, they'd always found a way, had conceded nothing.
"I wonder if we ran into a wall," coach Rick Adelman said. "You have to give (the Celtics) credit. They put their will on us. We kind of got deflated and didn't have a response."
The Rockets had run off the second-longest winning streak in NBA history by taking care of the details. They'd gotten to every loose ball and played relentlessly on the defensive end. They'd always had an answer on the offensive end.
Celtics get their wish
And then Tuesday, the wheels came off. The NBA's best defensive team dismantled them in the second half. No use sugarcoating that part of the story.
The Celtics had cheered Sunday as the Rockets defeated the Lakers. They'd wanted to be the team to end The Streak.
"All good things must come to an end," Tracy McGrady said.
The Celtics jumped the pick-and-roll, crowded the middle of the lane and conceded the perimeter shots. The Rockets were 5-for-19 from 3-point land.
Had they made some of those shots, things would have opened up inside. Instead, McGrady found himself getting the ball out of position and typically surrounded by two defenders.
"I've never seen defense like that," he said. "That was defense at its finest."
McGrady had a quiet night, going 4-of-11 and scoring eight points. This time, though, it was more a case of what the Celtics did instead of what McGrady didn't.
He didn't have enough help, and the Rockets turned the ball over 17 times.
Tough road ahead
Defense had led them. The Rockets won some games because they were willing to put more into it than the other team. Not this night.
"They took us out of what we wanted to do," Adelman said. "It has been a long time. We've done a lot of good things. When you have a loss like this, you learn from it. You've got to respond."
The Streak has inspired and motivated the Rockets. What happens now that it's over? Will they bring the same energy, the same effort on the defensive end? Will anything change at all?
"We didn't fight out there in the second half," Alston said. "They had all the fight."
Beginning tonight in New Orleans, the Rockets play 10 of their final 15 games on the road. They play nine winning teams, including road games at Golden State, Phoenix, San Antonio, Portland, Denver and Utah.
McGrady has maintained for days that this team's legacy will be written during the playoffs. Adelman has preached that simply getting to the playoffs won't be easy.
The Rockets still don't really know how good they are. At their best, they might be capable of beating anyone.
On nights like Tuesday, when they don't take care of the ball and get outworked, they have no chance.
"You find out what you're made out of," Adelman said. "We've got a one-game losing streak. That's the way we've got to approach it. You don't look back. You don't get caught reminiscing."
Nothing seems clear in the Western Conference anymore. The Suns and Mavericks are in transition, the Lakers are injured, and the Spurs have their longest losing streak in seven years.
A great 48 days
The Celtics didn't have a new plan for beating the Rockets. They focused on McGrady, left the perimeter open, and challenged almost every pass.
Other opponents have done this along the way. The Celtics simply did it better. Now it's about responding.
"The team that comes out of the West will be the team that comes back," Adelman said. "There are going to be bumps in the road."
The Rockets hadn't had one in 48 remarkable days. Along the way, they captivated a city and amazed a sport. They will remember these 48 days forever.
Listen to Richard Justice weekdays from 10 a.m.-noon on 1560 AM.
richard.justice@chron.com
