Rockets roll over Clips to clinch playoff spot
Houston 105, L.A. Clippers 79
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Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer
The Rockets were supposed to fade from playoff contention after losing one
of the game's best big men.
So much for that theory.
Despite playing the final seven weeks of the season without injured All-Star
Yao Ming, the Rockets clinched their second straight postseason berth Sunday
night by crushing the Los Angeles Clippers for a 105-79 victory at the
Staples Center.
The Rockets (52-25) secured their third trip to the playoffs in the past
four seasons, winning their third straight game and matching their win total
from a season ago. They also regained sole possession of fifth place in the
Western Conference and, more importantly, remained within striking distance
of securing home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Rockets made their latest triumph look easy as they maintained a
double-digit cushion throughout the second half and overwhelmed the Clippers
with a balanced scoring attack.
With that effort, the Rockets are heading back to the playoffs. Not bad
considering that most NBA experts predicted that the Rockets wouldn't make
it after losing Yao.
"It means a lot to us," Rockets guard Tracy McGrady said. "The day Yao Ming
went down everyone counted us out. That was one of the things we wanted to
prove to people. We were still a team that was going to make the playoffs.
We accomplished that."
The Rockets didn't do much wrong against the Clippers.
Relying on their reserves in the second quarter, the Rockets turned the
game into blowout before halftime. Houston used a game-determining 20-8 run
over the final seven minutes of the half, gaining a 62-42 lead at the
break.
Despite still having a half left to play, the Clippers never recovered.
Elton Brand and Co. managed to trim the lead to 13 points before the start
of the fourth quarter, but Houston didn't allow L.A. to get any closer than
that.
By the time the game was finished, the Rockets netted 48.1 percent of their
shots and had six players in double figures. Aaron Brooks, the rookie point
guard who has received more playing time of late with Rafer Alston out of
the lineup, set the pace with 18 points.
"It's good that we clinched a playoff spot," Brooks said. "But we've got to
find out stride. Once we get clicking, we're hard to stop."
The Clippers (23-54) are heading to the NBA Draft lottery after injuries to
Elton Brand and Chris Kaman derailed their season. Brand, the Clippers'
All-Star forward, missed most of the season with a ruptured Achilles' tendon
before making his debut this week.
With a third starter -- Corey Maggette -- leaving the game with a hamstring
injury in the first quarter, the Rockets didn't have to contend with much
offensive firepower. Josh Powell had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Brand had
19 points. But overall, the Clippers shot 43.2 percent and scored only 12
points in the final period.
With that, the Rockets overcame a tough start to a five-game road trip by
winning the final three games.
"I am proud of the team and the way they sustained their effort," Rockets
coach Rick Adelman said. "I can't remember three games where we got handed
things to us. We were at every game and competed."
The final result certainly made it good.
With five games remaining in the regular season, the Rockets will use the
last two weeks of the season to try to gain home-court advantage in the
opening round of of the playoffs. Right now, they're a game behind the Los
Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for the second-best record in the West.
The conference-leading New Orleans Hornets, meanwhile, are a mere 2 1/2
games ahead of Houston.
Back in February, no one would have guessed the Rockets would be in such a
position when Yao was lost with a stress fracture in his right foot.
"It was a great win to get into the playoffs," Adelman said. "This team
deserves a lot of credit. Now, let's see where we can land. We have to play
these last five games and see where we finish."
