Rockets gain share of West lead with win over Bobcats
Houston 89, Charlotte 80
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Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer
HOUSTON -- During halftime, Rick Adelman didn't throw any chairs according to eye-witness accounts.
He didn't even yell or scream after his team struggled through the first half against the pesky Charlotte Bobcats.
Instead, the Rockets coach calmly reminded his team to do what they've been doing over the past six weeks.
"I told them, 'We've been through all of this in 2008,'" Adelman said. "'We've been playing at such a level that you know this is going to happen. All you have to do is keep doing what you've been doing this whole streak. Trust each other and lay it on the line.'"
The Rockets did it again.
Houston overcame a first-half deficit to become the second team in
NBA history to win 21 consecutive games with a gritty 89-80 triumph over the
Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night.
Houston (45-20) moved past the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks for the second-longest winning streak in league history. Now, only Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers have won more games in a row -- 33 straight in 1971-72.
The victory boosted the Rockets into a share of first place in the Western Conference heading into Sunday's showdown against the Lakers.
But with the battle for supremacy in the West still more than 24 hours away, the Rockets
could savor how far they've come over the course of their winning streak. Houston took Charlotte's best shot -- and still prevailed.
"This is pretty remarkable," said Rockets guard Tracy McGrady, who had a game-high 30 points and seven rebounds. "I will always remember this. I am definitely cherishing this moment. It's a great feeling to know that I did it with a great group of guys who I really respect, who I love being a part of and who I love being around every day. This has been fun."
The Rockets made sure the fun continued with a second-half surge.
With Houston's collection of shooters struggling to hit anything in the first half, the Bobcats pulled away from the Rockets for a 13-point advantage -- the largest lead any opponent has had over Houston during the winning streak. The Rockets went almost 10 minutes without a field goal over one stretch in the first half, clanking 15 of 19 shots from beyond the arc.
Despite that, the Rockets didn't panic. Houston sliced Charlotte's lead to 43-36 going into the break and turned around their fate in the second half.
The Rockets opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run to tie the game. Less than a minute later, Houston took the lead for good after Luis Scola hit a jumper that gave Houston a 52-50 lead with 6:16 remaining.
The advantage eventually grew to nine.
"That's just the fight in us," Rockets guard Rafer Alston said. "We've been showing that throughout this impressive streak. We've been showing that we're going to fight and that was back-to-back, one in Atlanta where we had to fight for that win and then tonight. They were playing great, they were getting their hands up and playing hard, they were playing good defense. We were able to find some energy in the second half and put forth the effort."
The Bobcats didn't disappear.
Despite slipping behind by nine points in the third quarter, Gerald Wallace swished a three-pointer at the buzzer that cut Houston's lead to 64-62 heading into the fourth quarter.
That's when Houston's most surprising role player made an impact -- Mike Harris.
With a dunk on a pass from McGrady, Harris ignited a 13-2 spurt to open the fourth quarter. The former Rice star, who is on a 10-day contract after playing most of the season in China, scored six points over the run. He finished with a career-high 12 points and four rebounds.
"We know who the leader is," Harris said. "But on any given night, anybody on this team can step up and help out. When McGrady gets double-teamed, he passes the ball really well. I just had the opportunity to finish."
The Rockets will now begin a brutal stretch of games.
Over the next five games, Houston will face a who's who of NBA title contenders. The Rockets have the Lakers and Boston Celtics coming into town before going on a three-game road trip to visit New Orleans, Golden State and Phoenix.
Of course, it all begins with a big one on Sunday against L.A.
"We still have some work," McGrady said. "But to come from No. 10 to No. 1 in the Western Conference is unbelievable. We've got to keep on believing. Now the true test comes to see how good we really are. We're going to find out. This next week is going
to be a good week for our team."
