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Thursday March 13, 2008 3:51 PM


Rockets keep rolling by buckling down on defense


Charlotte at Houston, Friday, 7:30 p.m.


Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer


HOUSTON -- Before leaving town on Monday night, New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank was asked why the Rockets have been able to roll towards one of the NBA's greatest winning streaks.

He didn't think it was a mystery.

"There is no secret," Frank said. "It starts with their defense."

He wouldn't get much debate from anyone in the NBA.

Behind one of the best defenses in the league, the Rockets have maintained their improbable run into the NBA record books heading into Friday night's game against the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Rockets (44-20) are holding opponents to 42.9 percent shooting -- second only to Boston -- and are allowing a mere 91.8 points per game. But over Houston's winning streak, the D has been particularly stingy. The Rockets have allowed only three of their past 20 opponents to reach the 100-point plateau -- none in the past 10 games.

The result: The Rockets became only the third team in NBA history to win 20 consecutive games on Wednesday by beating the Atlanta Hawks. With a win over Charlotte, the Rockets would own the second longest winning streak in NBA history behind the Los Angeles Lakers' 33-game run in 1971-72.

Tracy McGrady and Co. are confident that they can win any game by simply ratcheting up their defensive presence.

"Defense wins ball games and that's what we're great at," McGrady said. "In this league, one thing you're going to have is off-nights on the offensive end. One thing you can control is how you play defense."

The Rockets don't need to look further than Wednesday's performance for proof.

During the win over the Hawks, the Rockets scored a season-low 33 points in the first half and finished shooting 33.3 percent. Rafer Alston, who has been hot throughout Houston's run, made only 3-of-18 shots. McGrady, meanwhile, missed 8 of his first 10 attempts.

None of it mattered.

With a scrambling perimeter defense, the Rockets held the Hawks in check long enough for McGrady to get rolling in the fourth quarter. The Rockets star hit several key buckets in the final five minutes as Atlanta missed seven shots in a row to slip behind by double digits.

How did the Rockets do it?

"They were doing a great job with their interior play," Atlanta forward Josh Smith said. "They help each other out extremely well, and they limit you to one shot. They crashed the boards. We knew it was going to be a defensive battle, but they're a great defensive team."

The Rockets have become more aggressive on the defensive end since losing Yao Ming to a season-ending foot surgery.

With the NBA's second all-time leading shot blocker -- Dikembe Mutombo -- patrolling the paint, Houston is stretching its defense and taking more chances on the perimeter. Through eight games without Yao, Houston is limiting opponents to 38.5 percent shooting and forcing 14.1 turnovers per game.

On top of that, the Rockets haven't been giving up second-chance opportunities even without their 7-foot-6 center. Houston leads the NBA in rebounding differential, averaging 4.28 more boards than their opponents per game.

"We're active," Rockets point guard Rafer Alston said. "We got our hands on the ball, we were in the passing lane and we're defending the pick-and-rolls better. We get better with each team and we're really well prepared. When you are prepared for what's to come and you practice on that and work hard on what the other team likes to do, it helps your defense."

Despite having the occasional off-night on the offensive end, the Rockets have remained on a roll because of that defense.

With that, it's hardly a secret why Houston keeps winning.

"That's been the trademark of our team -- trying to make the other team work hard on offense," Rockets forward Shane Battier said.