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Rafer Alston, a playground legend while growing up in Queens, New York, is in his second season as the Rockets' starting point guard. He is among the NBA's leaders in steals and is on pace to average double digits in scoring for the fourth straight season. During the Rockets march towards the playoffs, Alston will blog about his experiences on and off-the-court on Rockets.com.

April 17, 2007
Coach of the Year?

My vote is for Jeff Van Gundy. Every I time that I watch TNT, they go through the list of candidates and he's up there. You would hope they take into consideration all the things that our team has to deal with as far as guys being in and out of the lineup. We played with a lot of different lineups. We haven't had one set lineup for the whole season.

He's had to alter ourgame plan on a daily basis -- one without Yao, one without, and one without both and one without key reserves. He's done a great job of giving us a game plan whenever we were undermanned.

He's good at using what we have that night. Let's say we don't have Yao then we know most of our game would be going to Tracy and getting up and down the floor. But one thing that he's always driven home is that we're going to have to do it with hard defense. That's one thing that he's instilled. No matter what we change or do on offense, defense is going to be the key.

When you look at his eyes, you can tell he stays up all night. I know he's dissecting and breaking down things. He's figuring out ways to stop the opposing team and opposing teams best players.

Back on a Roll

We're dangerous. I've felt that way since I came over here in a trade. We have a dominant perimeter player and a dominant post player that pose a threat. If you think you can double the inside, you're giving up something on the outside. If you double on Tracy, you're giving up the inside.

None of us liked the way we were playing before this five-game winning streak. We had lost three in a row, but we've been able to turn it around. We swept our road trip and we've come back here to get some big wins.

We've got a lot of confidence heading into the playoffs.

All That Jazz

The Jazz are very physical and they play very hard. They play every possession. But on the flip side to being physical, they also flop. I love watching them on my League Pass because I always admire how hard they play. They love playing the game and their coaching staff loves the game as well.

But you also see guys that are supposed to be these bruising types. And THEY flop.

They have certain kind of tough guys that play there. I've heard that was the kind of player that Jerry Sloan was. He was a hard-nosed type of player. He wouldn't give in and he's really handed that mentality down to his team.

I don't know if they have to have a certain type of guy. It seems like they do. They had John Stockton, Karl Malone and Jeff Hornacek. Those weren't pushover guys. Now, they got Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Matt Harpring, Derek Fisher and Deron Williams. Those aren't pushover guys. It seems like they keep those type of players rolling in and out of there.

Billy Jean

Chuck Hayes provided the entertainment in the locker room this week. He wore some black shoes to the game on Saturday night that had the whole team making fun of him. They were glittery, sparkling and sizzling.

I was mad because I had to go outside the locker room and do an interview when the team was getting on him. I was supposed to get on the act, man. I missed it.

They were the same shoes that Michael Jackson wore when he did Billy Jean. I hope that I don't see those shoes again.


April 5, 2007
Gotta Be the Shoes

We have a Nike Air Force One contest on our team. Who's got the most exclusive Air Force Ones? That's what it's all about.

I recently picked up some good ones. I got them at a sneaker store in Houston called Premium Goods. They're all white with a special kind of material. They've even got leather on the inside.

I try to keep mine basic. I don't have John Lucas' colors. He dabs with all the multi-color ones. I keep it basic. Maybe a little white with red or black.

I have a lot shoes. Right now, my spring and summer collection is well put together. I've got about 50 pair. John's probably got the most shoes, but some of his are techinical fouls. Lucas' colors are so loud that you can spot him a mile away. He can stand in the middle of the street with all black on and just flash his shoes and the car still won't hit him. His shoes are like a reflector.

Shoulder Problem?

Luther Head hurt his shoulder. I don't know when it happened or where it happened. I just know that I walked into the locker room for the Lakers game, his shoulder was suddently hurting him. It's been hurting ever since. So I call him, "Shoulder." That's his nickname for now.

Now, John Lucas III wakes up and all the sudden his shoulder is bothering him. So there is this mysterious shoulder thing going around. We have the shoulder lean brothers.

Getting Better

We know we got to get better late in the game. We really got to concentrate and key in late in the game.

We've also got to start making teams pay when they're trying to take something away from us when we're trying to run our offense. When they're trying to take Yao Ming away, we got to make them pay with the open shot. When they're trying to take Tracy McGrady away, we got to make them pay by dumping it back down.

Late Game Free Throws

During our win over the Clippers, Yao Ming pulled down a rebound and passed me the ball when they were looking to send us to the line in the closing seconds.

I was cooler than the other side of the pillow. I was cool, calm and collected at the line. Even in high school or college, I've always been able to really make them down the stretch when I need them. I know percentage-wise that I'm not where I should be, but down the stretch I can make them.

The thing is some of the guys put their head down when Yao passed the ball because he's one of our top free throw shooters. We joked about it after the game. I told the guys, 'Come on, cheer me on. Don't put your head down.' It was some fun times.



March 27, 2007
Not OK in Oklahoma

John Lucas promised me we were going to have a good time in Oklahoma because that's where he played his college ball. He was going to show me around and show me what a great place it is.

Well, I didn't have a good time at all -- and it's his fault.

He promised me he was going to show me around, but he left for Stillwater without me. Good thing there were some NCAA Tournament games on because I wouldn't have had anything to do.

I had to walk around Bricktown in Oklahoma City by myself. I had a good Italian dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse, but I was supposed to be seeing Stillwater.

He owes me. I don't know what he owes me, but I'm going to spend some time thinking about it. He's supposed to be a man of Stillwater and the whole state of Oklahoma -- and I have yet to see it.

Here Comes Kobe

We've got a game against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers coming up in L.A. I'm really impressed with what Kobe did -- scoring 50 points in four straight games.

Kobe is the best scorer in today's game. He's an amazing player. I know everyone criticizes him for going against the plays, but the thing is isthat he's destroying everyone. Coaches keep coming up with schemes to stop him, but no one is stopping him. He has that Jordan type of will and drive.

I didn't expect him to go on that scoring streak because you always expect guys to have an off-night. But he did it. The good thing is that he has cooled off. He only got 43 points the other night. Someone really contained him.

The Origin of 'Skip'

I got my nickname on the playgrounds of New York City. I would always skip bringing the ball up on a 3-on-1 break so that's when guys started calling me, "Skip to My Lou."

I probably got the nickname when I was 13 or 14 years old. I didn't know the name would become an icon thing throughout the whole United States. I don't look at it as a bad thing. People identify with it.

I'm recognized as Skip to My Lou all over the counrty -- and the world.

Chasing the Jazz

We're trying to catch the Jazz for home court advantage, but I've always believed that you're going to have to beat someone on their home floor to win a championship.

We saw that last year when the Heat put away the championship in Dallas. So you're going to have to win on the road. I'd love to have home court advantage, but if we have to go there to start, that's what we have to do.

I'm sure there's going to be a playoff atmosphere when we host the Jazz on Sunday. I'm already looking forward to it. But we know we got a tough week left with a couple of playoff teams in the Clippers and Lakers.


March 21, 2007
Bracketology

We had a few guys in the locker room fill out some brackets for fun. I didn't fill out a bracket in time, but if I did, I would be killing these guys.

The guys are beginning to realize that they're not bracketologists like me. They all just go with the hoopla. What happens is they don't have the NCAA Pass. So they only watch games that come on ESPN. I watch games on ESPNU, CSTV and all those local channels that teams play on. So I know what's going on.

Actually, you can ask Shane Battier this. I told him that USC will beat Texas and beat them good. And what happened? Everyone was like, "No Ray, USC's not that good." I watched them a lot this year and they were just whipping on teams in the Pac-10. They even beat UCLA. I did have Wisconsin playing in the Sweet 16, but I'm good everywhere else.

The guys are handling it OK when their own school loses. They understand some of their teams are missing a key component and understand that their team might not go far. I think they're more upset that their brackets are messed up.

No Trash Talking

I know some people thought I was looking over at the Toronto bench after I hit a big shot against the Raptors. But I didn't actually look at the players or coaches. I was actually looking at the crowd.

I made sure that I didn't have any eye contact with the players or coaches because people would take it as taunting or showboating. I'm not that type of player. OK, maybe I am in the summer time. But that's because taunting and showboating is what fans want to see in summer league action. Against Toronto, I was in a great groove, that's all.

No, I don't trash talk. I did a ton when I was younger, but not anymore. I just decided to stop. There's too much involved in the game with referees. Referees are watching it so you got to tone it down. You can't say much to people anymore. You've got that technical foul factor. I don't want to keep getting technical fouls.

Actually, I don't even think there are any big trash talkers in the league anymore. It used to be Gary Payton. But even he's toned it down. It's the rules. We don't have a great trash talker anymore in the league.




Getting Back in a Groove

My shot feels good. Before I even shoot the ball, I feel great. That's how good I feel. I'm in rhythm.

I was happy that I was shooting well in Toronto. Not because I was facing my old team. Just because you want to play well in front of your friends and I have a lot of great memories in that city. I wanted to play well.

I'm going to do everything I can to stay in this rhythm.

Cold in Philly

We had a pretty rough trip to Philadelphia. We got in late because of a snow storm and then our luggage didn't arrive until the next day.

Nobody had any of their coats. Our noses were running.

We went from 70-degree weather in Houston to 25-degree weather in Philadelphia. So I'm definitely glad to be back home.



March 12, 2007
Coffee Fix

Coffee is the last legal drug that you can use without getting suspended.

I started drinking coffee before games during my third year in the league. I felt like I was lacking energy at the start of games and it would take me a minute to really get into the flow. So I wanted to try something that would get my energy level going. I needed a boost so that I could help set the tempo and pace of a game right away. That's how I found coffee.

I can't remember what happened the first time I started drinking it. But I've stayed with it. Two cups of coffee gets me going.

March Madness

I'm always glued to the television during March Madness. The conference tournaments were great and I'm looking forward to seeing the Cinderella teams. I might even pick a few in my bracket.

We've got a lot of guys in the locker room who are following their schools in the NCAA Tournament. So it's about to get pretty intense around here. We're going to bring some Kleenex in for those guys when their team loses. Dry their eyes a little bit. And tell them better luck next season.

Fresno State, my school, is in the NIT. We had a chance to make a run in the WAC tournament, but we ended up getting knocked out by Boise State over a boneheaded play. We had a guy elbow George Karl's son and draw a bad technical foul. It turned into a four-point play after the free throws and extra possession and we ended up losing to Boise State by four points. That tech did us in.





Chasing Steve Nash

I've got to guard Steve Nash on Monday night. With Nash, you just gotta to match his effort and energy. He's going to go for 40-plus minutes per night so you can't ever ease up.

I can really appreciate what he does as a point guard. He does a great job of getting guys involved in the game and really makes that offense click. He makes them better. That's why guys love to play with him. He brings out their best.

I've still got to pick Dirk Nowitzki for MVP, though. It's his year. He's the best player on the best team in the league and he's been carry that team for the last four to five years. Nash is good, but Dirk is due.

Coach Alston

I've got an AAU team back in New York that I coach over the summer. We're already getting ready for the upcoming season. We're going to Las Vegas and L.A. so I'm expecting some big things out of them.

I told them they better spend more time in the gym because I don't think they've played enough basketball. They at least got to get in there every day and get some work in.

My coaching style? We're pressing. The WHOLE game. If we get a big lead, we might back off. But I want to put a ton of pressure on the ball. We also have to do a better job of sharing the ball on the offense. We had a little bit too much one-on-one last year. All the guys are talented, but we got to get them to share.

I'll allow a little razzle and dazzle because it's fun.



March 6, 2007
Style Guru

Whenever someone on the team wears something that the rest of us disapprove of, we usually put a post-it note on their locker to never wear that again.

During this past week, John Lucas III had the worst sweatshirt with a hood that I ever saw in my life.

It was teal and pink and had a pterodactyl with some sort of other dinosaur on it. Maybe a T-Rex or something like that. It just so happened that we were playing the Raptors that day so I don't know what he was thinking. We made sure that he retired that.

We do those notes every day. Whenever you see something ugly, you grab a post-it note and write, "Don't ever wear this bleep again."

Kirk Snyder actually has gotten more notes than anyone on the team. He doesn't know how to coordinate. We're going to find him a stylist.

I've gotten a few notes myself. I wore a purple and pink hoodie one time with a purple and pink rag hanging out the back pocket. That didn't go over well.


Card Shark

Every guy has a different routine on the plane. Some guys got their little DVD players, some guys read and some of us play cards.

I'm the card shark.

We play Bourre (Boo-Ray). It's kind of like Spades, but it will make a man out of you. The game makes a long plane ride go by quick, unless you're losing.

Actually, my plane ride coming back from Denver was pretty long. John was killing me. I'm usually the one doing the killing, but he got the best of us last night. Hopefully, I'll get things turned around on the next road trip.




No More Spurs

We're already done with the Spurs in the regular season.

When you're trying to catch them, you'd like to play them so that you'd have a chance to get past them. That really helps your chances. Now, you have to rely on other teams to try and help you out.

We've just got to keep fighting. We've dropped a few games that could have helped us, but now we have to continue to battle and hope that we can move up to third in the Western Conference.

The Spurs have obviously been on a roll. They look like they're getting back into championship form. Their guys are really getting after it so we're going to have to play well if we're going to catch up to them.


Hanging out with his Airness

During my trip in Las Vegas for All-Star weekend, I bumped into Boston's Gerald Green.

I was waiting for my limo to pull up from one of the parties and he was waiting too. His showed up before mine so I just hopped in with him. He was staying at The Palms and I was staying at the Venetian so I had the limo driver drop him off first and I paid for the ride.

During our ride, I told him that if he wins the Slam Dunk Contest, he's going to have Jordan status for the rest of the week. Everyone there will love him.

Well, he ended up winning the dunk contest and I couldn't find him the rest of the weekend. He must have been busy using that Jordan status.