Time for Reflection

The season is over for the Rockets. For a good friend of mine, basketball season is over, period. "I'm not a basketball fan," he says. "I'm a Rockets' fan!" He has season tickets and roots rabidly for the home team, but his disappointment in game 7 was absolute. He won't be watching any more games this year.

But that's not me. I love the game. I love the Rockets most, but basketball is a wonderful sport that brings out the best in all who play it. Aside from being the best exercise ever, it requires effort, dedication, focus, and most importantly - teamwork. Other sports do as well, but of the big three most popular sports in this country, basketball demands the most communication and cooperation. No human can excel without ego. Pride is the natural result of accomplishment and should be exalted, not condemned. But in basketball, one's pride must come from one's ability to operate within a team framework, Many see this a sacrificing one's ego to the team, but that is far from true. A sacrifice is made when one gets nothing in return. This is a trade; the success of the individual being based on his contribution to his team - and all accomplished on a voluntary basis. It should be a shining example of how people can work together to better themselves, and coincidentally, their fellow man.

But enough philosophy. How about just a big thank you for all the hard work and dedication the Rockets exhibited this season? It was a fantastic run, guys, and you deserve every accolade. I won't even mention the individuals who were injured. For now, I just want to laud the ones that were there for the duration. Way to go.

There will be some housekeeping here in the next few days and weeks. I will make some predictions, both about the ongoing playoffs and the future of the Rockets and NBA. I will offer an end-of-season report card for the individual Rockets and make my online pitch to Daryl Morey and Les Alexander as to what moves to make in the off-season. So stick around ladies and gentlemen. The game will go on.