The Key Word is Progress

The Rockets clearly stumbled out of the gate in Portland, losing the first three quarters by 19 points. They eventually remembered that they were an NBA team and won the fourth quarter by ten. I intentionally waited to make this post until the rematch in Houston last night to get a better feel for whether or not the Portland debacle was a bellwether game or just a west coast brain-fart. I have long believed that west coast teams have a home court advantage over other time zone teams because it is difficult for athletes conditioned to get to bed early to be out playing basketball at midnight. Get to bed early, you say? I know that some high-profile ball players read the playbook by the light of the jukebox (to quote an old saying about Kenny Stabler), but most are well-conditioned, disciplined family men. They didn't get to the top of their profession by playing while hung-over.

Trevor Ariza, Carl Landy and even Shane Battier all had bad games in Portland, but the team as a whole came together to pull out a close victory against Golden State the next night. Ariza even showed signs of not just fitting in, but becoming an integral cog in the Rockets' machine. Last night in their home opener, the starters really clicked and the bench held their own against a bigger and more talented Portland team. That's why basketball is such a great game. The team that plays well together - with a team-first attitude - and sticks to a well-designed game plan can still win, regardless of overall athletic talent. It's been nice to see a team that listens and executes, a distinct departure from the Ron Artest/Von Wafer attitude of last year.

Apparently, Rick Adelman intends to go with a nine man rotation, including David Andersen, Kyle Lowry, Chase Budinger and Carl Lowry coming off the bench. Playing time seems to be based on matchups and how well the starters are playing that night. Second round draft pick Jermaine Taylor has yet to appear in his first NBA game. Neither Brian Cook nor Joey Dorsey has not gotten into a game either, and Dorsey was not even in the active lineup last night. That is something of a surprise because he was expected to play a big part in the rebounding game this season. Either Addleman is put off by his inadequate defensive play or his foot has just not completely healed yet. The two issues may be related, too. Cook is a journeyman, to be used only in case of emergency.