Anybody remember when the Houston Rockets last lost a game?? Their current win streak has now been extended to 19 straight games including 8 in a row since Yao went down.

No one gave the Rockets a chance to do any damage in the post season even with a healthy Yao and T-Mac. The Denver Nuggets silently cheered the news of Yao's season ending surgery as it supppsedly gave them that outside chance to sneak into the 8th spot. But two weeks later the Rockets are just a game out of the top spot in the west and the Nuggets are still 2.5 games out of the final spot.

With roughly 19-20 games left anything can happen as it relates to the streaking Rockets getting shot down and brought back to earth. Can any one theorize how they are doing this and any one to venture on how long the Yaoless Tmacled rockets will keep this up? One thing not mentioned in most of the Rocket stories is that they are actually 28-4 since 1/1/08, which is the best in the league over that period. They have also won an NBA record 10 straight double digit victories. Are they for real? Well of those 19 victories the only five would be considered quality wins including 2 over the Cavs, 2 over the Hornets and one over the Mavs.

Can they get to 25 straight? Is Yao expendable...did he slow them up?
Well they have a couple of possible easy games vs the Haws and Bobcats, but then five straight vs the Lakers, Celtics, Hornets, Warriors and Suns


ROCKETS: Schedule

No.
Absolutely not. Yao's taking the team away from McGrady and becoming the best center in the NBA is the main reason they had any chance of getting out of the first round in the first place.

Their current streak is luck, a couple of guys playing above their talent levels (Alston, McGrady, and Mutombo most notably) and Landry and Scola being better than expected.

They'll still be very very lucky to make the playoffs, much less win a series. One rough patch like the one they've got coming up will bring them back to earth.

19 wins in a row is luck? I don't think so.

It's hard to believe that luck wouldn't play a factor in 19 straight wins.

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To all of my friends, comrades and companions at PF.com

Thank you for another great season!

A little luck, and the extraordinary feeling of relief that must have come with the demise of JVG.

"What?!? We can actually run down the floor???"

luck plays part in any streak... but you can't say its just luck

think the last 12 have been by atleast 10 points. They are also in such rare air now that everyteam that has won atleast this many games in a row has won the championship.... well that won't happen, heck chances are they won't get out of the first round.

got to show some respect for showing up to play that many nights in a row.

Even Tiger Woods will tell you that you need luck to win but the post I was commenting on seemed to characterize it as mostly luck. I find that hard to believe. The current team does not expect much offense out of Mutombo so they know they don't need to toss it down there to him all the time. They no longer have that mindset that Yao has to get his touches. This frees them up to do their thing. Not saying Yao isn't a good player, but 50.7 FG percentage ain't that good for a center IMO. Even old Shaq shoots better than that.

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"I don't believe there's any problem in this country, no matter how tough it is, that Americans, when they roll up their sleeves, can't completely ignore. - George Carlin

The best part about the win streak is this: YouTube - Rockets imitate Deke!

Beats the hell out of T-Mac's percentages, even for a guard.

And it's the same as Duncan's, the only other center in the league who's comparable to Yao. FG% tends to dip as a big man has to create more of his own offense.

They are peaking way to early. They will never sustain it through the post-season.

No team in the NBA or any other professional league can sustain such a streak all the way to a championship. Anybody remember the Patriots?

College, maybe. Pros, no way!!