It is undeniable that the Houston Rockets are the hottest team in basketball right now. Since losing to the Jazz on January 27th, the Rockets have reeled off 19 straight wins. I don’t care at what level you are playing, be it professional, collegiate or even high school, that’s incredible. Only the ‘71-’72 Lakers and the ‘71-’72 Bucks have surpassed the Rockets’ current feat, winning 33 and 20 straight, respectively. But then again, with Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the helm, I am surprised that those win streaks weren’t longer.
The question at hand, though, is whether or not the 2008 Rockets can reach or even surpass the Lakers’ record of 33 wins without defeat. In my opinion, that is a pretty tall order. But, hypothetically it is possible. Here are the next 15 teams the Rockets must play in order to do so:
1. Hawks 2. Bobcats 3. Lakers 4. Celtics 5. Hornets 6. Warriors 7. Suns 8. Kings 9. Timberwolves 10. Spurs 11. Kings 12. Trail Blazers 13. Sonics 14. Clippers 15. Sonics
This schedule poses a whole slew of threats to the Rockets’ winning streak. 7 of the 15 teams are above .500 and potential playoff teams. Four of them have better records and arguably more talent. Moreover, as the old adage goes, on any given day any team can win. Even the below .500 teams.
So, is it possible for the Rockets to continue their winning streak and hit the 34 mark? Yes. Is it probable? No. In fact, the Rockets will be lucky if can win 10 of their next 15 games. The Rockets are a very good team riding a lot of momentum right now. But facing a stretch where you have to play five teams any one of which could win the NBA title this year is a tough road for even the best of teams. What will happen? The Rockets will beat the Hawks and Bobcats taking their record to 21-0 since January 27th, but then will lose in quick succession to the Lakers and Celtics. Both Boston and LA have too much fire power to lose to the Yao-less Rockets.
Nishan Wilde is VP of Robbins Sports and Athletics, an online provider of Basketball Uniforms, Baseball Uniforms and Portable Scoreboards
Houston coach Rick Adelman has started reminding his team what’s at stake beyond preserving one of the NBA’s all-time winning streaks.
That seems to be the only pep talk the Rockets need.
Tracy McGrady scored 19 points in less than three quarters and Houston routed cold-shooting New Jersey 91-73 on Monday night for its 19th consecutive victory, matching the third-longest winning streak in league history.
The Rockets won their 10th straight game by double digits, tying an NBA record last set by the Nets in 2004. They also won their 13th in a row at the Toyota Center, the franchise’s longest home-court streak since the 1985-86 team won 20 consecutive games at The Summit.
Most importantly, the Rockets closed within one game of the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for the top seed in the Western Conference. And that’s the number Adelman keeps emphasizing.
“I told them (Monday) they have a double whammy going,” Adelman said. “Not only do you have a chance to do something remarkable and get this streak going and keep it going, but also, every time you win, you keep shortening the season and you keep that lead that you have over other people and you’re moving up the standings.”
Former Los Angeles Clippers point guard Sam Cassell cleared waivers on Monday night and was planning to fly to Boston on Tuesday to sign with the Celtics.
“We anticipate him being a member of the Celtics,” team spokesman Jeff Twiss said. “He is not a member of the Celtics until he signs, which will not be until he gets into town sometime (Tuesday).”
Cassell was virtually begging to be let go by the Clippers, who owed him $6.1 million this season in the final year of his contract, and be signed by the Celtics. He got his wish on Thursday, when Los Angeles bought out his contract and waived him.
The Celtics were allowed to sign him as of 6 p.m. Monday night, but Cassell was expected to finalize the deal when he arrived in town. Whether he suits up for Wednesday night’s game against Eastern Conference rival Detroit is up to coach Doc Rivers, Twiss said.
Cassell’s arrival comes a week after Boston, which has the NBA’s best record (46-12) signed big man P.J. Brown. Brown, who had been out of the league this season, has not suited up for a game yet.
The 38-year-old Cassell missed four straight games with a sprained right wrist before being cut loose by the Clippers; he also missed 12 games earlier in the season with a strained left calf. In 38 games, Cassell averaged 12.8 points, 4.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 25.7 minutes.
