Cohesion, Consistency & Closing-out

I haven’t had much to cheer about this year as a sports fan. The Yankees went down in flames quietly, the Cowboys have been disappointing the past two months, and Ohio State still hasn’t proven they can win the games that count. The New York Giants Superbowl win seems like light years ago for some reason. The Superbowl surprise was definitely delirious but as a true Cowboys fan, I didn’t celebrate the win with heartfelt conviction. So, I turn my attention to the upstart Houston Rockets of 2008. I am looking forward to seeing how much this team can attain.
The Rockets resound with talent all around. The contending team from Houston is arguably the best assembled in the Lone Star State in recent years. Expectations of winning a post-season series and more are imminent. The stars are aligned for Houston to deliver a deep drive into the NBA playoffs. 2008 is a win-now year for the Rockets. After a busy off-season, which featured trading two first-round picks to acquire Ron Artest, the Rockets are poised to dominate the league. Brent Barry was signed and will flash the red jersey in style. Rick Adelman, in his second season as head coach, has the players to potentially pounce to an NBA final. This is a squad, if healthy, capable of another 55-plus win season. With any luck, Rick’s Rockets will achieve exactly what they set out to this off season.
Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming have the added offensive pleasure of a consistent scorer in Artest. Artest is big, powerful and physical. He can do things other players can’t on the court and brings a sharp attitude along with it. Barry is also an ardent shooter and distinguished passer with a veteran’s veneer. Luis Scola and Carl Landry are entering their second seasons as professional players. Landry’s attacking ability and athleticism are notable, and Scola’s competitive drive divine. Both will grow even stronger at their positions and be positive contributors against elusive Western foes. Rafer Alston at point guard provides a good defensive presence. His backup, Aaron Brooks, is not a great defender, but is quicker. Brooks worked hard this off season to earn a spot as a top reserve. On the bench at the forward position, the Rockets have depth in Chuck Hayes and Shane Battier. Hayes is a well-rounded rebounder and good one-on-one defensively. Battier is a solid team player and excellent defender as well.
The Rockets are loaded with multi-positional players like Battier, Landry and Hayes. They went 5-2 this preseason and should only get better as the season progresses. Houston was turnover-prone in the preseason and they still need to converge as a unit. Once they establish cohesiveness and become more offensively consistent throughout the game, they will be the force many foresee. I already liked what I saw in the first two wins in as many games. The Ming-Artest combination worked wonderfully.

Parting points: I’m listening to “Good Vibrations”, the Beach Boys classic tune.