On Monday, I witnessed one of the saddest displays in Houston sports history. The Rockets lost yet another home game to the Utah Jazz, but that’s not it. With more than three minutes remaining and the game far from being decided, Rockets fans were heading toward the exits as if a 5-point deficit was all of a sudden insurmountable.
As someone who was in the building that night, I have never been more embarrassed to be a Rockets fan. It’s bad enough the lower bowl of Toyota Center feels more like a theatrical performance than a basketball game, or that it took a 22-game win streak to get fans to the arena on time, but there’s no excuse for leaving a playoff game early.
The Rockets have had an incredible story this season, accomplishing a historic streak and improving their season win total by three games, with several of those victories coming without all-star center Yao Ming.
If the Rockets don’t advance in the playoffs this season – and is looking bleak – Rockets guard Tracy McGrady is not solely to blame.
McGrady failed to advance past the first round in six career playoff appearances and has taken a lot of heat for it throughout the years, but without Yao and starting point guard Rafer Alston in the lineup, the Rockets have had little success trying to account for the 35 points and 14 rebounds they’re missing per night. McGrady, who has come up short in the fourth quarter of both games as far as shooting goes, was not shy about expressing how he felt after Game 2.
"I had no legs. I was on empty," McGrady said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Banging down low trying to rebound, trying to make plays for my team, trying to score and playing 43 minutes. That’s a lot."
McGrady put in 23 points a playoff career-high 13 rebounds and finished one assist shy of a triple-double. Maybe McGrady could have chosen his words a little more carefully after the game. He’s never come off as one of the toughest players in the league, but that’s just who he is. You can’t knock the guy for being honest.
If the Rockets lose this series, it’s going to be on everyone. The team can’t shoot 60 percent from the free-throw line and expect to win a playoff series. The bench can’t be outscored 54-32 through two games at home and expect to win a playoff series. Most importantly, bandwagon fans can’t walk out on their team after it has played its collective heart out for 45 minutes and needs them the most.
Whatever the outcome of this year’s series may be, Rockets fans should be thankful for a team that never quit when it literally had reason to pack it in after the season-ending injury to Yao.
It’s going to be tough for the Rockets to win a game in Utah, where the Jazz finished with the league’s best home record at 37-4, although the Rockets were one of the four teams to win there.
Winning one of the next two games would bring the series back to Houston. If that happens, the fans should be on their feet making noise for the entire 48 minutes. And it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to hear a cowbell or two inside the Toyota Center.
