Here’s the deal. I used to be a big time NBA fan. Truth is I haven’t been that in a long while. However, tonight, something caught my eye. The Houston Rockets just won their 20th straight game.
What?
To put this in perspective, only two other NBA teams have ever achieved this long a win streak before. During the 70-71 season the Milwaukee Bucks won 20 in a row. A year later, the Los Angeles Lakers shattered that mark by winning a mind blowing 33 straight.
Now, the Rockets are on pare with those two legendary squads. Don’t remember those teams? Here’s a quick refresher both the Bucks and Laker teams in question went on to win NBA titles. The Bucks had two all time greats in Lew Alcindor (or was he already Kareem by then?) and long suffering but supremely gifted veteran Oscar Robertson.
As for the Lakers, in 71-72 they set the then regular season record with 69 wins and had a all star squad that included two 25 point per game scorers in Gail Goodrich and Jerry West, who you may remember from the NBA logo plus an older Wilt Chamberlain playing a different and very effective kind of ball.
Did I mention the Rockets are doing this without Yao Ming, who was injured in mid-streak? Incredible, right? T-Mac may yet shed his loser label.
Although, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Last time I checked Rick Adelman hadn’t won anything as a head coach. And come playoff time, are you really taking the Rockets versus the Spurs or Lakers? Besides those two, there’s a lot of talent still in old standbys Phoenix and Dallas while not even mentioning that New Orleans, Utah and,yes, Golden State are all playing at over a .600 winning clip.
With the tough level of competition in the West and the Celtics revival in the East, it’s no cinch that the Rockets will be any more than a footnote by season’s end. Take heart though, Houston, you’ve revived an old time fan’s interest in the NBA.
And that should count for something.
