Jock Jerseys’ Flash

It’s a pretty safe bet that no one on Earth could’ve written this script….

Rockets win 12 straight, then lose All-Star center Yao Ming for the remainder of the season due to a stress fracture in his foot.  That didn’t stop them, as they proceeded to win their 13th straight game - this one without Yao.

And even then, when most people had written them off, the Houston Rockets reel off another 10 straight wins and takeover sole possesion of 1st place in the Western Conference…. “1st place”.  They are better than the defending Spurs, the Kobe-led Lakers, the Nash-Stoudemire-Shaq Suns, Chris Paul & Co. in New Orleans and even the Dallas Mavericks.  Yes, almost 1/2 of it without the services of Yao Ming.

Tracy McGrady has been solid during the streak and has attained the title of a possible MVP candidate.  Certainly, if the Rockets finish with a better record than the Lakers & Cavs, McGrady would deserve it more than Kobe or Lebron.

The streak is now the 2nd longest in NBA history, trailing only the 33 wins in a row L.A. Lakers.  Houston has moved from the 7th playoff spot, all the way up to the 1st seed (if the playoffs started today)… an amazing run for any team.

I think Shane Battier said it best when he said the Rockets were probably the worst 22-win team in the history of the league.  That might be true, but as leaders of the packed Western Conference, he might get a few arguments, especially from his own teammates.

The Houston Rockets, fresh off a 12 game winning streak, will be without the services of their All-Star Center, Yao Ming, for the remainder of the season.  Yao suffered a stress fracture in his foot and will miss the rest of Houston’s basketball season.

Already sitting in the 7th playoff seed position w/ Yao, the Rockets will be hard-pressed to keep that position.  The Western Conference is already tight as can be; this latest injury will certainly help clarify the playoff positioning.  I guess it’s good to be a Denver Nugget or Golden State Warrior about now (currently 8th & 9th seeds, respectively).

Houston is on it’s way to a 13th straight victory tonight (this one without Yao Ming), but it is against the struggling Wizards, so they should win it with or without Yao.  There’s really no one to step into the Center position except Dikembe Mutombo (he’s like 60 yrs old) and a few Power Forwards.  Fantasy owners of Yao are seriously hurting today… there are virtually no players on the waiver wire who can match Yao’s shooting, rebounding & block stats.