Bad Times in Houston

Everyone celebrated their GM at the trade deadline, but the product on the floor is nothing to write home about: “On some level — likely the ground floor of Toyota Center where the practice court is – the Rockets know what must be done to win games. When Rockets coach Rick Adelman lately has said the Rockets must “find out how we’re going to win” he was not speaking of a strategy or system. That much has been obvious. Adelman was speaking of something more difficult to find. On that level — one floor down on the Toyota Center arena court — the Rockets have run into the conundrum of a losing streak. They must experience success to have the confidence it takes to win, but cannot have that confidence until they succeed. ‘For us right now, it’s more of a confidence, attitude thing, and being consistent in what we’re trying to do,’ Adelman said. ‘A lot of what is going on right now is a lack of concentration, mental breakdowns at both ends of the court because, I think, of the (lack of) confidence. We’re playing without the energy and without the enthusiasm we need to play with. A lot of times that comes with losing games. You kind of get down when things don’t quite go right. We have to find a way to play through that.’ The Rockets have lost six of their past seven games, including four consecutive home games.”