Houston and Its Unbreakable Spirit

It was on full display yet again last night: “They were their best Thursday in the opening minutes, the first minutes after the 40-point blowout. The next-best stretch came right after the Lakers reduced the 18-point lead to two. ‘I’ve stopped trying to figure this team out,” Battier said. (I know how he feels.) ‘When you think we’re down and out, this team comes with an unbelievable effort. We might not have the most talented team, but there is not a team with more heart in this entire league. We’ve shown it again, and again, and again, and again.’ They are not the most talented team. They are not the more talented team in the series. That’s what makes this so extraordinary, and makes them, Rockets coach Rick Adelman said, ‘special.’ ‘The last two days, all I heard was we weren’t going back to L.A.,’ Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. ‘I just can’t give our guys enough credit. After the game the other night, I knew we were going to come out … and play with intensity and lay it all out there. This team is a special team, special guys.’ Who would argue?”