Since joining TNT as an NBA studio analyst, former Houston Rockets star Charles Barkley has been quite the Negative Nancy when discussing the playoff chances of his old team. Year after year Barkley sits on his throne beside Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith and waxes poetically about his displeasure over the play of Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and the rest of the Clutch City cast. Most particularly, Barkley constantly expresses his displeasure at the......

En route to a 117-99 road victory over the Indiana Pacers, the Houston Rockets set a franchise record with their 16th straight win last night. Courtesy of a stellar first half from Tracy McGrady (23 points by intermission), the Rockets went on a 15-0 run in the second quarter and overcame a third quarter surge by the Pacers to cruise to victory. Though so-called pundits around the nation left the Rockets for dead after......

Well, it was fun while it lasted. The Rockets, riding high on a 12 game winning streak going into tonight's game against the Wizards, will be without star Yao Ming for the rest of the season after Yao was diagnosed today with a stress fracture in his left foot. The team's medical staf will speak to the press later today, but the word from the nearly-infallible Chris Berman at Fox26 is that Yao will have......

Many of the NBA’s so called pundits have dismissed the Houston Rockets’ accomplishments in achieving a 10-game winning streak, by exclaiming that until the squad beat a team of true substance, they were simply taking advantage of an undemanding schedule. Talking heads around the nation have stated that Houston’s road match-up against the Western Conference leading New Orleans Hornets would be the true test to determine if the Rockets were legitimate playoff threats. Wonder......

• A fatal accident occurred this morning on Chimney Rock near Highway 90A. As of 7:30 A.M. the area around the accident has been cordoned off and traffic was being diverted. No further details are available as an investigation is under way. • Health officials are calling this latest round of the flu a "moderately severe epidemic." Flu cases are up 31% over last year and three children have already died as a result.......

• The body of a man who drowned in Lake Houston has been recovered. The body was found around 7 a.m. this morning. • A Houston man has been charged with running an escort service on the internet using Craigslist. The man is also charged with having sex with a minor. • The search for a missing pregnant woman in northwest Houston has been expanded. The woman has been missing for 15 days and......

How difficult is the Western Conference? Well, your hometown Houston Rockets just defeated the Portland Trailblazers tonight to notch their 11th victory in 12 games. With a 31-20 record to their name, the Rockets nevertheless continue to find themselves battling it out with the Golden State Warriors for the eighth and final playoff spot. Despite the grim outlook in the hyper-competitive conference, citizens of Houston can take solace in the fact that they are currently......

With a 19 point victory over the Atlanta Hawks last night, the scorching hot Houston Rockets have won 10 of their past 11 games. Led by Yao Ming’s 28 points and nine rebounds, Houston cruised to a 108-89 victory, with only two games remaining before the All-Star break. Houston dominated the match up from the initial jump ball and never looked back. Need proof on the total command that the Rockets held from start to......

The Houston Rockets are seemingly transitioning into the New York Giants of the National Basketball Association. No, they haven't just won a championship. No, they haven't defeated arguably the best team in league history. No, they haven't snapped an opponent's 18-game winning streak. OK, so maybe they're nothing like the NFL's Super Bowl winner. Save for the fact that the Rockets have turned into road warriors (as the Giants have been characterized this season), after......

Yao vs Yi failed to deliver in the NBA's world of one-name superstar marketing fashion. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of "Olajuwon vs Ewing" or "Shaq vs the Admiral" - David Stern had long been searching for the next big man rivalry to grace the National Basketball Association's hardwood. After the Milwaukee Bucks drafted China's Yi Jianlian last summer, the NBA found itself with two seven-foot Asian big men gracing its rosters - one......

Former Purdue standout and NBA rookie Carl Landry returned to his college roots on Saturday night and scored a season high 22 points to lead the Rockets to a 106-103 comeback victory over the Indiana Pacers. While stars Yao Ming (17 points and 12 rebounds) and Tracy McGrady (19 points and nine assists) struggled with their strokes from the field, hitting a combined 10 of 31 attempts, it was the 13 points that Landry scored......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • Two local developers are accused of bribing a former director of the city's Building Services Department. • A woman was shot in the face during a carjacking that occurred in Southwest Houston on Bellaire Blvd. near Larkwood around 8pm Friday. • An erratically driving man crashed his car into a home in south Houston and died after the car burst into flames......

The 2008 NBA All Star team starting lineups were announced yesterday, and Houston’s very own Yao Ming proved to be a fan favorite. The Rockets’ big man was voted in as the starting center for the Western Conference squad, ahead of such luminaries as Amare Stoudemire (2nd leading vote-getter amongst Western Conference centers), reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year - Marcus Camby (3rd), and Pau Gasol (6th). Yao was selected to start in the......

• A Fort Bend County student has been accused of bringing a 9mm gun to school. The student was immediately expelled. • Two teens have been arrested after carjacking a family from their Cadillac Escalade at First Colony Mall. • Authorities are looking for a man claiming to be a police officer who attacked a 15 year old girl at a park in the 6400 block of Rustling Elms Drive back on November 18th.......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • A small plane made an emergency landing on a street near Lake Conroe. The plane landed safely, no one was injured and now it's up to the FAA to decide how to move the plane. • Several people were robbed while standing in line to by sneakers (did we just type that?) at Greenspoint Mall. The thief fled in a black Chevy......

• A weather system rolled through Houston last night reeking havoc on this morning's commute. • The body of Baby Grace, Riley Ann Sawyers, will be laid to rest today in Eastlake, Ohio. • A pedestrian who ran in front of a car being driven by a Harris County deputy constable was hit and killed Tuesday night. • A truck and the garage it was parked in caught fire and burned on Houston's south......

The Rockets kicked a truckload of ass last week before getting a wake-up call against the Hornets. Amazing that they did all of this without Tracy McGrady. Kinda makes you wonder if GM Daryl Morey should listen to all those trade rumors. The T-Mac rumors and more in this week's run-through of what the sports blogs are saying: - Every time we think we're done talking about Roger Clemens, he pulls us back in. It's......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • An HPD rookie officer was busted for selling 50 pounds of pot in an undercover sting. If convicted the officer could face two to twenty years in prison. • A frustrated Mom left her 10 year old daughter and 8 year old son at a Cy-Fair fire station Friday afternoon. According to fire station officials, the kids were told by the mother......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • Recent Katy Freeway closures are sure to cause a few headaches. As of 10 p.m., Friday night, the Katy Freeway eastbound ramp to Beltway 8 northbound will be closed until April 2008. The westbound ramp to Beltway 8 northbound will be closed until August 2008. • Three Houston area residents have filed a lawsuit against Microsoft for breach of contract because they......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • A bicyclist was killed early Friday evening after being struck by a van on Old Katy Road. • A new three million dollar ad campaign to enhance the city's image is set to launch in February. The ad campaign will feature celebrities such as Beyonce and heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley. Expect to see these ads in The Wall Street Journal, USA......

It was weird. Sunday rolled around, and there wasn't a Texans game to watch. So we just chilled and ignored the TV for a change; what else were we going to do? Watch the Cowboys' game? What are we, Jessica Simpson? Between the Astros trades, the Texans resurgence, and the Mitchell Report, there was a lot to blog about this week. Everyone grab your number 2 pencil for the review: - The Miguel Tejada trade......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • Two men were rescued from the Gulf of Mexico 130 miles southeast of Galveston when their helicopter crashed. • Deer Park resident and former Astros pitcher, Andy Pettitte, admitted to using a human growth hormone during his recovery from an elbow injury in 2002. • During future evacuations and before boarding public transportation criminal background checks will be standard operating procedure to......

The Texans pleasantly surprised us yesterday. Here we were all ready for another defeat, and suddenly Sage "Best Backup QB In The League" Rosenfels makes us feel all better. The picture that accompanies the top link today captures the feelings of many Texans fans today, we'd imagine. But there's more than just football going on this time of year; read on and see! - The lovely and talented Stephanie Stradley at AOL Fanhouse has a......

December already? Everything is reversed from the summer: back then, the Astros were dead in the water, the upcoming Texans season looked promising because of some new additions, and the Dynamo were gearing up to defend their MLS Cup title. Now, the Texans are DOA, the Astros are looking exciting next year, and the Dynamo, well, at least someone's consistent. Here's what's been going on this week in the Houston sports blogosphere: - The Dynamo......

The Houston Rockets three-game winning streak came to a close last night after the Golden State Warriors ran circles around them resulting in a disappointing 113-94 loss. The game began with an 8-0 run by the Warriors with the Rockets starting off 0-7 from the floor. Both teams were playing the second game of a back-to-back, but the Warriors had a higher intensity as they continued to penetrate to the basket while the Rockets did......

The tryptophan has worn off, we all trudge back to work, and sit down to surf the web. Between another crushing Texans loss, the Aggies poaching one of the Texans' coaches, and the Rockets finally getting their act together, it was a busy holiday season for Houston sports. Let Houstonist do the surfing for you and bring you up to speed on what the web is saying about our teams: - Ok, this is just......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • A woman was kidnapped during a home invasion overnight, but was later released. • The Rockets broke their six game losing streak last night with a win over Denver. • Local toy drives are scrutinizing donated toys. • Are HISD libraries understocked? • One of the U.S. Marshall's 15 most wanted fugitives was caught in Pearland. • Three teens have been arrested......

The Rockets have been afflicted with shooting woes on a couple of occasions already this season. But the injury bug had stayed away so far, leaving many people optimistic about the team's chances for a high playoff seed in the Western Conference. But then Tracy McGrady's elbow barged in to the discussion. In the waning seconds of a disappointing first half against the Lakers at Toyota Center, T-Mac collided hard with Lakers forward Luke Walton......

It's no secret that there are many in the Houston sports scene who feel that the decision to trade the rights to one Rudy Gay to Memphis in return for perennial role player Shane Battier was a mistake. Rudy Gay is, in his second year, averaging 19.7 points and 4.2 rebounds. Last night the two had a chance to go head to head when the Rockets visited FedEx Forum. Fortunately for Rocket fans, Gay racked......

The Rockets have come back from a loss to Dallas with an impressive win against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. The Rockets came out with a quick spurt put on by Shane Battier who came out of the gates with back-to-back three pointers. Other than that, the first quarter was uneventful with the exception of Chuck Hayes getting an elbow to the eye from Tim Duncan that required him to get stitches, forcing......