The Houston Rockets are currently down 0-2 against the Utah Jazz in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. After suffering two consecutive home losses to start the best-of-seven game series, the Rockets find themselves in an opposite scenario as last year at this time. That's right. These two teams have history. Having also faced off against one another in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, the Rockets and Jazz know......

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......

After a week off for prayer and fasting in the hope that Roger Clemens would finally appear in the media again, our supplications were heard and we feel up to posting this roundup again. For those of you who are new around these parts, this is where we take a look at what the blogs and other media are saying about our hometown sports teams each week. - On the heels (rimshot) of Yao Ming's......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • A man crashed his car into a Sugar Land home on Lynnwood at Oak Wood early Saturday morning. No one in the home was injured and the driver is in the hospital in stable condition. • The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo is 76 years old. • An 84 year old Puerto Rican man with dementia is missing after walking out of......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits...

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......

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 returned home last night, fresh off of an eight game road winning streak, to host the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in a nationally televised match up. With Western Conference foes such as the Suns and Lakers making headline roster moves to improve their stock in an extremely competitive Western Conference, the Rockets were quickly becoming an afterthought as they fought for the final playoff seed. However, a 92-77 victory over the Cavs......

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......

The Houston Rockets were able to overcome the absence of Tracy McGrady (15th missed game of the season) to earn a 111-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center last night. With McGrady suffering from “flu-like symptoms,” the Rockets were led by Yao Ming, whose 36 points and 19 rebounds both matched season highs. Aiding Yao’s efforts were Rafer Alston’s 17 points and 12 assists along with Luther Head’s 20 points and......

The Super Bowl is on Sunday, and naturally we'll be watching the game (and the commericals), but the real news around town is the up-and-down season the Rockets are having. They win with T-Mac, they win without T-mac, they definitely lose without Yao. If Rick Adelman can get everyone on the same page,they could still be formidable in the playoffs. Otherwise, we're looking at another five-and-out in the first round. On to the links: -......

With All-Star center Yao Ming sidelined, the Houston Rockets found themselves on the wrong side of a 97-89 score against the Utah Jazz at the Toyota Center on Sunday night. The loss ended Houston’s four game winning streak and brought to light Houston’s season long free throw shooting woes. Yao, who sat out the game with an upper-respiratory infection, has been listed as “day-to-day” on the injury report. In his place, rookie Luis Scola scored......

En route to a fourth-straight victory, the Houston Rockets defeated the scorching hot Portland Trailblzers to the tune of 89-79 at the Rose Garden on Friday night. The Blazers entered the contest having won 12 consecutive home games, thanks to the heady play of such stars as guard Brandon Roy and former Texas Longhorn LaMarcus Aldridge. However, the game remained very much undecided until Houston coach Rick Adelman elected to infuse the starting lineup......

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......

• Whooping Cough is at its highest levels since the 1950's and local hospitals are inoculating parents and family members in an attempt to help stop the spread of this infection. • Three thieves stole $16,000 during a northwest Houston robbery at a Food Fair grocery store. • A man and a woman are both dead after an apparent murder-suicide last night. The incident occurred on Chewe Street near Hershe Street around 12:30 a.m.......

• 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.......

Three day weekends are a beast. You end the previous week by slacking in some fashion on Friday, since you're planning all the shennanigans you'll be committing over the weekend. Then you pick things up after the weekend with the realization that you've got to fit five days of work into four. Plus, it's cold and depressing (like a Packers fan on Monday) and that pretty much explains why a Monday feature is appearing on......

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......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • The parents of missing Rice student, Matthew Wilson have added $10,000 of their own money to the reward for information leading to his whereabouts. The total reward amount is now $25,000. This includes $5000 from Crime Stoppers and $10,000 from Rice University. If you have information, please contact Crime Stoppers at 713.222.TIPS • A man was ejected from his car and killed......

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... • 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 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 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......

How sweet it is. They say revenge is sweet and the Rockets’ Tracy McGrady had a full helping of it last night with a 47 point performance against the Utah Jazz. The Jazz eliminated the Rockets in the 2007 playoffs in seven games and brought McGrady to tears after keeping him out of the second round once again. The Jazz had a lead as high as 12 points in the first quarter when they......

After months of anticipation and one of the best off-seasons in recent memory, the Rockets will begin their 2007-08 campaign tonight in LA against the Lakers. With a new frontcourt featuring Argentine sensation Luis Scola and a fully healthy Yao, the Rockets will be able to give the Spurs and Mavs a run for their money as the best team in the state. The focus tonight, however, will be on the matchup between Tracy McGrady......