Houston Rockets Daily Rocket Science: Almost Over

Don’t worry Houston Rockets fans, the season is almost over!

After their unthinkable 119-105 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Houston Rockets looked invincible and poised to make a midseason run.

However, they were quickly brought back to earth Saturday, in a 104-94 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Do not be fooled by their 10 point defeat, midway during the third quarter, the Rockets trailed by 31 points.

Houston is now 4-6 in their last ten games. As they prepare to take on the young and relentless Milwaukee Bucks, their uphill battle for the playoffs continues tonight.

Houston Rockets news and notes from around the web

Since their 0-3 start, everyone has placed the blame on either James Harden or Dwight Howard. No matter how great their performances were in the lost, Harden and Howard gets most, if not all the blame for the Rockets’ struggles.

While a mass majority of people continue to criticize the Rockets all-star duo, Space City Scoop staff writer J.A. Medders believes that their bench is the primary reasons for their poor performances.

"two quarters So what’s this team’s problem? Our bench isn’t pulling their weight. If you watch the games, you know this to be true. The Rockets were able to   because Harden played the entire second half and only missing two shots in the final come back and beat the Trail Blazers . He couldn’t come out of the game, too much was at stake. Our bench is less consistent than the officiating."

Meders does make a great point. The Rockets bench are not pulling their weight. The inconsistency from the second unit is the reason for several losses this season. Unfortunately, players like Jason Terry, Terrence Jones, and Clint Capela are not the faces of the franchise. Dwight Howard and James Harden are.

Is it unfair? Yes, without a doubt! It’s unfair to all great players who got the blame for their team struggles. However, as much glory Harden and Howard get when the Rockets are winning, they will get most of the criticism when their team is losing.

Although the regular season is heading towards its final stretch, it is still surprising that the Rockets have fallen so far. Who would have imagined a team with Harden in his prime and Howard playing the majority of the season, is in jeopardy of missing the playoffs.

With four teams (Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and Sacramento Kings) battling for the last two spots in the West, Sports Illustrated Matt Dollinger and Ben Golliver believes the Rockets have the best chance of making the playoffs.

"It is hard to have any faith in the Rockets, but at the same point, if one was to look at the final four teams fighting for a playoffs spot, Houston is the most talented out of the pack."

After the release of Marcus Thornton, there are reports that the Rockets are strongly considering waiving Ty Lawson. Despite having the worst season of his career, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported that Lawson (for some odd reason) wants to finish the season in Houston.

"“Though the Rockets held talks with Ty Lawson’s agent on a buyout that would make him a free agent, Lawson said Saturday he wants to finish the season with the Rockets. Happy Walters, Lawson’s agent, said there had been buyout talks, but a person with knowledge of the negotiations, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of talks, said a buyout is very unlikely.”"

Lawson is signed through next season but agreed to turn the last year of his deal into a non-guaranteed salary. With the player eligibility waiver deadline set for March 1st, the Rockets have 24 hours to make a decision on Ty Lawson.

Next: Can Dwight Howard and James Harden Ever Get It Together?

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