HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Before they took the floor for their game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday at Toyota Center, the Rockets gathered in their locker room and watched the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns go at each other in an NBA Finals rematch, prompting a message from head coach Stephen Silas.
"That was such a high-level game," Silas said. "I was telling the team we're gonna get to these high-level games like this."
It wasn't long ago both teams were sitting in the same position that Silas' team sits in today.
"I remember (Khris) Middleton, when he was young, he wasn't even getting into games. He's working out three hours before games and getting DNPs and inactive wearing suits, and just playing in these huge games now.
"Both teams, I think Phoenix had a 19-win year, and Milwaukee had a 15 win year, and they both grew and they all got older and better, and they became two of the best teams in the league."
Hours after Middleton and the Bucks beat the Suns the Rockets ended a 12-game losing streak by beating the Memphis Grizzlies, the team with the third best record in the Western Conference, 123-112. For weeks the Rockets have talked up the improvement of their individual players, but on Sunday they were able to display how much they have gotten as a group.
"Those games where there's individual improvement for a couple guys and then the rest of the guys are mad aren't great," Silas said. "When everybody contributes to a win, and feels good leaving the locker room with whatever they did is important for morale, it's important for us going forward."
It had been more than a month since the Rockets last victory, but only two of their 12 consecutive losses came against teams without playoff aspirations, and while there were some blowouts mixed in, the Rockets have generally been competitive during this stretch, most notably during a three-point loss in Phoenix before the All-Star break, and in an overtime loss against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
"Every organization goes through it, especially if you get rid of all your franchise players and you're trying to navigate a new team," Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr said after scoring 29 points on Sunday. "We're all new here. Everything's fresh still, but given time we believe that we're gonna be one of those teams to compete every night and people are gonna be scared of us going in their arena."
Even with Sunday's win, the Rockets sit second to last in the overall league standings with a record of 16-48. Nothing that happens over the final 18 games of the season is going to change how this season will end up, but Silas it's only a matter of time until his team goes from afterthought to juggernaut.
"We can get there. It might take us a little while, but we have to stay the course and stay with who we are and what we do well."
