Mark Berman's Blog

As I sit in my hotel room a couple of hours after the Rockets lost game four of their first round playoff series to Utah, I still can't get over how this team from Houston has battled the Jazz to a near draw in Utah's building.

The Jazz have only lost at home five times all year. The Rockets beat them twice, once in the regular season and once in this playoff series.

In losing game four the Rockets overcame Tracy McGrady's sore knee and shoulder, Rafer Alston's sore hamstring, and Shane Battier's sore foot. Never mind Yao Ming, the best center in basketball, is on the bench in street clothes, finished a long time ago because of a foot injury.

At one point early in the second half the Rockets were down 16 and left for dead. They battled back to within one, only to fall behind by eight with just under one minute left in regulation.

43 seconds later the Rockets were back within two, only to see the victory slip away when they were unable to get a key rebound in the final seconds.

The Rockets are down three games to one in the best of seven to a very good Utah Jazz team. The players refuse to acknowledge they have almost no chance of winning three straight to advance.

Who can blame them?

Mark Berman