Finally it’s going to happen! Click here for the full story. I wish it had happened a few games earlier before the Rockets started falling apart and lost 5 of their last 8 games, but I’ll take a 20-12 record since Yao was injured. Thanks, Dikembe and Juwan. You guys did a pretty good job filling in on the front line. Now you can get some rest as Yao comes back on the way to dominating once again.

Just for fun, how do you think he’ll do on Monday night? I think he’ll score 17 points, grab 9 boards and have two blocks in about 31 minutes of action. Make your prediction here in the YaoMania! discussion forum.

If you haven’t registered in the forum yet to post a message, I’ll try to check my email every couple of hours during the day to approve new registrations.

Yao gets in a great workout before the Rockets-Spurs game Saturday night at Toyota Center. He also likes his new leg brace, too. Click here for more photos from Yao’s workout. Later, the Spurs decimated the Rockets in a disturbing, lopsided 97-74 win.

The only good thing that happened Saturday for the Rockets was that Yao got in a great practice, as you can tell by the sweat in his t-shirt shown in the photo above and the link to more photos from his workout session. Yao also appears to like his new leg brace more than any of the other four he has tried out so far.

Later on Saturday night, San Antonio spanked the Rockets in a game that was played in front of the second-largest crowd in Toyota Center history. What a way to make an impression. The Spurs jumped out to an 18-5 lead in the first quarter, and led 40-20 by 8:23 remaining in the second. T-Mac cut the deficit to 12 right before halftime with a three-pointer, but once the second half got underway, it was clear the Spurs were the better team, especially when they built their biggest lead to 29 points.

Houston only shot 38.5% from the field and turned the ball over 18 times compared to San Antonio’s 52.2% shooting and 13 turnovers. That was the difference, as well as Tim Duncan’s dominance early.

The Rockets looked so good on Friday night in Denver against the Nuggets where they shot 46.7% from behind the arc, but they only shot 30.4% Saturday night. I’m actually surprised that Van Gundy has allowed his team to rely on shooting so many three-pointers because as they say, “live by the three, die by the three.” On Saturday night, they definitely died.

I’m also surprised a veteran team like Houston’s does not do well in the second game of back-to-backs back at home, where they have now lost 4-of-5 of those at Toyota Center. And you can’t say the Spurs were more fresh because they had just played the night before as well, albeit their game was at home in San Antonio.

Even worse, there was dissension on the Rockets’ bench after Van Gundy benched Rafer Alston . The Chronicle does a good job describing it in this article. I can’t remember when I’ve seen a Rockets’ team crack like that, but I’m the kind of guy where I like to see that kind of fire when players are underachieving. It can shake things up and teams can come out of those episodes stronger and more united.

Clearly, though, it’s going to be Yao’s insertion back into the lineup that will give Houston hope that they can keep this season from spiraling out of control.

Yao flew back early from Denver for a doctor’s appointment in Houston that was moved up one day early, as Jonathan Feigen of the Chronicle points out. At least he’s getting used to the NBA travel regimen again. After his first practice on Thursday since his injury on December 23rd, he checked out well with the doctor.

Rockets trainer Keith Jones said, “He did fine. No problems at all. He said he felt fine. Actually, he said he was sore everywhere except the knee. That’s what happens when you go back to work.”

Even though the doctors haven’t cleared him to play or set a date for his return, it has to be a good sign. And when he is allowed to play, Jeff Van Gundy is going to play him right away. There’s no question about it, as JVG mentions in this piece.

Meanwhile, Yao’s teammates took care of business in Denver and got payback for that crushing defeat against the Nuggets in Houston on January 20th.

Although the Nuggets shot 47.4% from the field vs. Houston’s 41.8%, the Rockets built an 18-point second half lead.

The key difference was that the Rockets got off 20 shots more than the Nuggets, thanks to 18 offensive rebounds for the Rockets (8 grabbed by Dikembe Mutombo) compared to only 5 offensive boards total for the Nuggets. Mutombo was a monster on the boards altogether, grabbing 22, the highest ever for a 40-year old in the NBA.

The other key was Houston hitting an incredible 14-of-30 three-pointers. Shane Battier was amazing, hitting 5-of-6 treys for 15 points total. Luther Head made 5-of-9 and scored 17 points.

Tracy McGrady led the team with 28 points on 11-of-30 shooting, with most of his damage coming in the first half. He also had 7 assists, and surprisingly Juwan Howard tied him with team-high honors with 7 dimes himself. Howard also made 9-of-19 shots for 18 points.

Now the tough part is that the Rockets have to come back to Houston and play San Antonio on Saturday night. The Rockets have lost 3 of 4 games in Houston on the second night of a back-to-back, and San Antonio is starting to roll, having won 7 straight games. They are also 4 games ahead of the Rockets for home-court advantage in the playoffs with both teams having 24 games left to play, so this will be a big game toward determining who gets home court.

Damien Pierce of Rockets.com writes about a joyous event today — Yao’s return to the practice court! Check it out by clicking here. If we find pictures, we’ll post them here.