After the 76er game on Tuesday in which the Rockets played so poorly down the stretch, it motivated me to start thinking about what the Rockets should start doing to win games in the clutch. After almost letting another game slip away because of missed shots and free throws against San Antonio on Saturday, it just confirmed my thoughts about what needs to be done.

Yes, Yao Ming missed 3 free throws in a row late in that game that could have spelled disaster for the Rockets. That has been a trend for Yao lately. He missed 3 shots in a row against Philadelphia, he missed an open look late in the New Orleans game, and also had two turnovers late in that game.

It’s obvious to me that Yao is not the guy who should be shooting shots late in games. I think his abilities are better served crashing the boards if, and when, other players miss shots. To not have him underneath the rim for rebounds — like he showed how valuable he was Saturday night against the Spurs — is just too valuable an asset to give up. Yao has shown he’s a better rebounder this season, and that he’s very capable of scoring on put-backs after other players’ missed shots.

There’s just something about Yao’s confidence that doesn’t give him the ability to hit those late-game shots. That’s okay. I don’t slight him for that. Although he’s more of a scoring center, I’m perfectly content with him taking shots for the first 44 or 45 minutes, and letting someone else take the big shots in crunch time. There’s no shame in that.

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Yao Ming celebrates with teammate Luis Scola after Yao grabbed a huge rebound and threw it down against Tim Duncan late in the Rockets’ game against the Spurs. Yao scored 21 points and grabbed 14 boards in an intense victory to help Houston snap a two-game losing streak.

I’m back at it. Thanks again for all your nice comments while I’ve been out. After having shoulder surgery on Tuesday, I’ve spent the past few days recuperating, fighting off dizzy spells resulting from my post-surgery drugs, and trying to get over that debacle of a game last Tuesday night against the 76ers when the Rockets blew a 16-point lead late in the third quarter. I’m still hurting after that one. Good thing I wasn’t able to write much after that game or I would still be writing based on all that I felt like venting after watching it later on my DVR.

Despite Tuesday night’s collapse, I would bet the Rockets surprised a lot of people Saturday night in beating the Spurs 83-81 at Toyota Center. Just a reminder that I can’t type as fast as I normally would, so please excuse how brief this post may be, any typos, and some things that may not make complete sense because my brain is still fuzzy from the drugs.

This game came down to the final seconds where the Rockets held on despite almost giving the game away by missing several free throws late in the game (Yao missed 3 in a row, and Rafer Alston missed a big one late). But San Antonio’s Matt Bonner missed a potential game-tying shot that could have sent the game to overtime and could have been a third nightmarish collapse in a row for the Rockets, who held a 12-point lead in the third quarter.

Tracy McGrady was able to play, but Rick Adelman didn’t start him. Instead, he started Bonzi Wells and had Shane Battier on the bench. Come to find out after the game that Battier volunteered to come off the bench since Manu Ginobili also does the same, and Battier usually guards Ginobili. The more Adelman thought about it, the more he liked the idea, and the more I like the idea for every game.

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