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Sunday March 1, 2009 4:34 AM

Windy City Heartbreak

Rockets fall apart in final five minutes, allowing Bulls to steal 105-102 win

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Chicago - Several Rockets players and staffers stood in front of the locker room TV, torturing themselves by watching a replay of the fateful fourth quarter through which they had just suffered.

There was a Ron Artest jumper, putting Houston up 15. Another followed at the 5:51 mark, giving the Rockets a 99-82 lead and seemingly sending the team well on its way to a seventh straight win.

But the game didn’t end there of course, and neither did the video. Instead, it mercilessly rolled along, subjecting the brave souls who dared watch to a re-run of the worst fourth quarter collapse in franchise history.

The gory details: Chicago finished the game on a stunning 23-3 run, stealing what seemed to be certain victory right from the palms of the Rockets’ hands. And while Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon were sensational down the stretch, combining to score 22 of the Bulls’ final 23 points, Houston need only look in the mirror when attempting to figure out why its winning streak came to an end. Simply put, the Rockets suffered breakdowns on both ends of the floor in crunch time; missing 8 of their last 9 shots, while allowing Chicago to score on its final 11 possessions, all of which enabled the Bulls to come away with an improbable 105-102 victory.

“Obviously, the fourth quarter we were awful,” said a very disappointed Rick Adelman after the game. “We got very non aggressive. Two things happened: We didn't score and we didn't stop them. It happened at both ends of the court.”

Offensively, the Rockets began to unravel soon after Chicago started fronting Yao in the fourth quarter – a strategy which has been Houston’s bugaboo all season. Houston initially survived thanks to Artest’s hot hand from the outside (he knocked down a career-high 6 three-pointers on the night), but it simply had no answer once his shots stopped falling. And stop they did – Artest missed 6 of his last 7 shots from the field, including three three-pointers in the game’s final 20 seconds.

“I take the blame for this loss,” said Artest. “There were things I could have done out there to help us sustain the lead that we had.

“They played tough defense. If fronting Yao is going to work, teams will do that so we have to make sure we have something to counter so they have to come out of it.”

Shane Battier said the answer begins with better ball movement.

“You have to take their pressure and use it against them,” he said. “They were really aggressive and we did not react well to the pressure. We have to do a batter job of swinging the basketball and Yao has to do a good job of sealing and we need to deliver the ball to him. There were times when Yao got position and we did not hit him where he could score, so it’s not on Yao, it’s on the perimeter guys, too, to get him the ball.”

The only good news Saturday night: The Rockets won’t have much time to wallow in the pain of such a heartbreaking defeat since they return to action right away with a Sunday evening match-up against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Players typically don’t relish back-to-backs due to the immense physical toll exacted upon their bodies, but in this instance, they’ll welcome any opportunity to get back on track as soon as possible.

“This one is the most disappointing loss we’ve had in recent memory, but it’s not a step back," said Battier. "We played hard. We didn’t play smart, but we played hard enough to win this game. So I’m proud of the way we fought, we just didn’t handle adversity and pressure the right way.

“We need to get off the schneid. We’ve lost four in a row on the road and time’s a wasting. We need to turn it around.”

QUOTES

Rick Adelman

(On Derrick Rose): He killed us, especially off the pick-and-roll. He got into the paint and just killed us.

Ron Artest

The fourth quarter was a big disappointment. You have to put teams like this away and we didn't.

(On the difference in play, third quarter to fourth quarter): They beat us. Give them all the credit. Derrick Rose stepped up and took control.

(were you fouled on the final play?): Yes, but that’s not why we lost. It was a bad non-call. Everybody makes mistakes but that was a big mistake.

Luis Scola

(On the fourth quarter problems): We got stuck and couldn't get a stop. We couldn't get the ball to Yao. They just kept coming and we didn't know how to stop them. We were playing good until then but just got stuck.

The last two or three games we’ve had a pretty good advantage. We get a good advantage and at the end let them come back to within two or three. Hopefully we learn how to put away teams and not get to that crucial time.

Shane Battier

In the fourth quarter we have to understand that teams are just going to go to the pick-and-roll against us. Most NBA teams do and we just have to find a way to stop the pick-and-roll and we’ve had trouble defending in crucial situations, which have usually been the pick-and-roll. So we’ve just to tighten our game up in late-game situations, knowing you can get away with a little more and be a little more physical, and just find a way to cut off the penetration that we allowed tonight.

Yao Ming

(On the game): We’ve lost in many ways, but not this way. The last four minutes we were outscored 23-3. We couldn't score or stop them. If I can rebound better, we win. They got 19 offensive rebounds and too many second shots. If we can cut that down, the game wouldn’t be as tough for us.

This game is hurting us. You look at two parts: The last couple minutes we really let down. The other part is we didn't finish with rebounds. The last game, too, against Cleveland, even though we beat them big, they had a lot of offensive rebounds. We’re just not paying attention out there. I’m not paying attention. Today that’s a very good lesson for me. I think it’s on me; I need to rebound better for the team to help us win.

Vinny Del Negro

“We had some tough turnovers in the 2nd half. I am really proud of the way the guys hung in there. That is more the kind of effort I expect from our guys. It was not looking good. We were the aggressor in the 4th quarter. Derrick made some great plays and our defense got better. It was a great win for us. That Houston team with their height is very difficult to guard.”

(On Brad Miller's defense on Yao):

“We just wanted to mix it up on Yao. We wanted to front him and come with the double team and try to make it as tough as you can on him. When he catches it deep, he can see over the double team. That makes it difficult on the rotations and that's why they shoot it so well from 3 point range. Brad Miller did a great job and Joakim did a great job with 15 rebounds. Tyrus was active. We got good performances from a lot of guys. I liked our demeanor. I liked our toughness and I liked our attitude. The bench was doing a great job of supporting the guys. It was a good sign especially after some of our frustrating losses lately.”

(Derrick Rose missed some shots early, was it important that he remained aggressive?):

“Absolutely, especially since they were in the penalty. We tried to get some high screen rolls and Derrick was hitting his floater in the lane. You can't always get to the basket so that floater of Derrick's work out. He got it going and pulled us out in the 4th quarter. The thing with Derrick is we want him to stay aggressive, sometime his jump shot is a little flat. He played the whole 2nd half and I thought more than his offense, his defense was better. He picked up the ball more full court like we have been working on. He did better with his defense which excites me because I know he can do that stuff offensively.”

(On the stretch with Ben Gordon on the bench):

“I thought we needed a change of pace. We did not get anything going and our defense was not as aggressive as it needed to be. John Salmons gives us a little more length and some off the dribble stuff. Ben hit some big shots for us in the 4th quarter and has been our leading scorer all year. I was trying to find a way to get something going.”

(This was similar to the game yesterday against Washington where you were down in the 4th quarter, what was different?):

“I did not think we gave up last night. I just think we did not have the mindset to fight through it. Washington was on a roll. They scored in bunches and we did not react well to it. Tonight we had some turnovers and lost the ball in the lane, but I told the guys we have to keep after it. If they keep working, good things happen. In the 4th quarter, things get more physical. I thought our guys banged and we were getting out and running. We got them in the penalty early so when you are down, you can attack the basket and stop the clock. That was key.”

(On playing Derrick Rose the entire 2nd half):

“The thing with Derrick is people forget he is a rookie. He does make mistakes. There is no question we have confidence in him. He has been fantastic all year. You have to go with the peaks and valleys. We have a few young players. There are going to be inconsistencies. As the young guys develop, we are going to have chances to win and more consistent wins.”

Derrick Rose

(Did you have an aggressive mindset down the stretch):

“I was just trying to score quickly. I wish we had more time on the clock. We knew that if we could score and stop them on D, we could come back. Down the stretch, it came together. We came together in the huddle and said the game wasn't over. We controlled them on the defensive end.”

(Did you put the game on you shoulders):

“It was whoever got the ball, just push it. Just push it, pass it, get movement. They were in the penalty so we were just driving.”

(On Brad Miller's defense on Yao):

“Brad is a vet. He's used to that. Brad is just a good player.”

Ben Gordon:

(On the game):

“It was fun. We kind of caught them by surprise. We pounced on them and took control of the game. This is definitely a big win. We're only 1 game out. It's definitely an impressive win the way Yao was playing, the way Ron was playing. It never looked like we had a chance. But we came back and got the win.”

(On the inconsistencies of this team):

“I don't understand it. Too inconsistent at times. We can be as good as we want to be. It just depends on how consistent we can play.”

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