HOUSTON — The Rockets have played their best this season when everything seems ready to fall apart.
They were virtually dismissed as a playoff threat in late February, when Tracy McGrady had season-ending knee surgery and Rafer Alston was traded to the Magic.
They lost forward Carl Landry when he was wounded in the left calf in an early-morning shooting in March. He missed eight games, and the Rockets won five of them.
They fumbled away home-court advantage in the first round with a 95-84 loss to Dallas in the regular-season finale.
They lost backup center Dikembe Mutombo during the Portland series and leading scorer Yao Ming a week ago against the Lakers.
Yet the Rockets are still playing, pushing Los Angeles to Sunday’s Game 7 in their Western Conference semifinal series with the resiliency that has become their defining trait.
“We’re surprising a lot of people,” said 6-foot-6 forward Chuck Hayes, who became Houston’s starting center when Yao, who is a foot taller, broke his foot in Game 3. “I’m sure a lot of people had us written off. But if you did that, then you really haven’t been watching basketball for the past month, because we’re underdogs and we surprise people.
“People least expect it, but somehow we get the job done.”
The day after learning Yao was out for the rest of the postseason, the Rockets routed the Lakers 99-87 in Game 4. Los Angeles won Game 5 by 40 points, a loss that had many believing Houston’s spunk had finally run out.
Then came Game 6 on Thursday night. The Rockets raced to another big lead, staved off a Lakers’ rally and won by 15 points.
“We’ve been through so much, that’s been the story of this season,” forward Ron Artest said. “We’re down, but we never fall and we’re never counted out.”
No matter what’s happened on the court or off, the Rockets have kept an even keel, a reflection of both coach Rick Adelman and strong team chemistry.
“We win by two, or win by 10, the locker room is still joking,” Artest said. “That helps us stay mentally stable.”
Few are expecting the Rockets to beat the Lakers at the Staples Center, where Los Angeles went 36-5 during the regular season. But the way this season has gone and the team has come together, the Rockets wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We’ve been through a lot this year. A lot,” said forward Shane Battier, who missed 16 of the first 18 games with inflammation in his left foot. “It has galvanized the group to the point where, when you have something as small as no one believing in you, it’s really a minor thing. It doesn’t even faze us.”
