"Since the Rockets cannot – no matter what they do or how hard they try or how much wish they could – change the charging call against Courtney Lee or several others they still can't believe, there is a little matter of those 60 second-half Spurs points.

They can't do anything about that, either, but they do play the Suns, who put up 120 on Wednesday, on Friday. They face the Timberwolves, who whipped them on Monday, the next night. They go to Denver and Portland where the home teams are rolling. If they can't find a way to stop somebody, games won't be coming down to a call or two very often.

The defense made huge strides, at least for awhile, on Wednesday. The improvements were not enough, but the Rockets did show they can mix in some defense. Whether they are able to make it last game after game, first quarter to fourth, will determine what becomes of them in the next seven games."