http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/20052006_Season_Recap-176816-822.html

A injury laden year has Houston looking forward

Carmine Pirone-Rockets.com

The Houston Rockets began the 2005-2006 season with the highest of
expectations. After sustaining unparalleled injuries, including significant
ailments to their two biggest stars, those expectations were quickly calmed
and Houston finished with a 34-48 record on the year.

For the second straight season Houston crawled out of the gate, going 15-26
during the first half of the season. Unlike last year’s magical second half,
the Rockets never fully recovered from their first 41 games, despite a
slightly more respectable 19-22 record over the second half of the season.

Considering that no one in the NBA had a tougher remaining schedule based on
opponent’s winning percentage than Houston, there is certainly hope for next
year. But that is all the Rockets are left with after this season – hope
that a campaign like 2005-06 doesn’t repeat itself in 2006-07.

With Bob Sura out to begin the season, Houston pulled the trigger on a trade
that sent Mike James to the Toronto Raptors for Rafer Alston shortly before
preseason camp began. After going 6-2 during the preseason, Houston opened up
at Toyota Center Nov. 2 with a 98-89 win over the Sacramento Kings. In an
ironic twist of fate, Jon Barry led the way with 24 points. Ironic, because
Barry would end the season not on the floor, but at the broadcast table after
sustaining a calf injury that he could never fully recover from.

The Rockets might have traded that win on opening night if they were able to
swap it with the loss they sustained on the same day. Tracy McGrady injured
his back, an ailment that would plague the Rockets’ superstar for the
entirety of the season. Houston won just 14 more games at Toyota Center the
rest of the season and started the season an abysmal 3-10 at home. It would
take until March 9 for Houston to even come close to the .500 mark, peaking
at 29-33 after defeating the Pacers at home.

That was following a near perfect February, the only month when Yao and
McGrady were together for every game, in which the Rockets went 10-3, falling
mere percentage points behind the franchise’s all-time best record in
February at 11-3 during the 1981-82 season.

That month was probably fools gold. Houston was relatively healthy in that
month for the first time and last time of the season. Derek Anderson, Rafer
Alston, David Wesley, and Stromile Swift joined McGrady and Yao on the
inactive list at different points in the season, and the Rockets never had a
chance to create the type of team chemistry that was so instrumental to their
success last season.

With McGrady and Yao in the lineup, Houston was 21-10 on the season.
Unfortunately, injuries not only de-railed much of T-Mac’s season, but Yao’
s as well.

After playing through a painful left big toe for much of the first half of
the season, Yao finally went under the knife in December to remove an
infection that had been brought on by a lost toenail during the preseason.

When Yao returned at the end of January, so did the winning. Aside from the
aforementioned February windfall, Yao was a monster on the court, especially
after the All-Star break. In 25 games after taking the floor as the starting
center for the Western Conference, Yao averaged 25.7 points and 11.6
rebounds, by far the best numbers by any center in the league.

However, the success was short lived as Yao went down again on April 10
against the Utah Jazz, this time with a broken bone in his left foot. McGrady
was already lost for the remainder of the season, having gone out with back
problems again against the Blazers on March 5, so with Yao sidelined, Houston
crawled to the finish line with only seven active players that were on the
roster to start the year.