You'll have to excuse Rocket fans if they are a tad on edge. Their team has one of those must win games at Toyota Center Thursday that, if lost, would send them into a Game 7 buzzsaw which they might not recover from.

A loss in this first round series with Portland will have most questioning the direction of the franchise, fair or not.

I picked the Rockets in six and stated at the time that I wasn't utterly confident in that prediction. I certainly didn't see them winning a game seven on the road. Now you see why. It's hard to put your finger on it but the team lacks a leader to take charge down the stretch and make sure these games come in for a soft landing.



Can Sully play point guard?


Yao, Scola, Artest, Battier and Brooks are all fine players but you just can't help but remember that this team was originally designed for a certain player in street clothes to be the driving force in crunch time. Yes, the Rockets are up 3-2 because their ensemble cast has made plays. But I'm thinking that the search for the next great Rocket leader is still on.

This takes nothing away from Yao. When the opponents defense is designed to stop one player that's a tremendous compliment. But almost never do you see great centers winning titles without having another superstar or two along for the ride (insert your 'Dream' response here).

Hakeem had a solid if not super team around him in '94 (look at the bench numbers and you'll weep in nostalgia). The next year Drexler shot over 50 percent from the floor and pumped in over 20ppg. Then look at Kareem, Shaq, Wilt, Moses etc. They all had hall of famers with them. Duncan had David Robinson and later a point guard (Parker) who shot anywhere from 46% to over 50% for him (plus Manu).

Yao needs a costar. The TMac era appears to be over and the great complimentary piece to Yao's puzzle might does not appear to be on the roster. That being said, Toyota Center can still be the place of a great moment Thursday night. The Rox have the tools to close this one out. Never mind the mismatch the Lakers appear to be. Let's worry about the 12 year monkey being removed and dwell on the future later.