OKLAHOMA CITY - The only way the end of the Rockets' preseason could have been worse would have been if it ended with Tracy McGrady hurt on the court.
Then their fortunes went from worse to bad.
Thursday began with McGrady staying behind in Houston with tendinitis in both knees and missing his second consecutive preseason game. The injury had Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy openly fretting for the first time that McGrady might miss next week's season opener.
Then on Thursday night, the Rockets completed their preseason schedule by blowing a 22-point lead and losing to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets when P.J. Brown put in an offensive rebound in the last second for an 89-88 victory.
How much worse things might be and how dire McGrady's condition is probably will be unclear for several days.
Van Gundy was asked at Ford Center — where the Hornets have moved for 35 regular-season games after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina — if McGrady will be ready to play next Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings at Toyota Center.
"I'm not sure about that," he said. "It's not just the knees. It's the knees, it's the quads, it's the hips, which ties back in to the knees again.
"I know people think I'm doing it (holding out McGrady) as a precaution; I'm not doing it as a precaution. I'm doing it because he can't go. There's nothing precautionary about it. We've got to try to get a handle on it now. I don't know how long he'll be out."
Rockets trainer Keith Jones, however, said McGrady made enough progress Thursday for Jones to be confident McGrady will be fine.
"I would hope he would play Wednesday," Jones said. "He's doing a lot better. I think he's going to feel pretty good. He's feeling better today than he was yesterday.
"It's tendinitis. There's nothing structurally wrong. It's swelling. He got treatment today and said he felt a lot better than he has."
The Rockets generally seemed more concerned with how they have been playing than whether McGrady would be back for their season opener.
McGrady went through Tuesday's practice, and teammates said he clearly struggled. He also seemed to struggle Sunday, when he missed all three of his shots against the Washington Wizards.
"Tracy stayed back to take care of his body," forward Juwan Howard said. "He's a gamer. I think we all feel confident he'll be ready to go Nov. 2."
Less certain is how ready the rest of the Rockets will be after Thursday's collapse.
They were unable to cut off penetration into the lane by Speedy Claxton off the dribble or on pick-and-rolls. The drives allowed the Hornets to pick the Rockets apart at the 3-point line, where they made seven of 11 shots in the second half.
Rowdy crowd
With their lead gone, an increase in defensive pressure and 15,063 fans screaming as the Rockets have not heard in any preseason game this month, the Rockets cracked. They fell apart in the areas that plagued them through last season: handling pressure and keeping guards from penetrating.
"It's disappointing to again crack emotionally," Van Gundy said. "(Acting like) everything was the referee's fault, overreacting. Going back to last year, it's been an issue. The ability to play with poise under pressure is critical.
"You don't take a fourth quarter technical (as Jon Barry did with 4:09 left and the Rockets down by one). You don't take the fouls that we took."
A fine start
Offensively, the Rockets have not looked better than they did in the first half Thursday, when they made 55.6 percent of their shots and built a 47-33 lead.
But even then, they were unable to keep the Hornets out of the lane.
"The second half, you can call it what you want to," guard David Wesley said. "You can call it the preseason. But you lose a 22-point lead, I don't care who you're playing, where you're playing — that (stinks.)"
In the last test before the regular season, losing the lead was troubling enough.
So while McGrady could not play Thursday and the Rockets did not play well enough to win, they can only keep faith that both will change by Wednesday's opener.
"I assume he's going to be there," Wesley said. "Coach is probably more concerned than any of us. We assume he'll be there."
ROCKETS SUMMARY
Rusty star?
Even if
Tracy McGrady is able to return to the Rockets for next week's season opener, Rockets coach
Jeff Van Gundy said missing time does not come without a cost.
McGrady played just 18 minutes Sunday against the Washington Wizards on Sunday, then missed the last two preseason games.
"It doesn't set us back; it sets the player back," Van Gundy said. "You hear it from the veterans all the time: 'I don't need training camp. That's for the younger guys. That's for the bad teams.'
"Everyone needs it. Everyone needs repetitions. When you don't get them, it sets you back, certainly."
Watching Anderson
The Rockets started
Derek Anderson at guard for the second consecutive game, then brought
David Wesley off the bench.
Anderson led the Rockets with 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting. But coach
Jeff Van Gundy indicated before the game that Anderson's place in the starting lineup in Oklahoma City does not necessarily reveal his place in the regular-season rotation.
"I like Derek as a player — not as a starter or a bench guy, but as a player," Van Gundy said. "What you try to do is get a rotation that you feel is the best fit. I try to explain this to the team all the time. It has nothing to do with who's better than who."
Anderson has quickly proved he's a good passer to the post, an important quality with the Rockets. That would have made him unique among the Rockets last season, but not now.
"He's a really good passer," Van Gundy said. "He has good knowledge of how to play in all facets (of the game). He's really a bright, bright player. He's got some size."
