（應該不算外電，這是 翻譯自http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2007/12/rockets_1315_at_christmas_with.html Rockets 13-15 at Christmas. There must be a pony around here somewhere The Rockets cited all the reasons for losing. 火箭有一堆輸球的理由。 Yao Ming's thumb. Yao's cut face. Tracy McGrady's sore knee. The schedule. The travel. The game time. The Pistons. 姚明受傷的大拇指，臉上掛彩。T-mac酸痛的膝蓋。 機八的賽程、長途跋涉、比賽的時間、活塞隊。 Then Rick Adelman said what needed to be said most of all. "In reality, we'll see when we come back," Adelman said. "We'll see if we pick it up again." Maybe the excuses are valid explanations. Maybe not. Maybe they are valid, but the Rockets aren't any good, anyway. 也許這些藉口是最有效的解釋，也許不是。也許是有效的，不過無論如何，火箭打的很爛。 Detroit 94, Rockets 82 did come at the end of a long, hard road, but also seemed to indicate the difference between the contenders and a wannabe pretender. 在漫長又艱困的客場之旅的最後，火箭82-94輸給了活塞，但也看出衛冕者和想要挑戰者 之間的不同。 But if the Rockets want to cite all they believe to have been stacked against them, if they want to believe they were diminished by the schedule and tormented by injuries, there is something they can do. Prove it. The schedule returns to normal. There are a few back-to-backs, including one when they return after a four-day break and two practices. But that's life in the NBA. 賽程終於恢復正常。之後有幾次back-to-back的比賽，包括在四天的休息和兩次練習之後 的二連戰。不過這就是NBA的生活。 They have had time to get their offense in order. They will either get McGrady back from his knee issues, or have time to prepare to play without him. They play three consecutive teams that have beaten them (Memphis, Toronto and Golden State) then go to Boston to face another contender on the road. 之後要連續面對三個今年都曾經打敗火箭的球隊（灰熊、暴龍、勇士），接著要在客場去 面對聯盟的另一個霸主--Boston Celtics。 In the past five games, they have won one, and that was against a team playing its fourth game in five nights. 最近五場比賽中，火箭只贏了一場--同樣是最近五天四戰的公牛。 The Rockets have seemed to make progress, and it was important to begin playing better. They believe they have, that they are ready to win. As Adelman said, "We'll see." 火箭似乎有所進步，開始越打越好是很重要的。他們相信他們準備要去贏得勝利。 就像Adelman說的，「等著瞧吧」。 In other words, prove it. 換句話說，證明自己吧。 It's time. 是時候了！ ‧ ‧ ‧ Merry Christmas, all. Don't let this stuff get you down. 祝大家聖誕快樂！別因為這篇文章（和今天輸球）讓大家心情不好 XD --

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