As of Friday, the Rockets are finally back in Houston after more than a week away in Hawaii and Japan for three preseason games. Despite their absence, they all know the biggest sports storyline back home.
That story, of course, is Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros, who advanced to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) for a franchise-best third consecutive season after Thursday’s win over Tampa Bay in Game 5 of the Division Series (ALDS).
When asked about their success by Fox 26 Houston sports director Mark Berman, Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni had strong praise:
They’ve been doing it the last three of four years. It’s unbelievable. They may be arguably the best team ever. It’s incredible the talent they’ve put together. Incredible how they play. [Manager] AJ’s [Hinch] doing another unbelievable job, as usual. If you’re in Houston, you’ve got to be really proud of them.
D’Antoni’s comments came at a community event in northeast Houston with his wife, Laurel, in which the couple helped celebrate the completion of a refurnished home for a Houston family that had been significantly impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
As part of the home renovation project, led by the Houston Rockets and Rooms To Go, Mike and Laurel D’Antoni personally contributed to help cover the costs of household goods for the family.
As for the Astros, after posting a franchise-best record of 107-55 in 2019, they’re now working to take back the World Series crown that was theirs two years ago. The ALCS series between the Astros and New York Yankees begins Saturday night with Game 1 at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
The appreciation from the Rockets for Houston’s baseball team has certainly been reciprocated by the Astros’ players, who have routinely worn Rockets jerseys during the last two NBA postseasons to show their basketball support. (And that’s not something that can be taken for granted, given the very awkward relationship between at least some MLB and NBA players in Oakland, California.)
Over the last two years, it has been quite common to see James Harden and other marquee Rockets’ players in attendance at postseason home games for the Astros.
That didn’t happen in the ALDS, of course, since the Rockets were thousands of miles away in Hawaii and Japan. But now that they’re back in Houston, it would not be a surprise to see representation from the Rockets at Saturday’s Game 1 or Sunday’s Game 2.
The Rockets arrived back in Houston early Friday, but they did not practice Friday or Saturday as part of a plan to better acclimate themselves after the long trip through numerous time zones. (The time in Tokyo, Japan — where the Rockets were from last Friday until late Thursday — is 14 hours ahead of the time in Houston.)
The Rockets are 3-1 in preseason play, with their next exhibition game coming at home on Wednesday, Oct. 16 versus the San Antonio Spurs. The team is expected to return to practice Sunday.
