--F Carl Landry, who has been out since March 17 when he suffered a gunshot wound in his left calf, returned to the team on Monday and has been going through light shooting drills in addition to his rehab. He is careful, however, not to jump at all on his shots. There is still no timetable for his return to full practices or games.
"He was really not exploding or anything else off that leg," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "I really don't know how long that it's going to be." --The Rockets played Wednesday for the first time since clinching a playoff spot. They did not consider just making the playoffs to be an accomplishment worth celebrating, making their certain spot in the postseason no reason for a letdown.
"I didn't do anything (to celebrate)," Yao Ming said. "You think to make the playoffs is a big celebration for us. No. We'll save that."
Asked what the Rockets would celebrate, he said, "Everybody knows. Second round. At least."
The Rockets have not reached the second round since 1997 and have lost seven consecutive playoff series.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "In the fourth quarter, we really shot ourselves in the foot offensively. We really got out of sync offensively and let them make that run." -- Coach Rick Adelman.
