体坛英语新闻：No Yao? No problem for Rockets

BEIJING, March 7 -- Losing Yao Ming hasn't caused the Houston Rockets to lose a game at all.

    With Yao gone for the season after injuring his foot, the Rockets keep on rolling. They set a franchise record with their 16th consecutive win on Wednesday night, routing Indiana 117-99 in Houston. The Rockets are 4-0 since the All-Star center was sidelined.

    "It's all about confidence," said Tracy McGrady, who scored 25 points. "We have great chemistry and guys know their roles here. We all are playing so well, we just can't really count on one guy."

    The Cleveland Cavaliers can - as long as it's LeBron James, who had 50 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a 119-105 win at New York. The Madison Square Garden crowd even chanted "MVP" for the visitor.

    "To get a standing ovation in the greatest basketball arena in the world, it was a dream come true for me," James said. "It's one of the best things that ever happened to me."

    Just as adding Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen is one of the best things to occur in Boston in years. The Celtics became the first postseason qualifier when they beat Detroit 90-78 behind a season-high 31 points from Garnett.

    "All these games count," Garnett said. "We are trying to get home-court advantage."

    Elsewhere in the National Basketball Association, it was: Nuggets 126, Suns 111; Hornets 114, Hawks 101; Jazz 105, Timberwolves 76; Magic 122, Wizards 92; Bobcats 118, warriors 109; Raptors 108, Heat 83; Grizzlies 100, Nets 93; Bucks 118, SuperSonics 106; and Clippers 116, Kings 109 (in double overtime).

    The Rockets have won 20 of their last 21, and own the longest win streak in the NBA this season. This was Houston's seventh straight win by at least 10 points, extending a franchise record.

    Houston's last 15-game wining streak was in the Rockets championship season of 1993-94.

    "It's great to have your name down in history," Rafer Alston, who had 21 points, said. "We are having some great regular-season success right now, but we know the big picture is getting it done in the postseason. You enjoy it for the moment, but you have to continue to prepare for every game."

    In New York, James shot 16-of-30 from the field, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range, in his second 50-point game this season.

    The NBA's scoring leader scored 45 points in a victory over the Knicks in Cleveland on November 2. He fell two points shy of Kobe Bryant, who had a 52-point game on Sunday against Dallas, the highest in the league this season.

    Jamal Crawford scored 25 points, Nate Robinson added 24 and Eddy Curry had 20 for the Knicks, who dropped their fourth in a row.

    In Boston, the Celtics won their sixth consecutive game and took a four-game lead over Detroit in the Eastern Conference.

    Kendrick Perkins had a career-high 20 rebounds to go with his 10 points for the Celtics.

    Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups each had 23 points for Detroit.