Howard encourages Rockets

Being down 0-2 in a best of seven playoff series in the NBA isn't a death sentence but it is pretty close considering that the Houston Rockets suffered those two losses on their home floor.  Rockets' C Dwight Howard followed a lackluster game 1 with a great 2 to game to but soon fading as Portland Trail Blazers F LaMarcus Aldridge heated up in the 3rd quarter.  Howard is not imploring his Rockets to stay positive.  

“We can’t look back,” Howard said. “We have to move forward and stay positive. There is no time to hang our heads and let this go. The winner of this series has to win four games, not two. We need to keep our heads up....I told the guys we need to stay away from all the negativity.....We need to stay focused and positive and ignore all the noise around us. I’ve been here before. It’s not over.”

“We aren’t done yet just because we lost two games,” Howard said. “I wish we hadn’t lost them, but that’s over. We need to get it together......I know that I need to go out there and play the game,” he said. “I think everyone on this team needs to understand that we all need to come with it. That’s it. Everything needs to be about us winning. It has to matter.”

“You don’t want to just sit back in a fight, you want to attack the other guy and make him get back on his heels,” Howard said. “You have got to be ready to attack – always be in attack mode....That’s what they are doing to us. They are attacking us and not letting us get settled. We have to attack them and put them on their heels. We need to get in attack mode.”