It's been a long, tough season, but if nothing else, the Rockets have found their "rough spots."
The Rockets' season began Wednesday with all the expected hype and hope, amid openly declared championship aspirations to take the steps they could not last season.
For far too long, however, the defense remained on vacation or worse, was exposed as broken.
While much of the 131-112 blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans remarkable marksman-ship, offensive excellence the Rockets' top scorers of a season ago, James Harden, Chris Paul and Eric Gordon could not begin to match.
More than that, however, the Pelicans took apart the Rockets' defense, moving the ball through canyons of openings they exploited as if going through a morning walk through.