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Saturday April 12, 2008 0:50 AM


Rockets hoping for improved health for playoffs


Houston at Denver, Sunday, 8 p.m.


Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer


HOUSTON -- Shane Battier was looking dapper on the Rockets' bench Friday night as he wore his green jacket from Augusta National.

The Rockets' forward, however, realizes that he would have looked a lot better in high tops and a red-and-white jersey.

"I hate missing games," said Battier, who missed Friday's game against Phoenix with a swollen left foot and ankle. "It's the worst thing."

Especially right now.

Less than a week away from opening the playoffs, the Rockets are still jockeying for position in the congested Western Conference postseason chase.

The Rockets (54-25) are tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the third best record in the West and are in contention for the top seed, sitting one game behind the conference-leading New Orleans Hornets.

The trouble with all the seeding uncertainty is that the Rockets have plenty of knicks and bruises that they'd like to have healed before the playoffs tip off. Three starters -- Tracy McGrady (shoulder), Rafer Alston (hamstring) and Battier (foot) -- are dealing with lingering injuries.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Rockets have to balance erring on the side of caution and making a push for the best possible spot. They'll be facing the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night.

"We got to get them all healthy for the playoffs," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "I have to rely on the medical people and those guys being truthful with how they feel because it's a week away from when it really counts."

Battier joined Yao Ming and Steve Francis on the injured list Friday night when he was forced to watch the game with his swollen right foot.

The Rockets forward tweaked his foot in the first quarter of Wednesday's win over Seattle when he accidentally kicked Kevin Durant in the shin. He returned to play in the third, but went to the trainer's room for good after seven minutes of action.

Battier doesn't think the injury should sideline him for a significant amount of time.

"Once the swelling is managed, I'll be able to return," Battier said. "It shouldn't be too long."

Before Battier's injury and subsequent one-game absence, the Rockets had already been forced to play without McGrady and Alston over the past week.

Alston missed three games with his sore hamstring, but has reported significant improvement since taking time off.

McGrady, the team's leading scorer, is still nursing a sore shoulder that could bother him through the postseason.

Even after receiving an anti-inflammatory injection directly into the joint on Tuesday, the Rockets' shooting guard is still feeling some pain.

"I've been playing through pain for the last two to three weeks," McGrady said. "It's still bothering me. But it's something that I got to deal with."

The Rockets have managed to play well even when one of the three players has missed playing time. Houston, in fact, is riding a five-game winning streak despite playing at least one game without a starter over the stretch.

That's made it a little easier for Adelman to rest his guys and still pursue one of the top seeds in the West.

"This gives our guys an opportunity to go out there and show why they need to be playing," McGrady said. "It gives you an opportunity to go out there and relax. There's no pressure on you, just to go out there and try to contribute the best way you can. And we do that."

Still, the Rockets know they're at their best when the majority of the roster is available. With that in mind, Houston would rather take a cautious approach than force guys to play over the final three games of the regular season.

"I think if you can play and you can help the team, you should be out there," Battier said. "But you have to have a bigger picture mentality here. We're playing in the playoffs in a week. I want to be healthy for the playoffs."