those games, but splitting them would at least slow down the Rockets’ downward spiral, and seeing two foes twice just a few days apart could help in the pursuit of a split.

The Rockets could tread water over the remainder of November — 4-3 — and feel like survivors. They would have 10 losses, but they’d be only two games under .500, and since no one else in the West other than the top two teams (Golden State and San Antonio) is creating distance in the standings, Houston would not lose meaningful ground in the chase for that No. 3 seed.

In the first three and a half weeks of December, the Rockets get a break from the schedule. Two games against Sacramento, two against the Lakers, and singles againstany easier for the Rockets. Starting on Jan. 27, their path to the All-Star break is as follows: Spurs, Thunder, Wizards, Heat, Suns, Blazers, Warriors, Blazers. Later, in early March, they go through a five-game Eastern swing which starts in Chicago and continues to Toronto. In the second half of March, the Rockets face this sequence, beginning on March 19: Hawks, Thunder, Jazz, Raptors, Pacers, Cavs, Bulls.

You can see that if the Rockets don’t shed this current identity and a woeful level of form, they will finish with a .500 record at best, likely a losing record. Naturally, improvement must be assumed if the Rockets are going to make anything of themselves.

The schdule for the first three and a half weeks of December is such that the Rockets