Steve “Heir Bullard” Novak made his first career NBA start because of the Rockets’ need to match the Suns’ prolific offense. Unsurpisingly, Matt Bullard thought the move was a “great adjustment.” Among Bullard’s other astute observations of the night were, “I thought Novak should have gotten the ball back on that one,” “Let’s hope Novak gets back in this game,” and “Novak’s open in the corner!”

T-Mac looked completely uninterested in keeping up with the fast-paced flow of the game. At one point after throwing the ball away, McSleepy didn’t even bother running back to try and stop the layup he just gave the Suns. He was probably too busy thinking of his next excuse, because “sore hip” isn’t going to fly much longer.

A good Rockets defensive possession in the first quarter meant the Suns missed a wide open three-pointer. Next time we play the Suns, someone (with even more time than us) should count how many more passes the Suns make as a team versus the Rockets. It is so frustrating to see the Rockets struggle for 20 seconds each offensive possession, and then have the Suns pass the ball around and get a wide open shot in about 10.

After the Rockets called a timeout in the fourth quarter, Nash was caught kicking the ball up and down like a soccer ball. He can play the humble card all he wants to the media, but we’re not fooled. These are the actions of a prima donna.

If that weren’t enough, Nash was also regularly whining to the referees to get more reach-in calls. Of course, the goldenboy was never hit with a T. I guess we all expect that kind of complaining from a man who so closely resembles pop sensation James Blunt, who’s made a career out of adding acoustic accompaniment to his whining.

One Sun we have no problem with is Leandro Barbosa. Luther Head had a problem with him, though, as the speedy Brazilian guard blew right around him and then Yao for a few easy layups. Barbosa is averaging 18 points a game and shoots 45% from the three-point line, and, refreshingly, you won’t hear a peep from him about coming off the bench. If we looked good in purple and sherbert orange we might even consider sporting a Barbosa jersey.

Of course, to purchase a Barbosa jersey, we’d have to get over our aversion to wearing NBA licensed products…especially sleeveless ones.

The Rockets scored the first 10 points of the third quarter as part of a 16-3 run to open the second half. They outscored the Suns 27-13 in the quarter, holding the Suns to their lowest scoring output in a single quarter this season. Yao scored 13 points in the third period.

The game included an odd scene thanks to some poor officiating. Yao Ming was fouled with the Suns in the penalty. Then Kurt Thomas argued the call and was whistled for a technical. Yao shot the technical free throw, but the referees forgot to give him his free throws from the initial personal foul. Five minutes later, after several more possessions and a television timeout, they put Yao at the line.

The Rockets entered the game second in the league in 3-pointers attempted per game, but they outdid themselves tonight, launching 38 treys while connecting on only 13 (34 percent). The Suns, meanwhile, made eight threes in only 19 attempts (42 percent).

Predictably, Tracy McGrady fired up another jumpshot immediately after finally making a three-pointer in the fourth quarter. Can you call it a heat check when the guy is 5-21?

You know you’re in trouble when your Player of the Game is a guy who shot 9-of-26, with three of those baskets (and nine of his 23 points) coming in the game’s final 90 seconds, after the outcome had been decided. What, Juwan Howard wasn’t eligible? (He wasn’t. He played zero minutes!) Personally, we’d have put our vote in for Chuck Hayes, who at some point in the game must have asked, “How many damn rebounds do I have to get before you guys make a shot?”