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Last night the Rockets tied the NBA's mark for the second-longest winning streak EVAR by notching #20 in an atrocious brick-fest against the Hawks: both teams shot under 34% from the field, with the starting point guards dueling it out to see who could suck harder.  Atlanta's Mike Bibby made his case known with a 3-for-12 night, but Rafer Alston shamed him with a 3-for-18 performance.

Ugliness on the court aside, Houston deserves praise for reaching such rarefied heights — they're one of only three teams, and the first in three and a half decades, to win so many in a row.  The Rox have five brutal games after tomorrow's game against Charlotte, so the 33 straight games of the '71-'72 Lakers seem out of reach, but the fact that they've continued to play so well after losing All-Star centerpiece Yao Ming is mind-boggling.

Ugh, this post is too sugary to handle first thing in the morning.  Let's turn it over to Deke:

"The Rockets have won 20 games straight," sung Dikembe Mutombo to nobody in particular. "All the critics can kiss my black ass."

Mutombo started last night but attempted no shots and scored two points in 15 minutes, and — on a side note — I kind of wish he was my dad.