The good people of Houston are waiting for the moment when it all clicks, when T-Mac is playing with the virtuosity of his younger days with Toronto and Orlando and Yao lives up to his All-Star status. There’s no doubt both are great players, but exactly when they’ll be able to consistently perform at peak levels and continue to do so through the postseason without fear of bringing out the stretcher is anyone’s guess.

Compounding the impatience is the fact that the Rockets have other pieces in place, although maybe it’s easier to start with the piece that’s out of place. Bonzi Wells, signed to a two-year, $4.4 million deal in October by the Rockets, flaked and didn’t show up for either a walk-through in the morning or the game on Monday night against Seattle. The team then announced that Wells will not be with the team for the rest of the season. They might miss his scoring ability, but they won’t miss his disruptive behavior.

With the Bonzi matter settled and relative tranquility prevailing, the Rockets have clinched a playoff berth and have the No. 4 spot in the West — and home-court advantage in the first round against Utah. T-Mac seems to be, for the moment, playing to his potential; he had 32 points, eight boards and seven assists Wednesday night in a win at Portland. Yao chipped in with 27 points and 12 boards.

The supporting cast is filled with enough role players to complement the superstar tandem and get the dirty work done. Shane Battier might be the personification of hardwood grit; he plays fierce defense, scrambles for loose balls and long rebounds, and makes the smart play. He’s averaging in double figures, as are guards Rafer Alston and Luther Head. Dikembe Mutombo is still helpful in limited minutes on defense, and Juwan Howard can chip in with almost 10 points and six boards a game.

And then there’s head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who is also the victim of bad timing. Since he came to the Rockets in June of 2003, he’s been dealt a poor hand, and during much of his tenure it usually had to do with McGrady’s bad back. Van Gundy is a disciple of Pat Riley and preaches defense. But the Rockets haven’t been at full capacity the two times Van Gundy has led the Rockets to the playoffs. Both times they were ousted in the first round. They missed the postseason last year.

The Rockets have won three in a row — all road games — and appear to be gathering a head of steam for the playoffs.

Will this be the year that T-Mac and Yao get it done? Will this be their opportunity to join history’s tremendous twosomes?

It’s hard to predict when a perfect storm will arrive in pro basketball. It just has to happen.

MORE FROM NBA

NBA Section Front

Mavericks re-sign Kidd Winderman: Best even better after free agency Blazers sign Millsap to offer sheet First-round pick Hill signs with Knicks   Slideshow: Wheeling, dealing of free agency Rumors: Blazers pursuing Milsap, Odom? Latest player news, rumors and more Latest NBA videos Vote: Which team will win the NBA title in 2010? Interactive: Breaking down the perfect NBA player NBA Section Front   Add NBA headlines to your news reader: