Let the Rockets have their fun. After their dreary season, they were entitled to enjoy Yao Ming week. The buzz was about them again, and as loony as it might have seemed to general manager Carroll Dawson and his staff, the rest of the organization loved the spotlight.

But the time will come -- and probably faster than they would like -- when they will have to look past the courtship, wedding day and honeymoon and consider the marriage.

Yao Mania has been an unexpected and welcome diversion. The Rockets have enjoyed the ride so much that on Friday, chief operating officer George Postolos called a staff meeting to talk about their windfall. While careful not to declare Yao the team's one and only, the mood was decidedly triumphant.

The Rockets grew accustomed to their mid-'90s most-favored-nation status. They were crestfallen when they fell from beloved to barely noticed. Then last Sunday, the switch was flipped back on. They could not help but enjoy becoming the show again.