"Jim was telling me I was playing so hard and trying to do so well I was focusing on minor little mistakes," Norris said. "Everybody makes mistakes. Nobody is perfect. When I make them, don't dwell on them. Acknowledge that I made the mistake, recognize it, get over it, come back and make a better play."

More than the little mistakes that occur every game had begun to weigh on Norris. As the Rockets' losing streak mushroomed with Norris at the helm of the offense, he obsessed on everything that had gone wrong. It was a long list.

Norris already had found himself trying to prove that he deserved his new contract, potentially worth as much as $22.73 million over six years.