Early in the season, Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich called Cavaliers
coach John Lucas, a former teammate of his on the Rockets. The Cavs were struggling, and Tomjanovich wanted to cheer up his friend. ``I just told him to stay positive and things will get better,'' Tomjanovich said. ``Now, I've got to find out what I said.'' The Cavs, after starting 2-9, were 8-12 entering last night's game at the Compaq Center. The Rockets, once 5-1, came in at 7-15 and with a 10-game losing streak. ``I'll have to return the favor,'' Lucas said. ``But Rudy knows what to do. He's one of the best coaches in the league.'' Tomjanovich and Lucas were Houston teammates from 1976-78. Also, Tomjanovich was an assistant when Lucas played for the Rockets from 1984-86 and in 1989-90. ``I loved him,'' Tomjanovich said of their days as teammates. ``He was the energizer for our team (at point guard). I loved his chatter . . . When you have his positive chatter out there, it really gets you in a zone and you feel invincible.'' Lucas still has a home in Houston, and is very popular in the city. So popular that he left 51 tickets last night for friends and family members. He had to buy 41 of the tickets.
MIHM PUTS IN EXTRA TIME -- Cavs center Chris Mihm entered last night having shot just 3-of-20 in his previous two games. ``We did a lot of extra shooting (Monday),'' Lucas said. ``But I tried not to let him think about (his slump) too much.'' Mihm knows all about his struggles. He spent a good bit of time watching film in order to pinpoint what he's been doing wrong. ``On some of my moves it looked like my legs were dead,'' he said. ``I was going in slow and not exploding like I usually do. People were getting pieces of the ball. I've got to make quick moves and get the ball up.'' Mihm entered last night with a field-goal percentage of 37.4. He said switching back and forth between power forward and center has been one reason for his struggles.

NOTABLE -- Cavs center Brian Skinner, who lives in Houston and grew up 2 1/2 hours up the road in Temple, Texas, left 12 tickets last night. Mihm, from Austin, left eight. . . . Rockets center Kelvin Cato, bothered by a wrist injury, was hoping to play, but couldn't go. With Steve Francis and Glen Rice out with injuries, that left the Rockets without three starters. . . . Cavs guard Andre Miller continues to lead the NBA in assists at 10.8 per game. The only leaders the Cavs have had in a major statistical category have been Mark Price in free-throw shooting in 1991-92 and 1992-93 and Steve Kerr in 3-point shooting in 1989-90.