Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy isn't going to pretend everything will be OK. After weeks of talking about clinching a playoff spot, the conversations took a sharp turn after Monday's practice, when Van Gundy said the team is on the brink of a "historic collapse."

The Rockets have lost four consecutive games and are quickly losing their grasp on a Western Conference playoff spot. If they continue to falter and miss the playoffs, the Rockets will make history. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Rockets would be the first team since the current playoff format started in 1983-84 to miss the playoffs after being 10 games over .500 with less than nine games remaining.

"If we play right and we coach right, the results will start getting better," Van Gundy said. "If not, we'll be part of a historic collapse, and once you face up to that fact ... No one wants to use that word, but it's on everybody's mind."