The break can wait until win No. 41 is in the books

As the Rockets gathered on a stormy Tuesday at Toyota Center for their last practice until after the upcoming All-Star break, everything seemed relatively normal. Except … Coach Mike D’Antoni was out sick.

Forward Ryan Anderson was trying to practice with a wrapped thumb — the one he injured with a shard of glass from a trash chute accident Sunday.

Forward Sam Dekker was recording a “mazel tov” message into a camera.

Other players were laughing and joking as they prepared to start practice.

The Rockets have a chance for win No. 41 of the season Wednes-

day night, when they play the Miami Heat at Toyota Center. They finished last season with 41 wins.

The Rockets have exceeded expectations heading into this weekend’s All-Star break in New Orleans, where their MVP candidate, James Harden, will be on display amid the ensuing Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook drama. The Rockets have become not merely relevant but legitimate contenders.

Now they need to win Wednesday.

With All-Star Weekend looming and a much-needed break on the horizon, it would be easy for them to be distracted. A game like this can be a trap.

The Rockets are a better team than Miami. They’re on a four-game win streak. They are at home.

The Rockets should have guard Eric Gordon, who practiced Tuesday, back in the rotation.

The Rockets should have all the firepower they need.

But if they are caught looking ahead to a weekend in New Orleans, or Cabo or a golf course in Florida or a cabin in Colorado, the Heat could escape into the break with the win.

“You really have to stay focused when there’s just one game left before the break,” said Gordon, who will compete in the 3-point shootout during All-Star weekend. “This is a long break coming up, and you can’t think about having that time off yet.”

A loss to an Eastern Conference team in February wouldn’t hurt the Rockets. It wouldn’t make playoff seeding harder or a deep postseason run tougher.

But a victory now and a five-game win streak entering the weekend would help drive home a point the Rockets are trying to make.

They are one of the better teams in the league right now and they are on a mission to accomplish something special.

Going into the break as a hot team — the fourgame streak is the longest current one in the league — would enable them to maintain their momentum. They could rest a little easier on vacation before coming back for the playoff push.

After the break, it gets harder. Teams are going to do all they can to gain better seeding for the rapidly approaching playoffs.

The Rockets talk about their goals, about achieving greatness, about being one of the last teams standing in the postseason.

Looking past an opponent that doesn’t matter much, thinking about vacation, preparing for the second part of the season — those would all be easy for the Rockets with the 2432 Heat in town.

Instead, they need to continue looking like a championship-caliber team.

Forty-one wins at the break is more than a number. It means something to a team trying to wipe last year’s dysfunction from memory.

The Rockets would make another statement Wednesday about how different they are this season by bringing the heat to the Heat.