The previous time the Rockets led a series 2-0 they practically floated back from Dallas, feeling bulletproof and shaking three-finger hand signals as part of a bouncy strut toward the second round.

But Monday, when the Rockets held off the Utah Jazz to take another 2-0 lead in another first-round series, they reacted the way teams might after a good January night. They were happy enough but far from satisfied.

They might not have fallen into a complacency trap two seasons ago, the only time in the eight playoff series the Rockets have led 2-0 that they did not win. They might have lost anyway. But this time they are not taking a chance at easing into a 2-0 cushion.

"Personally, just going through playoff series where I've been up 3-1 (with Orlando) and when I was with the Rockets we were up 2-0 not having the home-court advantage," Rockets guard Tracy McGrady said. "Going through that, I think, being in a situation like now motivates you to be a lot more focused. I think we have a much more mature group. I don't think we're going to relax."

The implication might have been that the Rockets did relax against Dallas in 2005, when they lost in seven games.

There are not many Rockets players left from that series, only Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo and McGrady. (Juwan Howard was hurt and did not play.) Rockets forward Chuck Hayes said the veterans have not mentioned that experience. Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said it is not relevant.

"No bearing," he said. "Different series."

But in best-of-seven playoff series going into this season, teams with 2-0 leads are 182-11.

In 78 of those series, the teams with the 2-0 leads won Game 3. None have then lost the series.

Yet Van Gundy said that if it is necessary to remind a team that two wins are not enough in a best-of-seven series, the reminder would not help, and could even invite a self-fulfilling prophecy of danger.

"I think just like with children, many times warnings are very ineffective," Van Gundy said. "Either you have the right players and you have the right coach, or you don't. Either you have the maturity level to you to know what we're facing, or you don't. Either you're mentally strong and physically tough enough to absorb all that you're going to absorb throughout a series, throughout a playoff stretch, or you're not. You say, 'Watch out!' I don't think (that) is really effective.

"I refuse to look back and I refuse to look too far forward. There are many negatives to my personality, but the one thing that I don't think I can be accused of is complacency. I think that serves all of us well."

With that in mind, there will be plenty to address when the Rockets convene today before flying to Salt Lake City for Thursday's Game 3.

That might start with finding a way to slow Carlos Boozer, who burned the Rockets for 41 points Monday.

Van Gundy said Boozer should be credited for his production, but he also said that if the Rockets continue to defend him as they did, he will continue to put up the best numbers of his career.

"Obviously, our defense was weakened by our inability to defend Boozer," Van Gundy said. "Any time you get hit by someone who scored so much and so easily ¡ª and I'm not just putting it on ... the individuals guarding him ¡ª our team awareness was not what we had hoped."

Yao spent most of the game on Boozer, with Hayes on Mehmet Okur. Boozer slipped easily behind screens for some shots and finished well on pick-and-roll cuts to the basket. But he also knocked down jumpers before Yao could close out to him.

"On some, Yao did a good job contesting," Van Gundy said. "Sometimes we have to give credit to the other guy. He outworked us early and outskilled us from then on.

"I mean this guy is a hell of a player. We're dealing with a star player. When a guy can shoot from 17, 18 feet and drive it and get to the free-throw line and offensive rebound and pass it, that's a ballplayer.

"If we guard him like we did last night, he'll score big."

That in itself should be enough to fight any feelings of superiority with a 2-0 lead. The Jazz return home, where they were 31-10 this season. Okur, their second-leading scorer, has yet to get going. And teams rarely have problems with overconfidence when struggling with their shots as the Rockets have.

When they led Dallas 2-0, they were rolling offensively. This time, the Rockets know they can do better. More important, they seem certain they will have to.

"We can't get comfortable," Hayes said. "Just as quickly as it has been 2-0 for us, it can easily be tied 2-2 leaving Salt Lake. We can't get comfortable, can't get content. We have a great group of guys, veterans to lead the way, and the coaching staff is going to make sure we don't get comfortable."