By: Forrest Walker
How could the Rockets cap off a week and a half of terrible games, ugly wins and an unwatcheable loss? Well, now we have the answer: an embarrassing loss to a terrible team. Houston's ongoing goal to put together the most miserable game experience in history is really coming along, and will hopefully be capped off by a 54-50 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, complete with a dagger by ex-Rocket Robert Covington. Dwight Howard suddenly and unexpectedly chose not to play due to complaints of a sore knee, sure. Terrence Jones has been out for ages with a nerve issue and may not play for some time. Yes, this is true. The fact remains, however, that the Rockets lost a game they not only should have won, but needed to win and were expected to win. And the best part is this:
This is not rock bottom. There's plenty more down from here.
It's possible that the sky isn't falling in Houston, but in that case I have to wonder what's hitting the Rockets in the head from above. If you sat down with a crack team of writers, you'd be hard pressed to come up with a more perfectly crushing run of games for the Rockets. The bad signs just keep coming, and now Houston is losing even when they can hit their threes. The well-oiled machine is missing gears, and the smaller cogs only seem to be pouring grit into the machine. Bad decisions and lack of talent led this Rockets team to forget everything they knew and somehow let a hapless-looking (and playing) Lakers team bowl them over at the end of the game.
It's possible the Rockets could have attacked the rim more often, given how little protection the Lakers have there. Some high screen and rolls, some kick outs to open men, anything. Instead, the most critical possession in the game ended with Tarik Black posting up Jordan Hill. What if Dwight Howard was playing? Isn't he a much better player? A Howard post up in that exact situation would have been just as foolish, whether that situation would have arisen or not. The problem is not talent. The problem is not injury. The problem is not even fatigue. The problem is decision-making, and it always has been, and it always will be. Until the Rockets can sort out their offense, a problem that few people even acknowledged was an issue last season, Houston will keep falling prey to lesser teams and will not make it to the second round of the playoffs.
The Rockets got outrebounded by nine. Fine. That would have been helped by Dwight Howard, obviously. Rebounds were only part of the story. The Lakers won the turnover game 13 to 17. They won the foul game 18-25. All of this together, as a grand package of bad choices wrapped up in a ribbon of desperation, delivered 17 more field goals to the Lakers. The Rockets should never, ever take 74 field goals when the opponent has 91. All the Lakers had to do was shoot a mediocre 40.7% from the field to win this game. The Rockets have the tools to field an extremely efficient offense in this league... and yet they sit at 21st. Below the Nuggets, a team whose early season struggles could hardly be more documented.
This is not time to panic, for that button has come and gone. The Rockets, at their best, are one of the best teams in the NBA, with a lineup fit far better than anyone could ask for. Their defense is, despite their reputation, top-notch. They'll stay in the top five all season, despite expectations going in. Defense supposedly wins championships, but that's only the case if the offense operates at a bare minimum. That's only the case if the team doesn't crumble like a house of cards in the final five minutes. That's only the case if the team plays more of their bench and doesn't leave exciting options to wither and die on the bench. Troy Daniels is iffy, but Isaiah Canaan has looked strong and promising. Head coach Kevin McHale has a tendency to squeeze the starters and to give young players short shrift. And if it has been his decision to keep Canaan stapled to the bench since Beverley's return, he is criminal in his basketball negligence.
There is little more that could be going wrong for the Rockets since their trip to Mexico City, but there is always more that could falter. Houston has penned a flawless symphony of disappointment and has moved, expertly, to make fools of all who recognize the might of their early-season run. This is a long season, and there's no reason to think the Rockets can't keep this kind of production going. Once, that sentiment was milk and honey in the mouths of pundits and fans and players and coaches. Now, it's returned, burnt to ashes, bitter and cloying in the throats of the same people. Dwight Howard will return. Terrence Jones will return. But these problems are a different matter. These decisions are ongoing. And the ride never ends.
