There are few things that irritate me more – whether about the Houston Rockets or otherwise – then when people talk about basketball players in terms of “heart” or “will.” Everyone in the NBA playoffs wants to win. The Houston Rockets lost Games 3 and 4 to the Los Angeles Clippers primarily because of horrible defensive execution and a punch-drunk bench, not because of a lack of heart. There is nothing more to it.
But tonight the Rockets did execute better, the Rockets shot better, and the Rockets played harder with their backs against the wall. And this time was yet another blowout, but in favor of the good guys. Harden dropped in a triple double along with 26 points, Howard thrived with DeAndre Jordan in foul trouble, and the result of the Rockets learned of this concept called “shooting.” And now, there will be a Game 6.
One of the most important things to take away from tonight are the adjustments which Kevin McHale did (and McHale has been criticized for not making adjustments.) It was not just the decision to start Josh Smith instead of Terrence Jones. Before tonight, McHale had placed Ariza on Paul, Terry on Redick, and Harden on Barnes. The problem is that Terry is too old and slow to keep up with Redick, who ran through screens and got easy shots.
In Game 4, McHale placed Ariza on Redick and Terry on Paul. And Terry was not a total disaster against Paul. Paul did have an efficient 22 points and 10 assists, but Terry funneled Paul to Howard throughout the game and limited his shot attempts. Meanwhile, Ariza can chase Redick around, and Redick scored just 9 points on 3-12 shooting.
Furthermore, sending Smith to the starting lineup was just as much about improving the bench as it was the starting lineup. We all know how Smith can do ridiculous things and goes for the high-risk pass or play if he is left in control of the ball too much. The Clippers have taken advantage of Smith’s turnovers to get into transition, and that is something Houston cannot allow. By putting Smith in the starting lineup, Houston managed to avoid this.
And while Blake Griffin had 30 points and 16 rebounds tonight, Smith did a better job on Griffin than Jones. Jones does not have the strength to battle with Griffin in the post. There was a possession in the third quarter when Griffin just backed Jones all the way from the mid-range area to besides the rim before taking the easy jump hook.
Jones did much better off the bench, with 15 points on 8 shots. In fact, the Rockets as a whole did really well off the bench for once. Houston’s improved defense made more opportunities in transition which Corey Brewer thrives off of. DeAndre Jordan’s lack of minutes meant that Clint Capela did his dunk routine, including this monstrosity which reminded me of McGrady over Shawn Bradley.
In Game 1, Blake Griffin beat the Rockets. Houston moved to slow down Blake Griffin by himself, but then the Clippers destroyed the Rockets with the Paul-Griffin pick and roll, transition play, and shooting. In Game 5, Houston moved to shut those opportunities down as well, and the Clippers collapsed on offense as the game progressed. I wonder whether Houston might be better off letting Griffin do his thing while focusing on shutting down Jordan crashing the glass as well their perimeter shooters.
I do not think Houston can win both Games 6 and 7. Something will happen, whether it’s a Chris Paul monster performance like he did against San Antonio in Game 7, or a Jamaal Crawford can hit everything he throws up game, or the Clippers as a unit shoot 50 percent or more from three. But after getting destroyed over and over again, Game 5 was important to avoid utter humiliation. The Rockets may have work to do in the offseason, but they are closer than we had thought they were after games 3 and 4.
Also, something I will observe about Hack-a-Whoever: in what may be the final home game of the season for the Rockets, fans were leaving with three minutes left in the game. On one hand, it is frustrating given the reputation of Houston sports fans. But even though this game was over around the three to four minute mark, it still lasted almost three hours thanks to hacking. If it had been a close game, the length would have been even worse. Furthermore, all of this comes when there are numerous reports that the NBA is looking into shortening games, not lengthening them.
When you consider that, is it really a surprise that our (more causal) fans left early? Hack-a-Whoever will probably be addressed this summer. The NBA is about entertainment. People can sniff “Make your free throws” all day long, but that is not going to stop less fanatical fans from switching the channel when DeAndre Jordan or Howard shoots his 20th free throw of the night.
Finally: TNT reported at the end of the game that Harden had a cold of some kind. It does not appear to be too serious since he dropped a 26-11-10 game, but keep that in note for the next few days.
