Houston got a solid win with a balanced offensive attack. Everyone shot the ball well, 53% for the team, and the game was in hand after a 15 to 1 run to end the third quarter. That run was propelled by the second team and Casspi especially. In the first half of the third quarter it looked like the Rockets were going to let the Bulls back into the game. But, the Bulls went cold and didn’t score a field goal for six minutes.
It was nice to see a game that went into the fourth quarter with the starters on the bench and McHale having the option to sit them a little more than normal. Only Parsons was on the court in the fourth quarter until the Bulls closed it to 14 with 6:47 left in the game and McHale put all the starters back in. He pulled all the starters with over two minutes to go as the Rockets had one of their easier victories of the year. Even Brewer got in the game and scored.
McHale’s presence was calming and helped steady the Rockets and they are now four and four in their last eight games. One of the nicest sets was when McHale drew up a play, after a time out, at the end of the first half for a three pointer by Beverley that extended the lead to 13. Putting the starters back in at the midway point in the final quarter sealed the deal. It looked like McHale was glad to be back on the bench after missing the last three games to attend to his mother’s funeral.
Howard is playing some awesome basketball for the Rockets and he is obviously a serious upgrade from Asik. Neither Boozer nor Noah could stop him tonight. He shot 11 of 14 from the field and looked great in the paint. The Rockets got him a lot of touches on the post, the pick and roll looked really good and he got so many dunks. Jones had some great passes inside to Howard and finished with six assists. Howard looks really happy and he’s been a lot of fun to watch. He’s setting hard screens, passing from the post, integrating well with Harden and making people change their shots in the paint. The Rockets scored 66 points in the paint.
The turnovers were better tonight for the Rockets as they only had 13, but Harden had seven. Harden looked really good after spraining his ankle and shot seven for 13 in 36 minutes. He started the game with a monster dunk, took it to the hole for a layup and hit a bomb three. Van Gundy had an interesting comment about Harden not being an elite guard in the league until he can bring it every game consistently. Parsons had a quiet all-star like game with 19 points and nine boards. Overall the Rockets looked relaxed, confident and got an easy win in a game that should be an easy win.
Now for more on Asik and the self-imposed trade deadline. How will you feel if the trade is made for Bass, Lee and a pick? At first, I was thinking, what a rip-off for us. But with Asik playing prima donna, this may be the best pick-up we can get. Lee is shooting the ball very well this year and can play some defense and Bass can shoot way better than Asik (who doesn’t) and can be a big body underneath. Both players bring some experience. Can Morey move these guys if he picks them up? Who else wants Bass or Lee? Bass is under contract until 2015 at 7 million and Lee on the books until 2016 at 5.5 million per. Those numbers sting. I was hoping that if we lose Asik and Lin this year, we could sign someone huge next year with that 30 million.
I wonder how much Asik’s value went down with his attitude and behavior? He gave up on the Rockets while getting paid 5 million this season. After cheering for him all last year, I’m deeply disappointed in Asik’s whining and the way it all played out. Especially the way the Rockets provided him with the opportunity to prove himself in the league for the first time. Even Van Gundy mentioned how he was surprised that Asik didn’t honor his contract by playing hard.
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