Houston Rockets @ Detroit Pistons 12/21/13

By Eric Nielsen | December 21, 2013 at 11:30 am

The Rockets are only four and five in the month of December.  After getting physically dominated by the Pacers on Friday, it will be important for the Rockets to bounce back against a surprisingly strong Pistons team.  The Rockets are struggling to maintain any kind of intensity game in and game out.  Van Gundy said it best about our team leader: James Harden is not an elite player until he can bring the intensity every game.  The same can be said for the Rockets as a whole.  They didn’t look close to being an elite team against the Pacers on Friday and all of their weaknesses were exposed.  The Rockets could not get a stop in the third quarter to save their lives and the Pacers were not missing from the outside.  Our three point shooting went cold and the Pacers were back on defense to stop any kind of a fast break.  As Rob Dover said, “So that’s what defense looks like.” What an embarrassment and tremendous confidence killer this game was.

The Rockets definitely are working from behind the eight ball when it comes to injuries.  Asik has been out and his defense, rebounding and resolve in the middle have been sorely missed.  If Asik can come back and commit to being the best player possible, the Rockets may be able to stabilize the ship.  Now that the trade chatter is over, maybe Asik can get healthy, and focus on earning his paycheck.  The only way Asik gets out of town is to show that he is still an elite center.  That’s the only way the Rockets can get back value for what the Rockets perceive as Asik’s true worth.

To clarify some of my previous comments about Asik, in no way do I mind him requesting a trade.  I mind that he hasn’t been playing hard and has begged out of games because his trade request has not been fulfilled.  I feel Asik has been mentally disengaged, skipped games, and has been more focused on his trade request than on court performance.  I had hoped that his ego would be more interested in winning than in being a star.  When is he coming back anyway?  Is there any timeline set for his return?  Asik didn’t make the road trip.

Jeremy Lin’s absence has also really been missed.  The Rockets are at their best on offense when they’re running with Lin facilitating, pushing the ball as well as anyone on the Rockets.  With Lin pushing the ball up court, Parsons plays better, and Harden gets more easy layups and free throws.  Opposing teams are punished for missing shots and turnovers more when Lin plays.  Lin is day to day, but is unlikely to play against the Pistons.  It’s tough to see the Rocket’s young players out with ankle and back injuries.  Back spasms can linger and pop back up at any time.  Parsons still looks fragile and seems as if one wrong fall or twist could send him to the bench again for a few games.

The Pistons are fifth in the East and have beaten elite teams.  They beat the Pacers on Monday night and took Portland to overtime on Sunday.  They also beat the Heat earlier this month.  The way things are going for the Rockets, this will be a difficult game to win on the road.  The Pistons have a new vibe going with Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings playing for new coach Maurice Cheeks.  Piston fans have great hope with a young player like Andre Drummond in the middle.  His PER is 22.5, he is getting 13 points and nearly 13 boards a game. He ranks as a top Sophomore in the league, being in the same class as  Lillard and Davis.  This matchup will be tough for Howard and will be one to watch.

Coming on the heels of a pounding by the Pacers and on the back end of a back to back, a win here would be something – plus will help raise the ship that was sunk on Friday night.  The Pistons are also on the second half of a back to back, but they are the 3rd youngest team in the league and are a team-building confidence.  This is a tough run of games for the Rockets and they need to pick up every win they can as they try to re-imagine themselves as contenders.

 

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Total comments: 14
  • Alituro says 3 months ago

    That makes us 6-1 on second nights of B2Bs this season, if anyone's needing some optimism during the injury plague.

  • 2016Champions says 3 months ago Dwight's highlights from last night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBJVoneymAc
  • Dayak says 3 months ago In preseason my main concern was Dwight's health and it's strange to realize that he's the only player in this team who played every game this season.
  • Steven says 3 months ago

    This is Dwight's team.


    As it should be. He is the only legitimate HOFer (at the present time) on the team. He is a top 5 player in the league (when healthy). He is getting stronger and stronger. He rushed back too soon from back surgery last year, but now he is starting to play like the man who lead the Magic to the finals, and that team was HORRIBLE.
  • Buckko says 3 months ago

    This is Dwight's team.

  • miketheodio says 3 months ago

    i was happy about getting dwight, but I didn't think he would end up in the leadership role here (due to his past). after the loss to the suns, i really started to like the guy. he has shown up to play every night.

  • Steven says 3 months ago @ Paul. Isn't Drummond a center?

    Does anyone else think when the Rockets called Ronnie Brewer's agent, they were asking for Corey and the switch was made before they realized they were getting the wrong Brewer?
  • Red94 says 3 months ago New post: Houston Rockets 114, Detroit Pistons 97: Superman.
    By: Paul McGuire

    Dwight Howard has no post game.

    That is what has always been said about Howard; if not that, the free throws.  Rockets fans should know this better than anyone else – how many, during the Yao/Howard debates, cited Yao’s jumper, his excellent free throw shooting, and his touch as proof that Yao was superior?  Never mind the fronting problem, or the pick and roll.  When Dwight has been discussed, there is always the “but” coming.

    Yeah, he’s good.  Three-time Defensive Players of the Year.  But….

    It is one reason why Howard came to Houston.  To learn with two of the most skilled big men to ever play in Olajuwon and McHale.  A sharp contrast to the Lakers, where Kobe Bryant seemed to view Howard as only a more athletic Tyson Chandler.  Many were skeptical that Howard would in fact learn better, and with good reason.

    But tonight, right after the most devastating loss of the season, with injuries so bad that one began to wonder whether there would be even five Rockets on the court by the end, Dwight Howard went full Superman and completely willed the team from the beginning to the end.  And this time, there was a post-game.

    Without James Harden and Jeremy Lin, Dwight was force fed the ball from the very beginning and produced results.  Andre Drummond is a very athletic guard who blocks shots and someday perhaps could be even better than Howard at his peak.  But like most young centers, his defensive smarts need time to develop, and Howard completely outworked him in the post.  He came with everything.  Hook shots, whether running or straight up.  Pump fakes into fouls.  Even a long jumper similar to Howard’s three pointer against the Warriors two weeks ago, only this time his foot was on the line.  And of course, Howard was a defensive terror as always.

    The final result?  35 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and the win.  The last part was particularly important that in Howard’s other dominant performances against the Mavericks and Blazers, the Rockets still lost.  But tonight, Superman showed up to save the day, and no one is saying “but”.

    • Now, for the bad news.  Houston has already been hit enough by injuries, but the hope was that with Lin and Asik ready soon, that things would soon turn around.  Unfortunately, it turned for the worse.  Harden sat out of tonight’s game with his ankle problems from the start, but then both Greg Smith and Patrick Beverley came out with injuries.  Both had played well beforehand, Smith in particular as Terrence Jones simply lacks the size and strength to handle Greg Monroe, something Smith did well enough.  Smith once again had knee problems, though this time I believe on the opposite knee, but Patrick Beverley fractured his hand and thus almost assured that he will miss the next several games.  With those two out, the Rockets were so depleted that James Harden warmed up before the start of the second half, just in case the now realistic scenario of Houston running out of players occurred.  Thanks to Howard’s fantastic effort, Harden did not play, which means that the Houston's starters have already missed as many games this season as the starters did throughout the entirety of last season.  Just...health, please.
    • Howard came out with 1:16 in the third quarter to rest, and the ridiculous amount of injuries meant that Chandler Parsons essentially became the point guard/#1 option.  Parsons actually did better than I expected – he scored six points over the next four minutes through jumpers.  While the Pistons did cut the lead from 15 to 10 starting from the beginning of the fourth quarter, most of that was just due to the Rockets being outbigged with Howard on the bench.  A Parsons-Garcia-Brewer-Casspi-Jones lineup does not exactly strike fear into enemy teams, after all.
    • On that above point: I do hope that tonight can put paid to the idea that Ronnie Brewer should be getting rotation minutes.  Ronnie Brewer is a good defender.  But he’s not Tony Allen or Shane Battier, and his offense is just far too big of a problem to ignore.  He finished with a team-worst -14 ( Donatas Motiejunas was the only other Rockets with a negative +/-, as the only thing he did throughout the entire game was come in and immediate give up a three-point play), and the eye test showed just how bad his offense is.  Opposing teams pay just enough attention to ensure he does not cut to the basket through the baseline, and then the Rockets are stuck playing 4 on 5 on the offensive end.
  • Eric Nielsen says 3 months ago

    Awesome game for Howard. It was great to see the Rockets ride the big man possesion after possesion. Losing Beverley will hurt. I wonder if/when Canaan gets some time.

  • datruth says 3 months ago

    D12 is looking good and he is dominating.

  • rocketrick says 3 months ago

    Just a stellar win over the Pistons tonight. Don't forget, the Pistons defeated the Pacers earlier this week and defeated the Heat earlier this month, so the Pistons are anything but a pushover opponent.

    D12 keeps getting better and better every game. Is there any doubt out there that D12 is by far the best 5 in the NBA?

  • Sir Thursday says 3 months ago

    The good news is we shot very poorly from three last night and the law of averages may work in our favor.

    I assume that's in jest...not how the law of averages works and all...

    ST

  • thejohnnygold says 3 months ago

    The good news is we shot very poorly from three last night and the law of averages may work in our favor.

  • timetodienow1234567 says 3 months ago Jones will be eaten alive by Monroe/Smith. How badly he gets beaten will determine if we win.