The Houston Rockets lost a close game to an Indiana Pacers team on a back to back. This Pacers team, clearly in the middle of a reloading period, and generally adrift over the summer, came together under a good coach and a hardnosed star in Paul George. They might not have the talent up and down the roster, but they use what they have very well and they have a real shot to make a little noise in the playoffs. The Houston Rockets, last year’s Southwest Division champs, rolling back the same team that made a run to the Conference Finals, weren’t shocking the world with a tight loss to a tired version of this team. This was just another Sunday, and this is just where we are.
There is something special about this Sunday; it’s Easter! If you celebrate Easter, have a happy one. If you don’t celebrate it, have a happy Sunday, too. If you were hoping to celebrate a Rockets win, find something else to believe in. After enough gut punches, you just start to clench up the abs and go about your business. If it hasn’t been drilled home by now, this incarnation of the Rockets is not good. They could be good. They should be good. They even can be good sometimes. But on balance, this win would have been a pleasant surprise. There are maybe six teams in the league the Rockets should be expected to beat at this point, and they got swept by two of them.
Here are some exciting numbers. The Rockets can’t shoot threes: they went 2-18 in the first half and only made up ground in a stretch where they shot 3-6 and played defense. They ended the night at a truly dismal 7-33, a 21% clip which is enough to sink most teams. On top of that, they gave up a hilarious 11 offensive rebounds. Sure, they grabbed 11 of their own, but they’re an elite offensive rebounding team. That’s just about right on their average. The Pacers are middle of the pack on the offensive glass, averaging 10.2 a game. Ceding rebounds and missing threes is an excellent way to give away very winnable games.
Dwight Howard versus Clint Capela continues to be an underreported but very real concern. If Dwight wasn’t ready for the season to end earlier, he sure seems like it now, and who can blame him? He ended the game with 11 points on 5-6 shooting and 10 rebounds, which is ok but not up to his standard for touches or performance really. He also notched a -14, which in this case looks a little meaningful next to Clint Capela’s +12. Capela shot 4-5 and recorded 9 points and 7 rebounds. His defense also looks crisp and his effort is always there. Moreover, Capela has a level of athleticism Dwight might not be able to access any more. Much of this season’s problems might be traced back to the fact that having this version of Dwight may be worse for the team than just letting Clint do it. At least then you don’t have to worry about getting him touches and complicating the offense.
Speaking of offense, James Harden was great on that end, as always. 11-22 is a good shooting night for anyone, and 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. With a better team and maybe a better attitude, Harden could be and should be a triple-double machine. His defense isn’t as bad as everyone thinks it is, but rather his effort that comes and goes. Tonight he seemed interested, but a few sloppy turnovers and a lack of three point scoring from the rest of the team torpedoed his efforts.
One last important note: head coach J.B. Bickerstaff should consider playing a lot more of K.J. McDaniels. McDaniels only made one shot, but he also only took one in his 13 minutes. He was also a +18. A lot of this was just being around for a good lineup (that didn’t include Howard), but a lot of it was his defense. He’s got the tools, the instincts and the willingness to be a very good defender, and a good perimeter defender is something Houston desperately needs. There’s really nothing to lose at this point, so perhaps the young K.J. will get some chances to prove himself soon.
In the end, this was another meaningless loss in a meaningless season. The Rockets seem destined for the 1-8 slaughterhouse against the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, and it shouldn’t surprise us when events break that direction. Punishing the NBA’s greatest embarrassment would be the perfect opening round for the coronation of potentially the greatest team of all time. I’d say that this would be horrifying but at this point it’s not. It’s just normal. This is just where we are.
