I don’t know when these games against the Oklahoma City Thunder will stop feeling like a chance at retribution for James Harden, but that time was certainly not last night.
Watching Harden square up against his old teammates is always exciting because it still conjures up feelings of what could have (should have?) been for the Thunder. Typically, Harden feels like the underdog in these match-ups with his more acclaimed ex-teammates; the third banana gone rogue. But this year has been different, with Harden playing at a pace-setting MVP level, and the Durant/Westbrook combo stuck in second gear after injuries derailed both their first quarter-season.
On a night when the Rockets were playing their third game in four nights, traveling up and down the east coast before returning home, Harden was one rebound away from his second triple-double of the season. The Beard easily outclassed Durant and Westbrook, who had just 40 points and 12 turnovers combined (the Rockets had 12 TO’s as a team, Harden only 2) and hadn’t played since last Friday. Some call that rust, I call it rest.
But even with the Thunder coming in so fresh, the Rockets came out scorching, scoring 40 points in the first quarter (their most in any quarter this season) and leading by 22 after one. In fact, Houston took the lead for good after a James Harden catch-and-shoot 3 made it 7-4 just a little more than two minutes into the first. The Thunder never even got back inside a ten point deficit after the Rockets made it 14-4 with eight minutes still to go in the opening period.
There wasn’t a defender on OKC who could stay in front of Harden. And even when Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook, only two of the most athletic players in the league, trapped on the pick-and-roll, Harden crossed-over and split the defense before jamming it down for the dunk of the night.
But this wasn’t just about Harden looking like the best player on the floor, it was also about the rest of the roster following his lead. The slash-and-kick was out in full force, with nary a missed extra pass to an open shooter. Dwight Howard couldn’t really find the ball on offense, but Trevor Ariza and Pat Beverley knocked down a few threes while hounding Durant and Westbrook all night. D-Mo was his usual crafty self, dropping in 14 (which could have easily been 20 if he hadn’t missed a few bunnies) and connecting with Dwight on a nice big-to-big alley-oop. Although the real treat was getting to watch Josh Smith do what he was brought to Houston to do.
J-Smoove only played 19 minutes, but he managed 13 points, 7 rebounds (4 offensive) and 2 assists. Which might not seem like much, but what made it so…relieving?…was how seamless he looked in his role. He still took three shots outside of his range, two missed 3’s and a made 18-footer, but he attacked the basket aggressively, made a few skip passes to the corner shooters, and was a menace on the boards at all times. He even ran a couple nice fast breaks off long rebounds, and played a sweet give-and-go with Papanikolaou for an easy lay-in off a turnover. This is the Josh Smith Daryl Morey was hoping for: stay in your role, fill in the gaps, and defend. There aren’t many teams in the league that have a player of Smith’s ability coming off the bench, and much like Harden’s defense last year, it’s too easy to take potshots at Smith and his (somewhat) overblown narrative.
Last night was also coach Kevin McHale’s 200th win as a head coach. It’s a nice milestone for a coach that just signed a three year extension last month, and who should pile up many more wins with the future of basketball on his roster. Speaking of the future of basketball, the Rockets shot 16-36 from deep last night, marking the 11th time this season that they have had 15+ 3-pointers in a game this season. Not impressed? On January 15, exactly one month BEFORE the All-Star break, the Rockets already set the NBA record for such games in a single season (Shoutout to EJ for that stat).
Chuck and Shaq may not believe this team is a true contender, but McHale still has time smooth things over after his roster additions. Plus, if Terrence Jones ever gets right, the Rockets could be adding another starting quality player to an already deep team. And with two of Houston’s next three games coming against the league-leading Golden State Warriors, James Harden will have more chances to prove that he’s the best player on a star-studded court (and prove the big fellas wrong).
