Analysis and links can be found after the jump.
Of all of the terrible things that can be said about the 2010-11 Houston Rockets, no one can ever say that they are the New York Knicks. And for that, we should all be very, very grateful. This incarnation of Rockets has at times shown a lack of effort on defense, a predilection for low-percentage jumpers and a generally blasé attitude regarding late-game execution; of all of these sins, the Knickerbockers are greater offenders, and simply looked quite offensive Sunday night. New York may not have found its world-changing superstar this offseason, but Amar’e Stoudemire was no slouch and soon found himself surrounded by talented, if less than proven, role-players and a familiar, brilliant coach. Something seemed as if it would finally go right for the boys in blue, but alas, the Knicks currently reek of ineptitude on the sidelines (“seven seconds or less” looked brilliant when Roger Mason wasn’t your best three-point shooter, eh, Mike? How about telling these guys to not shoot 19-footers immediately after bringing the ball up the court?) and find a hollow shell where a true star once was in Stoudemire, at least so far. Granted, this team looks a lot better with Ronny Turiaf patrolling the paint (I know it seems nuts, but the former Laker/Warrior hypeman has gone nuts on opposing offenses this year, blocking just under two a night and presenting a lot of troublesome length when combined with a motivated Stoudemire), but there were Kramer-esque, “luxurious” passing lanes that the Rockets were allowed (and consistently took advantage of) all night. A few times, Brad Miller and Shane Battier slung beautiful, delicate passes through the middle that led to high-percentage shots, and all I could think of was how more ball-hawkish defenders like John Wall and Chris Paul would have never allowed some of the passes the Rockets were executing ever take place. Thank God for the Knicks.
Throughout last night’s local Houston telecast, the men calling the game repeatedly argued about Stoudemire’s viability as a superstar and his worth in comparison to that of Scola, the first a common tale to be spun by sideline talkers in this early season and the second a ludicrous assessment based on a tiny sample size and huge helping of homerism. Prior to this year, Stoudemire has consistently produced exactly like the star the media portrayed him to be (if not more so, as Steve Nash has been attributed essentially every iota of success from the SSOL-era of the Suns post-mortem), but all of the unfair questioning of Amar’e's deal seems, well, quite fair after underwhelming results as the focal point of an offense that badly needs structure and leadership. Though Amar’e piledrived through Scola repeatedly in the first half to get layup after layup (and set up his simply gorgeous mid-range game), once pitted against the one-man-team-defense that is Chuck Hayes, Stoudemire folded and submitted to his worst inclinations, disappearing on play after play due to his frustration with Hayes’ defense and facilitating, though not at all causing, a culture of insouciance among this impressionable young group of Knickerbockers. Yes, Amar’e Stoudemire’s brief run as King of New York has started poorly (though regime changes are never pretty), but that in no way places him in the same stratosphere as Luis Scola, a garbageman of a star, if one at all. Scola collects his points through a series of post-ups when mismatched and open jumpshots created by active, dangerous teammates; his recent inclusion in moronic, completely hypothetical trade talks for Chris Bosh (which Rockets fans would somehow not want!!!) and this juxtaposition with Stoudemire exemplifies the abuse of the new sabermetric style of viewing basketball. I know Scola’s PER looks as handsome as the caveman himself, but Rockets fans are all kidding themselves if they’re convinced Scola has taken the jump to compete alongside these men as titans of the four because a team featuring Scola in a manner similar to the way D’Antoni is currently showcasing Stoudemire would likely be worse than the 72-73 Sixers by a longshot. Great raw stats like Scola’s may look mighty healthy, but remember the results that have come from his and Martin’s stat-padding (I am not in anyway implying anything about either of those men’s intentions, simply that their fantastic statistical seasons have come along with a truckload of losses).
Their champion stats looked great for the Rockets last night, though, and when combined with what are arguably the Rockets’ three best defensive players (Hayes, Battier, Kyle Lowry), those two helped pin the Knicks in the third quarter. That exact lineup seemed to find the groove between offensive chemistry and constant defensive pressure that this team has kept missing in the first few weeks of this young season, as Martin and Scola’s sieve-like defense and Battier’s non-existent offensive presence were consistently masked by good ball movement (and terrible, terrible shots on the Knicks’ parts). Regardless of New York’s complete collapse in the second half, the Rockets used this weekend’s two victories to learn about each other and make up for what injuries have taken, exactly the kind of progress that’ll be necessary for the team to have any chance at making a run later in this year.
Houston Rockets 104, New York Knicks 96
On to the links…
- Amar’e Stoudemire wants you to know that he is an apparent leader of men. They just won’t go when he goes. Stoudemire railed against his teammates’ lack of enthusiasm at the end of the game after the end of the contest last night, implying that the result of the game was of no consequence to his teammates and that he “wasn’t used to this.” As much as I love the big, ambiguously Jewish star, I can’t help but wonder from where Amar’e thinks this entirely new collection of teammates is taking its cues. Every half-hearted swipe at a wrist that will probably lead to an and-one, every bit of unchecked help defense that leaves your man wide open, every pout after a teammate’s failure‒ that band of losers is learning how to lose right now, Amar’e, from you.
- Even if one thought it strange that last night’s broadcasting team in Houston repeated the phrase “not a namby-pamby” with increasing vigor in reference to this man, Chuck Hayes sure abused the New York Knicks last night. When talking to the Houston Chronicle‘s Jonathan Feigen, Hayes exudes the kind of confidence that one would expect of a bench player who just sauntered onto the court and completely locked down one of the best pure scorers in basketball: “Hayes shut down Stoudemire. And with the Rockets no longer forced to twist the defense to stop the Knicks’ top scoring threat, the rest of New York’s offense crumbled, too… ‘I’m on an island, me and him,’ Hayes said. ‘We don’t want to double-team because they have such good shooters. We want to play him man up and make it hard for him.’ The Knicks’ frustration became obvious, coming to a head with four consecutive turnovers midway through the fourth quarter as Hayes, Scola and Kyle Lowry scored for the Rockets to stretch the lead to 95-77. ’That happens to every team,’ Hayes said. ‘Everybody gets to pouting and pointing fingers. Once you got a team like that, you want to keep them there.’”
- A real gen-u-wine celebrity came down and watched the Rockets play basketball last night. Her name is Kim Kardashian, and though I’m not entirely sure what the numerous talents I’m sure have made her so famous are, she sure looks beautiful. And who is that with her? R&B sensation The-Dream, you say? Who is featured on Kanye West’s breathtaking new single “All of the Lights”, you say? This all seems like an excuse to post that last link, you say?
- Even though Jared Jeffries seems like a perfect “Rockets guy” given his demeanor and on-court attributes, his status as “occasional stopper when Rick gets bored” probably doesn’t leave him feeling super about his role with the Rockets. According to the New York Daily News, Jeffries tried to work out a buyout when he was dealt to Houston as a part of the Kevin Martin deal; he simply didn’t get on the first plane back to New York because the Rockets wouldn’t give him enough to get out of his deal.
