By: Forrest Walker
The Houston Rockets swept away the first three quarters of the game under and endless torrent of brutal slams. The Dallas Mavericks stayed close and mucked it up for almost 36 minutes, bogging down the game with fouls and intense defense on James Harden. Josh Smith and Dwight Howard had different plans. The Rockets ended the game with fourteen slams, including several lobs from Josh Smith to his AAU teammate Dwight Howard. Much like the "run it again" era of Hakeem Olajuwon's Rockets, this Houston team found a winning play and called that number over and over again. With no answer for Houston's big men, the Mavs fell behind, even with James Harden on the bench. The Rockets now lead the series by a commanding 2 games to 0.
Dwight Howard and Josh Smith came alive, more alive than they've been all season, and both justified every second of their tenure in Houston with this game alone. Dwight Howard brought the hammer down with 28 points and 12 rebounds on a mere 15 shots, including hitting 8 straight free throws in 11 tries. This version of Dwight Howard, the thundering, rolling, dunking machine, is what Houston hoped for and what people predicted and all last season. The long absence due to his knee procedure has paid huge dividends so far, with these two playoff wins worth infinitely more than any regular season tilts. He's healthy, he's motivated, and he's unstoppable.
Josh Smith is worth every penny that the Detroit Pistons are paying him this season, and every penny the Houston Rockets are paying him, too. It just turns out that the team footing the much smaller bill is the one he propelled to a stunning victory in the post season. Smith only played 26 mintues, but he nearly cracked a triple double with 15 points (on 15 shots), 8 rebounds and 9 assists. He was instrumental in the late run while James Harden sat, punishing the Mavs in pick and roll situations over and over again. He got off to a slow, inefficient start, but once he and Dwight became the primary weapons, they unleashed a torrent of lobs as Dallas tried to find a way to turn Dirk Nowitzki back into a person and not a turnstile.
Houston's bench depth is looking increasingly solid, and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey used both shrewdness and luck to create a situation where the Rockets could lose two key rotation players and keep rolling. Even Clint Capela came off the bench to play fruitful playoff minutes. Corey Brewer remained a fireball off the bench, even if his 17 points on 7-13 shooting wasn't as impressive as his last outing. The shallow Mavs were given no mercy, and it was through depth that the Rockets were able to absorb Dallas' heaviest blows. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle threw the sink at the Rockets, playing physical ball and trying to draw fouls on Houston.
It almost worked for half the game, while Harden was off his game and the Rockets couldn't buy an open bucket. Harden ended the night a mere 5-17 from the field for 24 points, a line which is actually sub-par for his standard of excellence. His 5 rebounds, 6 assist and a steal were also below his standards slightly in a night where he was the focus of the defense. The Mavs, despite all their defensive holes, have done a good job of limiting James Harden. Unfortunately, they've done almost nothing to limit anyone else. The theory that Harden has nothing to work with was a talking point in favor of Harden's MVP campaign, but now feels like brilliant propaganda from an extremely deep team that's suckered other clubs into underestimating the role players.
The worst news was that Terrence Jones got hit in the face by Dwight's elbow and sat down to get examined for a concussion. He only played 22 minutes due to it, but the Rockets didn't end up missing him due to the Smith-Howard love connection. Jones seemed ready to return if needed, however, so it's very likely he'll be ready to go for the remainder of the playoffs.
This Rockets team, like a boxer saving his best moves for a title fight, pulled a pick and roll happy Dwight Howard out of nowhere and is suddenly a very different team. The Rockets have gone up 2-0 on a 50-win Mavs team and won both games comfortably. Most frightening for the league is that Harden hasn't even gone off yet. This series is far from over, but all the questions it's raised have been for the rest of the league, not Houston. The Rockets look ahead to Friday, now, and to a chance to go up 3-0 on the Mavs in Dallas. If they keep playing at this level, they may soon be looking ahead to the next round.