Houston Rockets @ Phoenix Suns on 4/15/2013

By Rob Dover | April 15, 2013 at 4:58 pm

(Apologies for the short preview today – I am running a bit behind schedule)

The regular season is nearing its end, and so the Rockets travel to the desert for a game that could guarantee them the 6th seed. The equation: win tonight and if the Warriors lose one of their last two games (vs San Antonio and @ Portland) then they’re locked into their spot. While there is a school of thought that says they would be more likely to advance against a banged-up Spurs team, the Nuggets (who only need to win one more game to guarantee the third seed) have their own injury problems and that match-up is likely to be ridiculously entertaining. The Rockets management has given no indication they’d prefer to strategically lose, so I can’t imagine we’ll see anything other than 100% from the team tonight.

That said, it is the second night of a back-to-back, a scenario in which the Rockets have been poor this year (6-14 record in games where they’ve played the night before). Fortunately, their romp against Sacramento was comprehensive enough that the starters could be rested in the 4th quarter, so they should hopefully have something left in the tank.

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The Daily Blast – April 15, 2013

By John Eby | April 14, 2013 at 10:49 pm

The Climb – The Rockets edged up into the sixth seed in the West this weekend thanks to a blowout win over Sacramento, and Golden State’s not-at-all-suspicious loss to the Lakers in a game with a 50-16 free throw disparity. This is beneficial to the Rockets, so please disperse.  To be fair to the Lakers and the referees, I didn’t see the (now historic) second half of that game, and Golden State is one of the grabbiest defenses in the league, so it wouldn’t surprise me if 50 free throws were warranted.

Achilles – It has not been much discussed in the blogosphere outside of our forums, but Kobe Bryant’s injury could have huge implications for whether Dwight Howard stays in L.A. or goes to Houston. While I still think the Lakers could be successful with a hobbled Bryant and a more Dwight-centric game plan, Howard would still be second-fiddle to Bryant in the organization even as Kobe’s game declines. Let’s hope he avoids that sticky situation.

Sympathy for the Devil – Perspective from an avowed Kobe hater–myself–on the injury as posted in the forums this Saturday:

I’ve never felt so conflicted about an athlete before. Kobe Bryant is my least favorite personality in all of professional sports. I’ve rooted against him in every game he has ever played (my dad is a Celtics fan, so I inherited some sports hate). I’m convinced that for much of his career, he has been protected by the league’s vested economic interest in his (Lakers) success–there hasn’t been a player since Jordan that opponents tried so hard *not* to foul, giving him the space he needs to pull off his countless heroic, infuriating jumpers.

At the same time, his work ethic, fitness and commitment to winning are undeniable. Read More »

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Houston Rockets 121, Sacramento Kings 100 – Welcome to the Sixth Seed

By Forrest Walker | April 14, 2013 at 9:13 pm

In Chandler Parsons’ first game back from his calf stain, the Houston Rockets limited his minutes for a different reason entirely. James Harden was the only Rocket to play over 30 minutes due to a team-wide case of blowout over the Sacramento Kings. The Rockets led by over 18 heading into the fourth, letting head coach Kevin McHale rest the starting unit before heading to Phoenix for the team’s penultimate regular season game tomorrow. Read More »

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The Rockets in the clutch

By rahat huq | April 14, 2013 at 9:17 am

Friday night’s affair against the Grizzlies featured a familiar theme with the Rockets sputtering down the stretch.  This season, in the last minute of games within 5 points, the team is shooting 29%, good for 25th in the league.  Conversely, the team shoots 46% overall, good for 10th in the league.

It’s obvious that the team’s shooting would dip during these situations – the game gets tighter and defenses are more locked in.  But the fact that there is such a drastic disparity in the figures in comparison to their peers is certainly cause for concern.  You would expect them to drop below 46% but to a figure in ratio with that tenth best ranking.

What’s going wrong?  As we’ve seen too often, down the stretch in close games, the Rockets abandon their set offense and turn to ISO-ball, looking to James Harden to jack up contested jumpers off of one foot.  Is this by design?

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Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets on 4/14/2013

By Daniel Guyton | April 14, 2013 at 9:06 am

Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets on 4 14 2013 Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets on 4/14/2013

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