Rockets’ ‘formula’ requires depth
Record poor shooting proof Houston needs a younger triple threat
HOUSTON— As the Rockets saw one three-pointer after another clang off the rim over the final 30 minutes of Monday’s Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, you could hear the cacophony of voices arguing against Houston grow louder with each heave. On a night when Houston missed 27 threes in a row and 29 of its final 30 attempts, going 7-for-44 from deep for the game — setting some inglorious NBA records — why wouldn’t the Rockets start driving to the basket or at least taking a couple of dribbles before shooting? Why keep flinging shots up from three-point range when it wasn’t working? Unsurprisingly, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni came prepared with an answer. Did Houston’s struggles cause him to rethink his trigger-happy philosophy?
“No, because the other team’s doing it,” D’Antoni said with a smile, referencing the 39 threepointers the Golden State Warriors attempted in Game 7. “That’s what you do. That’s where the game is going.
“Now, we should have made some more. But, no, I don’t lose confidence in that.
“We’ve got the right formula. We’ve got to execute it.”
The Rockets had an almost comical number of missed shots. Golden State overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to pull out a win on the road, advancing to a fourth consecutive NBA final.
The real question is why the Rockets missed those shots. The answer explains why this series got away from Houston, and what it needs to do to take the final step toward contention next season.
Houston’s players simply ran out of gas in the second half of Game 7.
Houston undoubtedly caught some bad breaks — far beyond the missed threes in Game 7. Chris Paul’s hamstring strain, which knocked him out of both Games 6 and 7, was the most obvious. Luc Mbah a Moute dislocating his shoulder for a second time earlier in these playoffs, however, was perhaps just as crucial. Without him, the Rockets were left to basically play six-and-a-half players (the half being Gerald Green’s 15 minutes a game or so).
That strain clearly caught up to the Rockets as the series wore on, which allowed Golden State to pull away in the second halves of both Games 6 and 7.
“One half of basketball,” said James Harden, who went 2for-12 from three-point range in Game 7 — including missing his final 10 attempts. “Two games, Games 6 and 7. One half of basketball. We just didn’t have the same energy that we had in that first half or the pace. So, it’s extremely frustrating.”
Ariza, Paul and Mbah a Moute are all unrestricted free agents, while Clint Capela is a restricted free agent who should see multiple max offers after his excellent season.
Then, Houston needs to add another piece with its mid-level exception. If the Rockets could get someone like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley or Danny Green, Houston could develop a nine-man rotation of Paul, Harden, Ariza, Tucker, Capela, Mbah a Moute, Green, Eric Gordon and another wing defender and shooter. Such depth would put Houston in a position where, in a long series, its shooters don’t run out of juice to hoist up threes.