That magic formula
Rockets’ camaraderie is almost unheard of, and it helps explain their success and why they think it can mean a title
A hard-to-describe intangible, team chemistry seems to be something the tightknit Rockets have in an abundance.
The cameras caught James Harden bopping to the beat on the Rockets’ bench, looking like the personification of dancing as if no one is watching, even if he would soon be all over the enormous Toyota Center screens and, in the times in which he lives, on gifs that would go viral.
It was not much of an accomplishment to catch him. He moves like Harden before taking the floor at that time nearly every night. But the image did seem to reveal something beyond his seated dance moves.
Though it would be fair to say he looked like a guy on his way to a 65-win season, he inadvertently showed more than even that when he did his dance, caught himself on the video board, stopped for a play-acting pause and then kept on dancing.
“I'm happy,” Harden said, “happier than I’ve ever been.”
Winning will do that, but the Rockets believe the attitude that had filled their locker room since training camp led to the winning, rather than having all the good feelings coming from the success on the floor.
“I think you got to see it on the court,” Harden said. “Obviously, winning shows it, but it’s, like, genuine. We really want to see everyone succeed, from top to bottom. So, behind cameras and just in the locker room, there’s a real vibe. Tuck (P.J. Tucker) and Ryan (Anderson) can hang out, and me and Tarik (Black) can hang out. We really love being around each other. I think that’s a difference that really hasn’t been since I've been here in Houston.”
Pulling in same direction
Two seasons removed from the tension-filled slide to 41-41, one regular season since the Game 6 meltdown that eliminated the Rockets last spring, the Rockets have rolled through the season content not just with roles or success, but at ease with the aspirations they openly shared well before the goals were matched with their record.
“The locker room, how they go about winning, it’s fun,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “They make it fun. They're not taking things for granted. They’re always trying to learn, trying to get better. That’s always great to see. Being around them, they’re pulling in the same direction.
“Obviously, you have to have talent. But once you have that, you cannot put enough premium on if you have good chemistry or not. I think we do. We have the right amount of everybody is responsible and everybody is held accountable and at the same time, they enjoy being around each other.”
As with most things with the Rockets and their success that began with Harden and Chris Paul and their easy partnership. Theirs was not an arranged marriage. They put it together, beginning with an on-court conversation in Los Angeles and then with the weeks that led to Paul telling the Clippers he intended to sign with the Rockets as a free agent, but would be open to opting in to his contract if they worked out a trade.
From their summer workouts together to the players’ minicamps they organized and the seamless run through the season, the relationship has been so easy that if they scripted it into one their insurance commercials, no one would believe it.
“I don't mean to sound too mushy or whatnot, but it was like love at first sight,” Harden said. “Once last summer hit and we just started hanging out and how competitive he really is and how much he loves putting that work in, being in the gym in the same way. So, it kind of just made sense. Obviously everything else from off the court, hanging out, bowling — he loves to bowl — dinner. It was meant to be. And then when you add other guys around it, it kind of brings us together.”
Communication a must
Paul did not quite go Hallmark on the topic, but he knew how Harden felt. Camaraderie came quickly, when the Rockets were, like everyone else, 0-0. But he said the chemistry has lasted not only when the Rockets rolled since mid-January to clinch the NBA’s best record by the end of March, but also through the trials now largely forgotten.
“We've talked about it,” Paul said. “It's about communication. Good or bad, we try to communicate. Then, everything that we do is genuine. We have the tough conversations whether it’s in game or whatnot. It’s just a trust. We’ve been all building this together. It's been unbelievable. I think a lot of credit goes to the team, the coaching staff, everybody, taken the highs and the lows. I think a lot of people forget, we were on a five-game losing streak this year. For us, it’s just coach’s motto, ‘so what, what's next.’
Paul said the relationship helps, but everybody has a voice.
They are not afraid to use those voices. Rockets players have often said they welcome and expect critiques from one another. They probably did not need the invitation, with Paul long known for being particularly direct. Tucker does not hold back. But rather than cause issues, the Rockets believe that policing themselves is part of the communication they valued before there was anything to critique.
“We had team meals before the season,” forward Anderson said. “It was unique. Everybody knew each other. Everybody got along so well. That's the benefit of having a bunch of veteran guys on the team together.
“We're so close, we always finish each other’s ...” “Sentences,” Tucker said. “I can't describe it,” Tucker said. “We talk about it to other people and it's like a feeling. You can't describe it when you're on a team like this. That's weird to say, being a 12-year veteran. To be on a team like this with so many veterans, so many guys that get it and a coach that gets it, a front office that gets it. You never have to question motivation or if people are here for certain reasons. You don't have to question anything. It's a rarity.”
Good kind of motivation
It is unusual enough that Harden said he has never felt as comfortable as he has this season. As with the Rockets as a whole, he said much of his play comes from how at ease he is with his team and his responsibilities, rather than feeling good because of how he has played. That, Harden said, goes back to the like-mindedness of a team he considers the best of his career.
“All of us have been on really good teams, but also some notso-good teams,” Harden said. “One of the reasons we cherish this moment so much is we know what losing feels like. We know how good it is to have this opportunity for all of us.
“A very motivated team, very motivated from top to bottom. But we don't put too much pressure on ourselves. We just go out there, compete at a high level and good things happen for us.
“We're all in this together. That's what it's about. We talk about it every, single day. We're all in it together. And if one fails, we all fail. So, we're going to ride this thing out together.”