Pushing the pace becomes even more vital with smaller lineup in use minus Nene
Hit with the news that their undersized rotation would get smaller, the Rockets plotted the most Rockets-like battle plan possible. They go from small to smaller, fast to faster. And as always, they will seek to shoot more 3-pointers.
Having learned Monday that Nene, by far their most physical big man, would be out, the Rockets seemed prepared to pit their strength against the strength of the Spurs.
Nene’s torn groin muscle ended his season and could make the series, now reduced to best-of three heading into Tuesday’s Game 5 in San Antonio, even more about speed and shooting against size and strength.
“That’s how we’ve been playing all year long,” guard James Harden said. “A little bit of rim attacks, a little bit of shooting the 3. Clearly, some guys shot the ball very well (Sunday) on our team. So, we are going to need that same firepower.
“Game 5 is probably the most important game of the series. So, we just try ride the momentum, try to
take some things that we did very well, not only last game, but this entire series and try to bring it to Game 5.”
Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said he was unsure about how he will alter his rotation to make up for the loss of the 18 minutes per game Nene had been playing in the postseason.
He could just move Montrezl Harrell into the rotation, as he did when Nene or Clint Capela were unavailable in the regular season. Harrell played 22 minutes against the Spurs in December when Capela was hurt, making 4 of 7 shots to score nine points with five rebounds.
He could use Sam Dekker more as backup power forward, with Ryan Anderson picking up Nene’s backup center minutes. Dekker had 10 points and seven rebounds in that December game and played in the first half on Sunday after Nene went out.
Tall task for Harden
D’Antoni seemed most likely to start guard Eric Gordon, with Anderson coming off the bench — the mix he used to start the second half — adding a 6-4 shooter to the starting lineup and putting Harden on either LaMarcus Aldridge or Pau Gasol.
That would push the Rockets’ taste for pace, space and 3-point shooting to the limits, increasing the Spurs’ size advantage but also the Rockets’ reliance on what they do best.
“First of all, defensively, we have to battle,” D’Antoni said. “We have to gang rebound. We have to box out. We have to do everything you want them to do, anyway, but it’s imperative that we play even harder. We’ve got to do the little things, and we can’t take anything for granted.
“Then, offensively … we have to have the discipline to move them around and get their bigs to be at a disadvantage and get them away from the rim and move them, and we’ll get layups and 3s. If we can do both and we’re in an all-out fight on one end and we’re disciplined and precise on the other end, good luck.”
Harden will generally do what he does. Even with his 3-of-17, chest-cold clunker in Game 2, he is averaging 26.9 points and 10.3 assists in the series.
Spurs star Kawhi Leonard will be Kawhi Leonard. Held to 16 points in Game 4, he still is averaging 28.4 points on 54.2 percent shooting in the series.
That could leave a battle of range shooting vs. interior size, speed vs. power.
“The more fast-paced tempo we have the better,” Anderson said. “When they play their big lineups, (hopefully) we can get stops and run them. Confuse them in pick-and-rolls, get their bigs into pick-androlls regardless of if Aldridge is guarding Trevor (Ariza) or whoever the bigs are guarding. We need to get them mixed up into difficult situations.”
No crashing of boards
Running effectively could have another benefit.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hates giving up transition points even more than he abhors in-game interviews. Traditionally, he has had his players get back defensively, rather than hit the offensive boards, with the Spurs usually among the lowest-scoring teams in second-chance points.
He has relented a bit this season, allowing his big men to crash the glass. They rank fifth in second-chance points in the playoffs (the Rockets are first) and were 16th in the regular season. But if the Rockets score on the break, Popovich will usually order his big men to get back defensively, rather than chase missed shots, mitigating some of the Spurs’ potential to outrebound the Rockets’ smaller lineups.
The Spurs are as likely to slow down and post-up big men, as they did at the start of the second half on Sunday.
With that, as the Rockets rev up a Ferrari offense, the Spurs will be monster trucks and the race to the Western Conference finals is on.
“That’s the key,” Gordon said. “It’s going to be tough playing out there, but whoever dictates the tempo is going to win. When we continue to play fast and score over 120 points, it’s our day to win. Whoever dictates the tempo usually wins.”
With the Rockets shorthanded and likely to go small and swift, that could be more true than ever.