Offensive juggernaut runs into Jazz twist
When facing a Gobert-led defense, Harden simply goes into attack mode
LOS ANGELES — If you were to design a defense to deal with the Rockets, few options would be more tempting than to get Rudy Gobert and do things the Utah Jazz way.
Of course, you might start with Gobert to defend any offense in the NBA. But particularly to defend the Rockets — determined to take next to nothing but 3-pointers, layups and dunks — you might build your defense around a rim protector. You would then overplay on the perimeter, stick with shooters and make the Rockets maneuver to the shots you’d want them to take.
The Rockets have always said their offense, even with its preferences, has options to attack any defense, a theme they repeated heading into Thurs-
day’s rematch with the Jazz and one that likely will come up often when they reach the postseason.
Rarely have the Rockets made that point more vividly than Nov. 5 in Houston, when they torched a defense that would seem nearly ideal — along with Golden State’s switch-everything excellence — for defending their state-ofthe-art offense. The Rockets rolled to 137 points, their second most this season, to become the only team to top 120 against the Jazz and one of just two to surpass 110 points.
‘Impose our will’
Much of that pointed directly to the Rockets’ answer to starting a defense with Gobert. James Harden, still the starting point for the Rockets’ offense, had a career-high 56 points that night in Toyota Center. But the Rockets like to think there is no scheme, including the style the 7-1 center makes possible, that can take away everything.
“Probably a little bit of both,” coach Mike D’Antoni said when asked if the Rockets solved the Jazz defense or just had a hot night. “I don’t know if they were off their game or we were on our game.
“I still feel like — and it could be we don’t do anything against them (Thursday) — whatever you want to do … there’s always something, a way to attack them. We have to do that and impose our will on them. If we do that, we’ll be fine.”
Harden was particularly unstoppable that night, making 19 of 25 shots, including 7 of 8 3-pointers, along with dishing out 13 assists. He said Gobert, who was third in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year balloting last season, is “as good as it’s going to get.” He also said his strategy against Jazz defense is “attack Gobert.”
“I see every defense,” Harden said. “You find ways to be aggressive going into the game, how to get your shots and be effective. Then, you go out there and just do the best you can. I’ve obviously been facing Utah for a few years now. They do a really good job trying to take away the 3-pointer and make you play against Gobert. I just have to be aggressive and be in attack mode.”
The Jazz style has some similarities with the defense used by Oklahoma City and San Antonio in the playoffs last season. They were different on the ballhandler but also kept their big men backpedaling to the rim to make Harden shoot over them.
The Rockets hoped to find an answer to that with the addition of Chris Paul, who can add a second playmaker when Harden is surrounded but also excels at the sort of shots the defense does allow.
“Chris is really good, and James, too, at the midrange game,” D’Antoni said, insisting he does not consider “midrange jumpers” to be banned words. “If they give up the midrange game, we’ll take those little 15-footers. We won’t love it. But if that’s all that’s there and it’s good, we have two in the best in the league to do it. It’s not bad.”
Added Harden: “I don’t not take midrange shots. I take what the defense gives me.”
The Rockets score just 3.9 percent of their points in the midrange, far less than any other team. Against Utah, they bumped that up to nearly 6 percent, still less than any team averages this season, but that was when Paul was out.
New wrinkle in Paul
With Paul back, the Rockets not only have a player who has spent his career taking the sort of shots available against a defense concentrating on the rim and 3-point line, but another passer to draw the defense and create the shot the Rockets prefer.
“Every game, there’s going to be teams that give us different looks or different opportunities,” forward Ryan Anderson said. “That’s the beauty of this team. We can score in a lot of different ways. There’s going to be some nights where they try to take away our 3s, that’s where we have Clint (Capela) and James and Eric (Gordon), guys that really attack the basket and get into the paint.
“We’re a real smart team. We know how to play around different systems to guard us. Utah, they do guard us a little differently than other teams. But obviously, we played pretty well against it last time.”
In many ways, they were never better, but with many tests — including Thursday’s — to come.