The Rockets’ weapons beyond James Harden garner a great deal of respect.
SAN FRANCISCO — It’s unlikely that James Harden has shaken the memory. A proud man who likes to feel he has control of the NBA universe, Harden was reduced to vacancy in last year’s playoffs, shooting 2-for-11 in the Rockets’s series-clinching Game 6 loss to San Antonio and looking very much like a beaten man.
It was legitimately argued that Harden had pushed himself too hard in the regular season, chasing an MVP award that never came and simply had nothing left. That is hardly the case as the Rockets prepare to host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Monday. All things considered after the endless grind, the man looks fresh — and that’s the beauty of this long-awaited series. There are no game-changing injuries on either side, and the teams will have nearly a full week of rest.
Harden certainly has his critics around the league, connoisseurs preferring nonstop ball movement to a point guard dribbling his way into a favorable pick-and-roll. Make no mistake, though, he is the MVP this season. He led the league in scoring (30.4), made a seamless transition into partnership with Chris Paul and made it clear that after several nearmisses in the MVP past, this was his year.
But will it be Harden’s postseason? Capela, Paul a handful
In truth, he hasn’t played that well of late. He always seems ready to destroy the opposition with his step-back 3-pointers and punishing drives to the basket, but his outside shooting hasn’t been at all reliable. He had a 1-for-10 game against Minnesota from 3-point range, shot just 6-for-32 over the last four games against Utah and was 4-for-16 from the floor in the third quarter of Game 5 before restoring some order.
All of which illustrates a dangerous element of this series, from the Warriors’ standpoint. The Rockets don’t need a scorching-hot Harden to win. Paul looks as if he turned back the clock five years for this occasion. There’s the constant threat of long-range shooting from Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza. And coach Mike D’Antoni’s system has turned center Clint Capela into a full-fledged star.
Although nearly all of Capela’s shots come around the basket, notably on beautifully timed lobs from Harden and Paul, he nevertheless led the league in shooting percentage (65 percent) while averaging 10.8 rebounds per game. He’s wildly active around the basket, never to be left open even for a second, and his defense has become the talk of the league. As the final moments of Utah’s season expired in Game 5, Capela blocked five shots in the final 2:59, prompting a tumultuous celebration among teammates realizing exactly what they have heading into the Golden State series.
Then there is Paul, whose 41-point, 10-rebound, no-turnovers performance Tuesday night was one of the postseason’s greatest of recent years. The Rockets may be built around 3-point shooting, but Paul has been a midrange genius for years, and D’Antoni has no problem with that aspect of his game. Paul crushed the Jazz from both sides of the perimeter in Game 5, and nobody was more impressed than Utah coach Quin Snyder, who warmly embraced Paul after the game, then grabbed him again for a second hug.
“As long as I’ve been in the league, Chris Paul has been the best point guard,” D’Antoni said. “He just willed us to win.” Pick: Warriors in six
Remarkably, Monday marks the first time the Warriors have opened a playoff series on the road in the Steve Kerr era. A few other thoughts:
In the category of vintage Draymond Green, it doesn’t get much better than the Warriors’ powder keg walking straight into a New Orleans huddle Tuesday night, looking like part of the Pelicans team. Amazingly, it caused no outrage — even from coach Alvin Gentry, who almost looked glad to see him.
The bitter end for Utah: Donovan Mitchell, who would surpass Ben Simmons for NBA Rookie of the Year if the postseason counted, had the ball stolen by Harden at a crucial stage of the fourth quarter. There was a knee-on-knee collision and Mitchell was helped off the floor. As Paul scored his 39th point, the Rockets’ win well in hand, a crestfallen Mitchell was being delivered back to the court in a cart.
There was unanimous pro-Warriors sentiment on the set of TNT, but also a telling exchange. Charles Barkley: “Too many turnovers.” Kenny Smith: “As normal.”
For Kerr, the coaching familiarity never ends. The Warriors got one of his mentors, Gregg Popovich, in the first round, followed by former assistant Alvin Gentry. Now it’s D’Antoni, who coached Phoenix during Kerr’s executive time there. It would be refreshing to get some distance from that — say, the Celtics’ Brad Stevens in the NBA Finals.
Prediction: It opens in Houston but will end at Oracle. Warriors in six.