Rockets coach on winning NBA title: ‘Why not us?’
Mike D’Antoni was walking and talking.
Walking during a sunny and increasingly hot Saturday morning, with the 69-year-old Rockets coach getting in another round of daily exercise.
Talking about everything. The announcement that he was on the verge of finally getting his veteran-laden NBA team back after an unprecedented layoff that began March 11 and will last until July. The excitement that a slimmed-down James Harden, healthy Eric Gordon and rested P.J. Tucker represent for the renewed Rockets. Three months of personal and professional change during the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I don’t think there’s anything comparable (to this),” D’Antoni said. “And that’s one thing that we kind of hit on with the players. That, hey, this is unique. This is something that you’ll remember. No one has ever done this — and hopefully no one will do it again. So this is something very unique and very challenging. And the thing that’s going to be interesting here is just watch who can really perform.”
D’Antoni is one of the NBA’s best, most respected and most creative coaches since the beginning of our new millennium. He’s 213-97 in the regular season since taking over the Rockets in May 2016, posting a fantastic .687 winning percentage while dealing with ownership change, the Chris Paul-for-Russell Westbrook blockbuster trade and the rise/fall of the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty.
D’Antoni also entered this season knowing it could be his last with the Rockets (40-24), who battled inconsistency since last October and continued to frustrate heading into a suspended calendar: In their last 13 games, they lost two, won six consecutive contests, lost four straight and finished it off by barely beating a rebuilding team.
Now the coach with a 668-523 all-time record is set to lead his current team into the NBA’s protective bubble in Orlando, Fla., with his future and a world championship on the line.
“We’re still knocking on the door, and we feel like, yeah, why not us?” D’Antoni said.
If someone eventually films a big-budget movie or makes a 10-part documentary about the league’s 2019-20 season, D’Antoni will be a perfect candidate for a leading role.
He strengthened alreadystrong relationships with his athletes during the extended break. He consistently talked to his superstars and role players. But he also remained quiet and listened.
“A lot of it is self-reflection. A lot of it is how can I better myself ?” D’Antoni said. “How can I do what needs to be done or what I’m preaching and hopefully be a better person for it? And it starts there. If I can change myself enough just to better myself, then it will help the relationships and help everything — my coaching. It helps the Houston Rockets and, in turn, helps everybody. So it starts there, and listening is a big part of it. But then at a certain point, not only listen but stand up and just don’t let things slide.”
Videos and photos of a significantly slimmer Harden have been making the social-media rounds as the NBA prepares to return. D’Antoni said the league’s leading scorer is already prepoared for the hardwood-under-a-microscope challenge that awaits.
“He loves to play. Probably the worst thing you can do is take basketball away from him,” D’Antoni said. “He has used this to recharge, to get in better shape, and still always has that incredible fire that will lead him to be one of the best in the game, which he is. Yeah, I’m excited about that.”
Harden’s outdoor and indoor workouts have helped fill the NBA’s on-court Twitter void during the break.
But the largest lingering question for D’Antoni’s team: Will the 2019-20 Rockets still be devoted to small ball when they resume action in Orlando?
“It’s pretty evident we’ve gone all in,” D’Antoni said with a laugh. “It’s like, no, we’re in. It’s changed a little bit, only in that it gives us time to go through a training camp, more or less — about the same time, actually, so a training camp. And getting on the same page as good as we can. We were confident even before that we were on the right track.
“Now, being on the right track and winning it all, sometimes they’re different. But I think this gives us the best chance that we can do it, and now that we’re able to expand the playbook and get people on the same page ... it’s going to come down to can we maximize what we have, and is it enough? You don’t know until you get in the competition.”
D’Antoni joked that he’s in his best physical shape in 20 years. And that, during his playing days, he was a better player in practice than in games.
The NBA’s temporary stage will be unlike anything devoted fans of The Association have seen. The league’s biggest stars playing for keeps inside nearempty facilities, with playoff victories, personal legacies and world championship rings on the line. The power and prestige of the NBA Finals … combining the look of a summer pick-up game with the heat of a fullcourt preseason practice.
The Rockets were the league’s only team to completely change course midseason. After another monumental in-season change, D’Antoni believes he’s about to get the best from Harden, Westbrook and Co. in the bubble near Disney World.
“That will be very intriguing to watch,” D’Antoni said. “As players, OK, this is not what we asked for. But you know what? This can be super, and you’ve got to have that mindset. … It’s really just concentrating on basketball.”