‘So what? What’s next?’
D’Antoni’s favorite motivational message likely dusted off again after Game 1 romp
The attitude adjustment, with a slogan Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni repeated like a mantra, began four seasons ago.
At the time, “So what? What’s next?” was his message to not dwell on the issues and hurdles of an NBA season. He had inherited a 41-41 team that let its problems fester, and much of that team meeting the night before the start of his first Rockets training camp was directed toward handling adversity.
D’Antoni also likes the mindset because it applies when things are going well. So after the Rockets romped past the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1, even without Russell Westbrook, it had to have come up again: “So what? What’s next?”
“We’re 1-0. So what?” D’Antoni
said. “We’re trying to bring that message home. And I have complete faith in the guys. They’ve been through it. Hopefully, we
can carry it on.
“That’s kind of what we talked about. We addressed it. And we’ll keep talking about it. There you have to rely on the character of your team and the urgency you have to play with.”
The Rockets’ midday meeting and video session Wednesday was considerably more specific than that. D’Antoni is still a believer in showing things that went well, and in the Rockets’ 123-108 Game 1 win in the Western Conference bestof-seven, first-round series in which they led by as much as 21, there was plenty to show. But just as James Harden said in his walk-off TNT interview that the Rockets “can be way better,” by Wednesday they repeatedly cited that goal as if they believe they will have to be, knowing “what’s next.”
“Mike handles everything the same way,” center P.J. Tucker said. “One of the things I love about Coach is the way he handles things. His favorite saying is ‘So what? What’s next?’
“Something happens — what’s next? That was a bad play — what’s next? We don’t harp on things that happened in the past. We’re always looking to get better and look to the future. It’s always been like that. Through all the roller coasters, the ups and downs, the winning streaks and losing streaks, he’s always the same.”
For all the challenges expected as the Rockets head to Thursday’s Game 2 — with the Thunder likely to shoot better, handle defensive switches more effectively and defend in the half court more reliably — the first job could be to maintain the effort and intensity that marked the playoffopening win.
If the Rockets’ greatest quality in Game 1 was the urgency with which they played — and there was ample evidence to indicate it was — that can become more difficult after a bench-clearing win.
Often in postseason series, if a heavy underdog keeps it close in Game 1 and loses, it’s in trouble in Game 2. And if there is a blowout in an even series, the team that lost can be ferocious the next time out.
“There’s always something you (could do) better,” Tucker said. “You could win by 100 points. You’re like, we could have done this, too, to win by 105 points. You’re always going to look at things. Even things you did good, you could do better. We had a bunch of stuff we were looking at today that was OK, but if they play a little better and they make a few more shots, it could turn into a different game.”
The Rockets began the game fouling frequently, often late in the shot clock. They started the second half allowing straight-line drives, with the Thunder making 6 of 9 shots and Steven Adams putting in rebounds off two of the misses.
The Rockets lost contact with Chris Paul on consecutive 3-pointers in a fourthquarter OKC rally.
“There are some areas we can get better at,” D’Antoni said after the game. “Our defense was very good. We could have done a little bit better job on the 3s they just took right in our faces, make them drivers. Overall, it was great. I’m nitpicking right now, but I think for a long period — I think 20, 22 minutes — it was super. They’re a good team, so there’ll be periods where you just can’t stop them, but overall was great. We just need to get better.”
Even offensively, where the Rockets executed so well that they took 43 open or wide-open 3s, Tucker said they need to push the pace more relentlessly.
“We set the tone early,” forward Robert Covington said. “We have to sustain that through the entire series. We don’t want to take anything for granted. It’s a long way we’ve got to go. We just take each day and get better.”
Asked how he celebrates a playoff win in the bubble, Covington said, “Preparation for Game 2. It’s only one game. We have to keep moving forward and go into the next game with the same mindset.”
That is, after all, what’s next.
“We can continue to get better and better,” guard Eric Gordon said. “We’re a team that knows what it takes. We’re going to try and make strides to play even better next game.”