Tucker showcases tenaciousness
Defending Davis, James nothing for forward, who spent 5 years abroad
Rockets forward P.J. Tucker had no problem taking on the challenge of the taller, flashier Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals – such trials are old hat for the former University of Texas star who took a long detour overseas en route back to basketball’s most prominent league.
“P.J. has taken that challenge all his life,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said of his rough-andtumble defensive leader who spent five years playing basketball abroad with the idea of making it back to the mainland. “That’s why he’s in the NBA.”
The Rockets defeated the Lakers 112-97 in the conference semifinals opener on Friday night in the NBA bubble near Orlando, Fla., and Tucker’s six points won’t earn any headlines. The rest of his play was worthy, however, in the double-digit walloping of the conference’s top seed.
In 36 minutes, Tucker tied for the team lead with nine rebounds, including three on offense, snagged two steals and generally harassed the Lakers stars throughout his valuable time between the lines. The height-challenged Tucker — at least for an NBA forward — checks in at 6-foot-5, while Lakers standouts LeBron James and Anthony Davis, two of Tucker’s primary assignments defensively, are 6-9 and 6-10, respectively.
“It’s all a joke, and I laugh at the (Internet) memes and all of that stuff everybody comes up with,” the 35-year-old Tucker said. “But you’ve got to play, it’s basketball, you’ve got to play. I’m short but I’m strong, and I can move my feet and I can stay in front of anybody. I’m not going to quit; I’m going to fight every play.
“They’re going to score – those guys are two of the best players of our generation – they’re going to score the ball a lot of times. But we’re going to try and make it tough and try to make them work hard, and try to wear them down throughout the game.”
With 8:08 remaining in the contest, a hustling Tucker dove for the ball and wound up clutching it on the floor – with a frustrated James landing on top of him. James wound up with a foul, not the tie ball he had pined for, one more play indicative of the night that went the Rockets way nearly from the start.
“He does a little bit of everything,” Rockets star James Harden told ESPN afterward of his less-heralded teammate Tucker. “Defensively he’s our leader …. he guards the other team’s best player and just gets after it.”
Two days after escaping with a two-point victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the opening round of the playoffs, the fifth-seeded Rockets worked over the Lakers, who finished with the best record in the conference in the regular season (52-19) and had five days in between games after dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1.
“We played at the same pace we’ve been playing at … all our guys are going to run the floor,” Tucker said of the Rockets showing no signs of wear Friday. “(The Lakers) are a team that can get out in transition, too … but for us, we want to play like that. We want to get the ball out quick and push it. That’s something we’re going to continue to do, that’s part of our game.”
The Rockets likely were helped by playing in the bubble, and not having to climb on a plane on Thursday for a flight to Los Angeles to crank up the conference semifinals. The series continues with Game 2 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday from the bubble.
“All you can do is fight, and we’re fighters,” Tucker said.
“And I’m going to fight to the end, no matter what.”
The Lakers can draw solace from losing to Portland in their first game of the postseason, before rebounding with four consecutive victories to move on to the conference semis. Tucker and the Rockets are aware.
“This game is just one game, they’re going to come out and give us their best shot again next game,” Tucker said. “This (Game 1) has nothing to do with the next game, that’s what we talk about. We don’t get excited, we go out and do what we’re supposed to do, take care of business and get ready for the next game.
“Everything that happened (Friday) night is done. We have to think about Game 2 now.”