Houston’s quest for Warriors in question
HOUSTON — In his quest to unseat the Warriors as Western Conference heavyweights, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has tried to build a team capable of doing what seemingly no other could: stop Kevin Durant.
Last summer, after telling ESPN that “we might up our risk profile” to chase Golden State, Morey added two proven wing defenders in P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute to pair with Trevor Ariza. Houston also pulled off a blockbuster trade for ninetime All-Star Chris Paul, who has had some success guarding Durant on double-teams.
No offseason acquisition, however, can contend with one of the best scorers in NBA history using his 7-foot wingspan to drain fade-away jumpers from near-endless range. As the Rockets prepare for a pivotal Game 2 Wednesday night at Toyota Center, they do so knowing that any adjustment they make probably won’t
matter if Durant returns to the zone he was in for Game 1.
For 40 merciless minutes, Durant toyed with Houston, draining seemingly impossible shots over the outstretched arms of his defenders to finish with 37 points. It was the type of video-game performance from the former NBA MVP that has broken lesser opponents’ will to compete.
“I don’t know what you do to guard him,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said. “He can get any shot he wants.”
As far as the Rockets, outside of some missed layups, botched defensive assignments and ugly turnovers, they played well in Game 1. James Harden (41 points, seven assists) and Chris Paul (23 points, 11 rebounds) were as feisty as ever. Fueled by a raucous home crowd, Houston ran down loose balls and crashed the offensive glass. The Rockets were within four points early in the fourth quarter.
But with no answer for Durant, Houston was left wrestling with a 13-point defeat to the NBA champions. The stakes will only be heightened in Game 2. Win, and the Rockets will fly to Oakland with the series tied 1-1. Lose, and Houston may as well start focusing on its offseason plans.
“Obviously, we lost,” Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Now, the next most important game is Wednesday. Let’s see if we have a short memory.”
In the aftermath of the Warriors’ 2016 NBA Finals collapse, while teammates tried to grasp how a 3-1 series lead had given way to a Game 7 loss to the Cavaliers, Andre Iguodala told his teammates that “losing this game might propel us to four championships.” In that moment, Iguodala recognized that stumbling against the Cavaliers helped Golden State land Kevin Durant, ultimately buoying the franchise’s dynastic potential.
Before Durant’s arrival a month later, the Warriors were vulnerable against physical teams that forced them out of their ball-movement principles. They also knew that, without another worldclass scorer, they risked having their season derailed by a Stephen Curry sprained ankle.
In Durant, Golden State has the rare player who can almost single-handedly wipe away a team’s imperfections. It doesn’t matter if an offensive set goes awry if it ends with Durant nailing an off-kilter 28-footer over two defenders.
A year after he helped shepherd Golden State to its second NBA title in three years with a 16-1 postseason record, Durant is showing that, even though he doesn’t claim to be the face of the franchise, he may be its most important player.
With Curry still recovering from a knee injury, Durant has averaged 33 points on 39-for-72 (54.2 percent) shooting, six rebounds and 4.3 assists over his past three games. In Game 1 on Monday, with Curry chipping in only 18 points, Durant was the aggressor. Houston became so consumed with trying to quell him that they repeatedly left Klay Thompson (28 points) wide open along the perimeter.
It was a troubling sight for a Rockets team that made beating Golden State in a seven-game series its top priority. In video review Tuesday, as it mapped out a game plan for Game 2, Houston surely found no answer for Durant’s fadeaway jumpers.
The Warriors are 25-3 in the playoffs with Durant. For the Rockets to reach the NBA Finals, they must beat Golden State more times than the Warriors have lost in the 1½ postseasons since that Game 7 Finals loss.
And there is this: The Warriors were good in Game 1, but the players think they have yet to maximize the team’s potential.
“I don’t know if we’re at our peak,” Durant said. “I think we could be better.”