Despite slow start, Howard keeps focus on big picture
With the Rockets’ resilience so much of an issue, coach Kevin McHale and center Dwight Howard called for greater fortitude to compete through “a tough stretch.”
“My focus is not on the (4-7) record,” Howard said. “My focus is on our team getting better and becoming a better unit. Once the playoffs come, records don’t matter. We just got to battle out the rest of the season. It’s super early in the season. Let’s say we win 10 games in a row. We’ll be above .500 and we’ll go from there. But we can’t allow the negativity affect who we are as people.
“At the end of the day, we’re blessed to do something we love. We have to take our blessings and our gratefulness and use it on the floor. This is a dream for all of us to be able to play at this level. There’s going to be some bumps in the road. There’s going to be some times where we maybe not make a shot and things may happen, but we have to stick together. There’s only one way out of it — that’s to fight. You can’t quit.”
The Rockets have repeatedly cited a tendency to lament poor plays on one end, rather than compete on the other. That was especially evident Monday when the Celtics scored 39 points off turnovers in the Rockets’ fourth consecutive loss, 111-95.
“You have to be resilient,” McHale said. “We’re going through a tough stretch, man. We’ve been going through a tough
stretch for a long time. We have to keep on working. We have to stay as positive as we can. It’s no fun to get your (butt) kicked, but you got to stay as positive as you can and we have to go out and keep on fighting.
“The option is quitting. I don’t understand that. You got to keep on grinding. We have to get better offensively. We have to get better defensively. We have to get better speed. We have to get better effort. There are times we’ll make three efforts, but if the offense makes four, you got to make four. If the offense makes five, you have to make five. You have to keep going. Our effort hasn’t been where it has to be.”
Defense remains a huge concern
While other issues have cropped up along the way — from the poor defensive rebounding against the previous winless Nets to the 39 points off turnovers given up to the Celtics — the Rockets’ defense has been a consistent problem.
Ranked sixth in the NBA last season, the Rockets have given up the second-most points per possession this season, more than any team but the New Orleans Pelicans. Once again, improving the defense was a primary focus of Tuesday’s practice.
“We went back to the basics,” Rockets guard Ty Lawson said. “A lot of pick-and-roll coverages, we had a lot of miscommunication on it. We simplified it today. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow; coverages to let guards into the paint, kick it out.
“Effort is one thing we’re lacking right now, that and communication. We got to pick up on both of those ends.”
Asked how to remedy the defensive issues, Trevor Ariza said, “Taking it one play at a time, doing the little things and paying more attention to detail.
“We have to continue out the game plan, continue to play hard for 48 minutes, or as close to 48 minutes as we can. When you don’t do that, things like (Monday’s loss) happen.”
Seeking better mental approach
The Rockets’ issues may have come as a surprise, but they have been clear. The root cause is not as obvious, but forward Trevor Ariza had a theory.
“This is just me thinking, but we feel like teams are just going to lay down,” Ariza said. “That’s not the case. That’s never been the case. We have to fight through that mentality.
“Nothing is going to be easy. The game we play is hard. Teams in the NBA are professional. You can’t think anything is going to be easy. You just have to work through it.”
Ariza believed the solutions are not far off, but he indicated the Rockets have to be committed to every possession.
“Of course we’re upset that we’re losing,” Ariza said. “We’re not panicking. But we do need to step up our focus and take it one play at a time. If we can do that, we get a possession, that builds confidence. Get a stop, that builds confidence.”