Shift to new gear fuels 17-game run
TORONTO — The image endures, as if a book title from more than a decade — and four Mike D’Antoni stops — ago could define the Rockets now.
D’Antoni has often said he did not direct his Suns to score in “Seven Seconds or Less,” though they often did and there is no doubt he believes in the value of pace. The Rockets’ green light applies to more than shot selection.
Yet something unexpected happened on the way to 17 consecutive wins. The Rockets have gotten closer to grit and grind than pace and space.
They still rarely post up, and when they do, it is far more likely to be James Harden or Chris Paul catching the ball with his back to the basket than a big man or especially a — perish the thought — power forward.
The Rockets, however, have slowed down so much that in the
five weeks of the winning streak, they rank 27th in pace, dropping them to 10th overall this season.
That is a bit misleading. The Rockets’ defense, heavy on switching, tends to dramatically slow opponents. NBA statistics measure the pace in teams’ games, rather than when they have the ball. According to inpredictable. com, Rockets opponents rank 25th in time per possession. But even in those measures, the Rockets rank 17th in the time it takes to put up shots during the winning streak.
Despite the reduction in their pace overall, the Rockets still look to run, still score on the break and will still take an open 3 regardless of when they find it. Their 11.4 fast break points per game since things have slowed down are exactly the same as in the first half of the season. They are, however, more willing than ever to take their time.
“We just sort of take what the game (brings,)” Paul said. “We get a rebound, we want to push it. We obviously want to play fast, but we take what the game gives us. If they pick us up full court, we set the screens higher. We try to advance pass. It sounds crazy, but we don’t think about how we’re playing. We’re just like ‘win the game.’ ”
Go a little bit faster
The slowdown does indicate that the Rockets are not reliant on pace, repudiating the argument that their style cannot work in the postseason when games are assumed to slow down. And even with a 17-game winning streak, D’Antoni would like to press the accelerator.
“We’d like to play a little faster,” D’Antoni said. “We’ll talk about it. We need to get it up there. We’re turning into a defensive team and it’s really ticking me off.”
Self-deprecation aside, D’Antoni has often said great players, especially point guards, establish their own pace. When the Rockets acquired Paul, there were as many questions about how he would adjust to D’Antoni’s need for speed as about how he would mesh with Harden. D’Antoni, however, was fine with handing him the controls, as he was with Harden’s tendency to either quickly pass ahead or patiently look things over.
“I can’t speed them up,” D’Antoni said. “Every great player has his own speed. That’s how we play. We try to inch it up a little bit, but Chris Paul is going to play like Chris Paul. He’s a Hall of Fame player. Why change it? James is going to be James. There’ll be times we’ll push it and times when we don’t. You just get a feel for how you want to play and you do it.”
The Rockets have played more slowly mostly because when teams switch defensively, Harden and Paul typically go one-onone. Harden averages 12.1 points per game in isolation, nearly six more than second-place LeBron James. Paul is third, averaging six points in isolation per game. The Rockets, however, do not consider it a choice between playing a fast-paced game and scoring in isolation. They want to do both.
“I’m a real believer in pace and we need to pick it up,” D’Antoni said. “We have two of the best iso players in the game. There’s some benefits. There’s some disadvantages. We have to be smart enough to run when it is to our advantage. Iso-ing certain matchups, that’s fine. I just told them, we really have a smart team, some of the best offensive players I’ve ever been around. We can’t … try to out-think the game instead of playing with force.”
Offense comes through
Still, they will not complain about the style of play. The Rockets’ offense, ranked second in the NBA this season, has been the league’s best during the winning streak when things have slowed down.
“During the winning streak, we’re not throwing up a quick shot,” guard Eric Gordon said. “When you’re playing fast, it’s about creating pace and a quick shot. I don’t really think we’re doing that. We’re getting a good shot. That’s the good thing about our team. We can really mix it up. Right now, everybody is in a good groove.”
With that, the Rockets have occasionally — and too often for D’Antoni’s tastes — had to beat the clock. But he has accepted the change, as long as they make their shots in 24 seconds or less.