MVP, defense take significant leaps forward
With the Rockets up two games to none against Utah — each win by at least 20 points — James Harden says the playoff series can now begin.
Now?
Athletes can be so cute at this age.
This is Harden’s last season as a 20-something. The clock isn’t ticking desperately, but his championship hunger pains are stronger than ever.
Typically, we are amazed if a Most Valuable Player simply proves the season after winning the award that he still had room for improvement.
By going from the NBA’s most deserving award winner to its best player, Harden proved this season that an MVP can still make tremendous growth.
Similarly, the Rockets made a monumental jump during the season. From among the NBA’s worst defensive teams to among the best.
Without question, some of the misfires from the Jazz in the first two games at Toyota Center resulted from self-check issues.
(Self-checker: noun; street term. A basketball player who doesn’t have to be defended because he guards himself.)
Utah made just 15 of 65 3-pointers in Games 1 and 2, a mere 23.1 percent.
No Rockets playoff opponent had missed 50 3-pointers in the first two games of a playoff series or shot worse than the Jazz’s percentage.
Happy Valley, Australia native Joe Ingles drained seven of nine in the Game 2 matchup between these two teams in last year’s playoffs.
Wednesday, Slow Mo Joe was just one-of-six from outside the arc. Jae Crowder shot the same, which was an improvement over his one-for-seven effort in Game 1. Donovan Mitchell was worse, connecting on only one of eight 3-pointers.
The Rockets are one of only eight teams in NBA history to win each of the first two games of a best-ofseven series by at least 20 points. They’re the first to have an opponent miss 50 treys.
Maybe this is their year. Any team can have a couple of good defensive nights. The Rockets are two months into playing superb defense.
Bringing it from the regular season to the playoffs wasn’t a problem. Just as some players are self-shocked, some players are hoping for a practice squad spot. The Rockets dug in and held their ground Wednesday as if they were expecting a trophy for crushing the Jazz.
There isn’t one. The trophy they seek will require continued excellence. After all, it’s playoff time.
Of course, according to Harden, the postseason is just about to start.
The Rockets improved from the bottom of the defensive ratings in the first half of the season, then hit their stride when the playoffs began.
“It took a lot of work for us to get here,” said Jeff Bzdelik, Rockets assistant coach and untitled defensive coordinator. “We started off so slow, but what we have done since the All-Star break has been good.
”We want to keep getting better.”
That Harden and Eric Gordon can hold their heads high and switch into guarding big men is the position worthy of applause.