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It’s the little things that doom the Houston Rockets
For the Houston Rockets, Game 6 was the same story, a different cast of characters (ish). The game tensed and they melted.
Russell Westbrook hit the lane without a plan, threw errant passes, and a fatigued / passive James Harden took a backseat as he usually does right now. Chris Paul, the deciding killer, chased down his weakest defender, Robert Covington, possession after possession in the final minutes.
We all knew about the Rockets’ woes in these places (particularly with the two stars), and it’s something they’ll eventually have to overcome before the masses give them the benefit of the doubt. Houston has won its games by 62 points combined. Oklahoma City? 19.
More of Sir Charles in charge
The point is, we should never have been here in the first place. These issues were supposed to come to light later in the playoffs against a different opponent. Russ or no Russ, this Thunder team just doesn’t have the talent or continuity to be with them. Houston has completely outscored them for most of the action, but there’s a Game 7 on Wednesday for all the marbles.
So what has stopped the Rockets from finishing this series comfortably? For me, it’s the little things, and Game 6 was a clear example of why.
6:25 left in Q1
Believe it or not, Danilo Gallinari was really icy to start this one, but things turned around for him once he finally got an easy one to get off. Instead of trying to stay with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on a decoy screen, Ben McLemore does what Oklahoma City wants by admitting the mismatch.
This allows Gallinari to get a deep seal in the paint for a chipping. Houston had been doing a good job throughout this series of selective changes, but McLemore couldn’t execute that here. How he would stay defensive in the playoffs was always going to be a concern, and so far those doubts have been validated in this series.
6:05 left in Q2
James Harden hits Dennis Schröder, who has had no trouble scoring the entire series, and Gilgeous-Alexander arrives early with the help, while Darius Bazley sits on the weak side.
However, Bazley is much more attached to Danuel House in the corner, and Austin Rivers kills possession by passing the open triple. Oklahoma City has had its rotations well-adjusted to match the Rockets’ offensive time, but Houston has still been unusually shy at times.
30.0 remaining in Q2
Russell Westbrook grabs a defensive rebound with about 27 seconds left at the half, and instead of holding one last shot, he pushes the ball across the floor and throws a pass to House out of bounds. This gives Oklahoma City an extra possession to close out the quarter, and Schröder capitalizes with a tear in the lane.
While Eric Gordon followed that up with a crazy buzzer in the corner (his only mark from distance), the Rockets could have been up by four or five (or two) at the half if Westbrook hadn’t made the mental mistake of conceding the Thunder another shot with the ball.
8:00 left in Q3
Coming out of halftime, Houston began the third quarter by extending the lead to nine, at 63-54, and was about to take firm control of the game. Then Westbrook falls asleep on a Gallinari that begins to turn red hot, draining a much needed three to right the ship towards Oklahoma City.
2:40 left in Q4
Harden drives to the basket and is surrounded by three defenders. Instead of trying to keep the screen (which was the original plan it seems) for Gordon or space, Covington makes a strange cut and Paul intercepts the ejection pass. This was a remarkable work in which can have caused Harden to give in to Westbrook. Houston’s 22 turnovers in the latter sabotaged them.
Plays like these allowed the best key team in the league to stay and keep their collective spirit alive. No matter how Game 7 turns out, these little things could end up dooming the Rockets’ title aspirations. I want them to like their chances in the next round if they advance, but they always seem to get in their own way at the worst possible times.
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