Luck of the Heightless: Resilient Rockets Outlast Celtics in OT, 111-110
Meet the New Shaq and Kobe. Luck of the Heightless? Garden Tours.
“You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.” A quote from the Quentin Tarantino classic, Django Unchained, accurately defining my attitude towards this Houston Rockets team at the moment. On the road in Boston on Saturday night, Houston shot themselves into a curious situation. Winners of five straight, the Rockets carelessness with the ball allowed Houston to dig themselves a 17-point hole in the second quarter. Against a Celtics team who’d won 11 of 13, and owned a 23-5 record at TD Garden. On primetime national TV, these Rockets would succumb to a defeat, right? Well..
We’ve seen them get blown out several times this season. It seems like when Houston loses, they get humiliated, or crushed at the buzzer. And that almost happened again Saturday night. Despite the deficit, the Rockets stormed back, and seemingly had the game wrapped up. Houston had the ball with a five-point lead, with only 30 seconds remaining. However, sloppy turnovers, missed free throws, and a little luck for the Irish put the Rockets in an anxious situation at the end of regulation. Trailing 104-101, Boston’s Jaylen Brown hit a shot at the buzzer off a missed free throw, forcing overtime, and dread into Houston fans everywhere. Brown’s shot was a hard punch to the gut at the time. Luckily for the Rockets, Jayson Tatum missed the first free throw, otherwise Brown’s bucket would’ve been the game-winner for the Celtics. But in the extra period, Houston proved they’re more resilient than perception belies. The Rockets held on to win arguably their most-impressive game of the year, 111-110 OT, over the C’s. Houston held Boston scoreless for the final 2:48 of overtime. Astoundingly incredible, considering the Celtics had a rocking crowd and momentum on their side after Brown’s heartbreaker to force OT. The Rockets’ mental and physical toughness was off the charts, as they used championship resiliency to grind out the victory. Boston’s lost only three times in their last 14 games, they’ve been hard to take down. But two of those losses were to Houston, the other being a narrow two-point road loss to the Lakers. In other words, the Rockets beat a really good team on Saturday night, in impressive fashion.
Russell Westbrook was sensational once again, leading the Rockets comeback charge. Brodie scored 41 points on a remarkably efficient 16-for-27 night from the floor. At age 31, his athleticism is truly a marvel. Russ gets to the hoop at will. Not a single team has been retaliate with a defense capable of stopping Westbrook’s innate ability to the get to the paint, whenever he wants. This calendar year, Russ leads all NBA players in points in the paint. Westbrook is averaging nearly 20.3 points in the paint per game in 2020, tops on a list that includes beloved media darling, the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo.
James Harden couldn’t find a rhythm on offense, scoring only 21 points on 7-of-24 shooting in one of his worst offensive games of the year. However, the Beard made up for his poor shooting with one of his best defensive outings of the season. With 30 seconds to go in overtime, and Houston trailing 110-109, Harden stripped the ball from Marcus Smart, leading to game winning Bearded free throws at the other end. Harden also denied Celtic Daniel Theis a rebound on the game’s final play, ensuring the Rockets escaped Boston with a victory.
Brodie and the Beard are making history, leading the Rockets back up the standings. Houston’s superstars are on pace to become the most prolific scoring duo this century. The duo’s currently averaging 62.5 points a night, tops in the league, and the most this century by two players in a season. And the most since Shaq and Kobe averaged 57.2 points a game in the 2000/2001 season, a year they led the Lakers to a title. There’s no reason to expect Harden and Russ to slow down. Houston’s innovative small-ball approach is led by the driving abilities of the Beard and Brodie. They need to average around 60 points a night for the Rockets to contend for a championship. And they can do it for a full season, as Houston has only 21 games left before the playoffs begin.
It wasn’t just Harden and Russ who made lasting imprints on Saturday night’s showdown. Robert Covington continues to be amazing, proving he should’ve been traded much earlier. RoCo finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds, and another 3 blocks. His shot-blocking ability is top-tier, especially coming from the help-side on defense. Covington is the perfect fit in Houston’s micro-ball system. If you’re questioning whether the trade was worth it, RoCo has your answer. Pair him with P.J. Tucker, and you’ve got the best defensive duo in the NBA. Their versatility to guard any position, combined with unmatched defensive intensity, is the real reason Houston’s unconventional small-ball style is working. The defensive Shaq and Kobe combined for 29 boards, manning the paint on D for the Rockets. Russ and Harden might be getting all the attention, but Houston’s small-ball style would fail without RoCo and Tuck. No luck comes with handicapped in the height department on the basketball court. You have to outwork, out-hustle, and earn your luck. And that’s what the Rockets are doing, in a fashion no one can solve.
Houston’s “Garden Tours” continues, as the Rockets take their micro-ball movement to the Big Apple for their next game on Monday night. The Knicks, as usual, stink. But Madison Square Garden is always packed, and if the game is close enough, the fans always give New York a strong home-court advantage. The Knicks just can’t take advantage of their setting. It’s usually the opposing team’s stars that feast on the aura of the Garden. MSG is the most glorified arena in basketball. Last time the Rockets played at the Garden, Harden scored 61. And at the moment, Russ is on an unstoppable tear. On Monday night, anything can happen when the Beard’s at the Garden. If the curious Harden and Westbrook experiment hasn’t won the affections of your heart yet… it definitely has your attention.