Clamp City: Houston’s Defense Stifle’s OKC, as Rockets Hush Thunder, 111-98, Grab 2-0 Series Lead
The Point God Grandfather. Fire at Will. Red Lockdown.
“I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” You all know the legendary quote from The Godfather. And after Game 2 of the Rockets and Thunder battling for supremacy, this quote came to mind. Despite a terrible shooting night from James Harden, who shot 2-for-11 from deep, Houston dialed up the intensity level on defense. The Rockets displayed one of the best all-around team defensive performances of the season, as they held off the Thunder for a 111-98 victory on Thursday, and a 2-0 series lead. And for the second straight game, Houston gave the guy they shipped away for Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, an offer he couldn’t refuse.
We’ll give you a shot a revenge, keep our superstar who we traded you for rehabbing on the sidelines, and you can have all the love of America on your side. And of course Paul took the offer, but CP3 can’t offer much against championship-caliber defense anymore. Father time has finally caught up with Paul. Chris used to be the Point Godfather. Now he’s the Point God Grandfather. Time’s undefeated, there’s no shame, it’s just the facts. A healthy CP3 wasn’t able to isolate on Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers (who had the dunk of the game during a dominant 2nd quarter stretch), Robert Covington, Ben McLemore, P.J. Tucker, Danuel House, or anyone the Rockets switched onto the Point God, even the bigger Jeff Green. Houston did put on one of the best all-around defensive performances of the season, and played with a sense off urgency, like a team down 0-1, instead of having a 1-0 lead. That lead’s now two games, but the Rockets have to win two more, and anything can happen in the playoffs. This series is far from over, but if Houston keeps playing this hard, the squad should finish off the Thunder earlier than many expected. Shai Gilegous-Alexander scored a career-playoff high 31 points, and Danilo Gallinari added 17 points, but OKC will need more firepower if they want to make some noise in this series.
The Beard led the way in Game 2 with a mere 21 points, but Houston had seven players reach double figures in scoring. Danuel House Jr. had 19 points and 9 boards, and brought his usual energy and intensity. The Jeff Green Revitalization continued, as Uncle Jeff had 15 points and 7 rebounds during a hefty 37 minutes of action for the veteran, and newest Rocket. Eric Gordon is still struggling to find the actual rim from beyond the arc, but EG is attacking the basket ferociously, with no regard for human life. The World Famous Eric Gordon Fun Meter is ON folks. EG just needs to find his shot from deep. Splash Gordon went 0-10 from distance, but still finished with 15 points as he Flash Gordon went 6-for-10 inside the arc. The Rockets need EG to keep attacking with this visceral fire, if they want to advance deep in the playoffs. Right now, with his kill-or-be-killed attacker mentality, Gordon is filling the void left by Westbrook’s absence. Houston needs EG to be in attack mode when Russ returns as well. Hopefully by then, Eric will be able to splash again with frequency. Speaking of splashing with frequency, the Rockets live-or-die by the three was in full gear Thursday night. Houston set an NBA Playoff record in Game 2, launching 56 shots behind the arc. The Rockets connected on 34%, slightly worse than the league average, but it didn’t matter. Houston played with more than enough heart to make up for missing 37 long-bombs. If the Rockets keep this sense-of-urgency mindset intact, this series should be over in two games.
Looking ahead, there’s still no timetable on Westbrook’s return to action. But Houston’s survived just fine without Brodie. Given they’re up 2-0 in the series, if Russell is feeling any doubts or isn’t 100%, there really isn’t a reason to force and early return. Russ is having a blast motivating his teammates on the bench, and James Harden, despite a poor performance, never looked more like a cheerleader. The Rockets started the fourth with a 17-2 run to pull away, with Harden on the bench, who looked ecstatic for his teammates’ success. Riding into Game 3, Houston has all the momentum in this series. The last thing the Rockets want is a long term injury lingering one of their superstars. Houston needs to make sure Westbrook is ready to return.. before just unleashing Brodie’s beast back on the floor. We all know Russ wants to play. And when he gets the green light to hit the floor with that visceral, tenacious intensity Russ is known for… it’ll be an offer he can’t refuse.