Rockets Return Home for Game 3, Aiming to Turn Series Tide
Home, Sweet, Home. Playing BIG. Beginning the Climb.
“You gonna do somethin’, or just stand there and bleed?” Wyatt Earp asks in 1993’s classic Western film, Tombstone. As they return home, facing an 0-2 hole against Golden State in Game 3 on Saturday night, the Rockets are gonna have to do something. Anything, to get back in this series. Lucky for Houston, the Rockets have been exceptional at home all season, and have yet to lose at Toyota Center in the playoffs. Houston needs this trend to continue if they want to fight their way back to make this an intriguing series. The Rockets are 3-0 at home in the postseason, compared with a 1-3 record on the road. Hopefully, the familiar settings of Toyota Center will bring out the best in the Rockets, and allow them to shoot back into the series. For good measure, James Capers is tonight’s lead official. Houston is 3-0 in the last three postseason games Capers has overseen. If the Rockets can’t win tonight, hope might have slipped out the window. Everything is lined up for Houston to have a big win, and inch back into this series.
In the playoffs, stars have to play big. Harden and Paul haven’t been bad, but they need to play better if Houston has any chance of getting back in this series. Clint Capela, on the other hand, has been bad. Going back to last season’s WCF, Capela struggles against Golden State, particularly their death lineup. The Rockets are a plus-3 in BPM when Capela is off the floor against the Warriors best lineup. However, when Capela is on the court, Houston is a minus-19 against Golden State’s most lethal unit. Those numbers aren’t coincidences. The Rockets need to find a way to effectively utilize the strongest aspects of Capela’s game against the Warriors. Houston’s emerging center has been a huge part of the team’s success over the past two seasons. The Rockets aren’t getting out of this hole, much less beating Golden State, if Capela doesn’t return to some form of his regular season-self. Chris Paul, looking a step slow, needs to give it his all. This could be it for CP3’S Championship window, and will certainly be the best shot Houston has at taking down this Warriors team. James Harden, has struggled, but is still performing above the average superstar. He hasn’t shot the ball well, the main issue with the Beard’s game at the moment. Getting poked “inadvertently” in the eye by Draymond Green isn’t going to help Harden’s situation. Although, after he returned in Game 2, his shooting improved from Game 1. It will be interesting to see how much Harden is affected, if at all, in their first must-win game of the season.
The Rockets have dug themselves a hole. They’re down, but not out. This series is far from over. But, the Rockets need to start playing better as a team, and starting tonight. You don’t have to be a rabid NBA fan to know being down 0-3 in s series isn’t favorable. It’s deficit no team in NBA history has ever rallied back from. And a deficit the Rockets will be facing dead-on if they can’t get their act together in Game 3 back in Houston. Game 3 is truly a must-win game. Sure, the series isn’t officially over with a loss on Saturday night, but it’s pretty much a dagger in the Houston’s heart if they go down 0-3. Harden’s eye is healing, and the rest of the squad will play better at home. The Rockets are done just standing there, and bleeding… it’s time they do something to get back in the series.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Golden State Warriors (2-0): Blue
Houston Rockets (0-2): “Earned” Crimson Red
TV: 7:30 PM CT – ABC