Soul Mood: Rockets Spirit Drained, Fall to Lakers, 110-100, as L.A Takes Commanding 3-1 Series Lead
Endgame Near? Desperate Measures. Disappearing Act.
“Some people move on. But not us… not us.” Just a quote from Avengers: Endgame that perfectly sums up who these Houston Rockets really are. After a horrendous Game 4, where the Rockets played with little-to-no effort in a 110-100 loss, the squad finds themselves down 3-1 to Lakers, and the best player in the world. From Mike D’Antoni’s stubborn insistence on keeping the rotation the way it is.. not experimenting with bench players who might give more effort, to James Harden and Russell Westbrook.. who haven’t been the MVP’s they played like in the regular season, the Rockets seem to be stuck in a black hole, with no way out. The team apparently was blindsided by the Danuel House Jr. news, and today it was announced House will miss the rest of the season for breaking NBA Bubble protocol, and will not even be allowed to remain with his teammates. This certainly’s had an effect on the entire squad. After an inspirational Game 1 win, and a close, but frustrating Game 2 loss. The absence of Danuel House has turned the Rockets into a bunch of sloths on the court: apathetic, slow, nonchalant beings eagerly awaiting a trip back home instead of more bubble competition.
Houston trailed by as 21, and cut the lead to 5 in the fourth quarter. But they waited too late to start playing with spirit. Despite scoring 30 points in the final quarter, this game was lost before it began. And if the Rockets want any chance to win this series, they’re going to need a miracle, especially without House. Take it game by game, as the cliche goes. And the Rockets need to start with a solid win in Game 5. Hopefully L.A. lets their guard down, and Houston plays with the fire of a champion. Otherwise, Saturday night will be the Rockets final game of the season. Houston has to forget the past. These three straight losses are in the books, it’s time to run off three in a row for a spectacular comeback. It’s not going to be easy. Houston has to change things up, from changing the time of game Harden sits, to more minutes for Uncle Jeff, and some sort of desperation or sense of urgency on defense. The Rockets showed none in Game 4. James Harden was nowhere to be found. Westbrook had an average game. But Houston’s spirit was drained. L.A. took the Rockets soul in Game 4, and Harden and the Rockets have no choice but to find a way to come back stronger in Game 5.
Tomorrow night, someone’s moving on. Either LeBron James, who smells blood, will lead the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals, or the Rockets will move on from their funk (of the last two games in particular), and live to fight another day. Advancing in the NBA playoffs requires adjustments, and a willingness to change, and move on. We know the Lakes will be ready to move on the WCF, but will the Rockets be ready to fight ’til their last breath? Most teams learn from their mistakes, move on, and improve… but not the Rockets. And now, they’ll have to try and prove the world wrong if they want to move on to the next round.