Rockets Tune Out the Jazz For Good, 100-93, Advance to Next Round
Gentleman’s Sweep. Secret Weapon. The Waiting Game.
As many expected, the Rockets closed out their series with the Jazz on Wednesday night, with a 100-93 victory in Game 5. Houston won the series in five games (4-1), in a predictable gentleman’s sweep. The close-out game was the arguably the toughest win of the series for the Rockets. Utah put up a fight and made Rockets fans nervous until the final buzzer sounded. The Jazz led 94-93 with a little over a minute remaining, before an Eric Gordon three gave Houston the lead for good. James Harden led the way with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, for the Rockets. The man they doesn’t play defense also had 3 steals, including the game-sealing snag, and 4 blocks. The Beard started 2 of 12 from the floor, before finishing with more Harden-like 8 for 14 shooting. Hopefully, a few days off will get Harden’s shot back in rhythm. The Rockets need Harden at his MVP level if they want to beat their next round opponent. Clint Capela had his best game of the series, and looks to be recovering from his illness. Capela had 16 points and 10 boards, to go along with 3 blocks. Nene made his playoff debut in limited minutes, and could be more of a factor in the next series depending on matchup scenarios. Chris Paul had 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 dimes, as Houston continues to “Run as One”, as their motto says, into the second round. P.J. Tucker continues to do it all on defense, as the veteran is truly deserving of All-NBA defensive honors this year.
The difference-maker in Game 5, and the entire series, happened to be Eric Gordon. Houston’s secret-weapon. EG’s defense throughout the series on Donavan Mitchell was outstanding. Gordon played 40 minutes in Game 5, and guarded Mitchell nearly every minute he was on the floor. EG held Mitchell, Utah’s best player, to only 12 points on an ugly 4 of 22 shooting night. Gordon has been relentless on defense all series. EG held Mitchell to 7.6 points per game on 32% shooting from the floor. More importantly, was Gordon’s ball-denial. Mitchell only got 8.2 shot attempts per game when Gordon was the primary defender. EG contested a total of 17 shots from the perimeter throughout the 5-game series. Only one of those shots connected. It’s not just his defense, obviously. Gordon has always been known more for his offense, but EG has shown in this series why he is a true all-around player in the NBA, and a force to reckon with on defense. Offensively, Gordon’s consistency in the scoring and shootings departments continued. EG finished with 15 points, connecting on 4 of his 8 attempts from deep.
If Houston wants to win another playoff series, Gordon’s role needs to continue to be optimized on both ends of the floor. Splash Gordon brings so many intangibles to the squad, along with his talent. The Rockets will go as far as James Harden takes them, and Gordon has always played well with Harden on the floor. At times he picked up the slack for the MVP during the regular season. Look for Gordon to do the same in the second round if Harden can’t get back to MVP form. The Beard has been great, but the Rockets need Harden to be playing at his highest potential if they want to advance past the next round.
The Rockets will now prepare to play the Golden State… wait. Nothing’s official yet. It’s still scientifically possible that the Houston Rockets could actually play the Los Angeles Clippers in the next round. The Warriors can’t get the Rockets, and their impending rematch, off their minds. Golden State overlooked the Clippers for the second time in their first round series to extend the series to a Game 6 in Los Angeles on Friday night. Nonetheless, it would truly be a miracle if the Clippers Game 6, let alone this series. A win in the series, would give the Clippers the biggest playoff-upset (and arguably sports) in history. Winning Game 6 would just extend the waiting game for Houston. Barring a sports miracle, the Rockets are still going to play the Warriors in the next round. Golden State’s biggest problem this season has been their inability to gain interest in their opponents. The only team to gain Golden State’s interest has been Houston, because the Rockets are the only team who scare the Warriors. Klay Thompson can’t stop mentioning Houston in his postgame interviews. Golden State knows the toughest test they’ve ever faced in the Steve Kerr-era, eagerly awaits them in the next round. Expect the Warriors to get the Rockets off their minds (for a few hours), and finish off the Clippers on Friday night.
The next round for Houston would start on Sunday afternoon, or Tuesday night, if the Warriors-Clippers series somehow gets extended. The Rockets enter the next round as durable as they’ve been all season. Some off-days give Harden a chance to get a breather, and hopefully regain his regular season shooting rhythm. Houston’s eyes remain fixed on the goal they’ve worked toward getting back to since last May. Their likely opponent, Golden State, has never looked shakier in the Steve Kerr-era. Almost everyone expected the Warriors to finish off the Clippers on Wednesday night, especially with the Rockets punching their ticket to the next round. Golden State, who has been prone to mental lapses all season, looked ahead to their rematch with Houston. Those mental lapses aren’t going to work against the hungriest Rockets team in the James Harden era. Houston is ready to launch their quest for revenge. The real NBA Finals get underway in a few days. In what should be a rematch for the ages… Prepare to expect the unexpected.