Heat-Check: Miami Comes to Town, as Rockets Look to Kick Vices, Losing Streak
Caught in the Middle. Harden Classic. On the Edge.
“I gotta hold on to my angst. I preserve it because I need it. It keeps me sharp, on the edge… where I gotta be,” Al Pacino says in the classic crime caper, Heat. The Houston Rockets, now owners of a 3-game losing-streak, host the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. The Miami squad that was up by 20 within half a quarter in their first meeting. The Heat team that took the entire Rockets squad to school. Houston should be motivated to get revenge for their worst loss of the season: an old-fashioned beatdown saw the Heat lead by more than 40 points on different occasions throughout the contest. Although, that matchup was never a contest. Houston needs to be primed to break their slide tonight, and be the hotter team from the start. If the Rockets don’t play with an edge, their losing streak could run to four after tonight. Which would put this squad on the edge, slotting further down the standings in the West.
Wednesday night’s game is vastly important. It ends this brutal four-game stretch, one in which Houston yet to win a game. Tonight’s matchup was Houston’s easiest out of the four before the stretch began, and hopefully they end this tough part of the schedule on a hot note. The Heat, tied for second in the East, are one of the better teams in the NBA, and showed that to Houston in these squads first matchup. However, some cast members won’t be making appearances in tonight’s show. Jimmy Butler is questionable with an illness for Miami, as is Clint Capela for Houston. These factors shouldn’t affect the game’s outcome. James Harden’s playing. And it’s time for one of those signature performances. The Beard cooked Miami last season and looks to avenge his poor outing in their previous matchup. The Rockets need a Harden Classic now more than ever. Houston’s slipped in the standings, and a loss tonight likely moves them down another notch out West.
After looking like prime contenders, the Rockets now look like a team caught in the middle. A squad with the talent to win it all, surrounded by the pressure of a title window closing and closing, yet still not shut. Houston needs to figure out who they are, now. There’s no time for games. This season, a low seed, an you could be ousted by the eventual champion in the first round. If the Rockets want to play the best team other than themselves in the conference finals, they need to get their act together. Houston needs to remember that angst from this season’s first Heat game, preserve it, at least for tonight. Harden and the Rockets are being pushed to the edge, but this Houston team has prevailed this season when pushed to the brink. At 3-3, they won 8 straight. Now, after dropping 3 in a row, the team is staring at 11-6, and potentially 11-7, if they’re not on edge tonight. Houston plays sharp when they’re on edge, and maybe, just maybe, a win tonight will keep the squad on the right track… where they gotta be.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Miami Heat (12-4): White
Houston Rockets (11-6): Black
TV: 7 PM CT – AT&T Sportsnet SW