Harden’s 58 Not Enough, Rockets Fall in OT Heartbreaker to Nets, 145-142
Voiding the House. The Little Things. The Beard Needs Assistance.
Role player. A term widely used to discuss players that aren’t stars or household names. Role players play a valuable role in the little things that make a difference on the court. It was evident from the opening tip of Wednesday night’s loss to the Nets that something wasn’t right for the Houston Rockets. Something was different. Was it the absence of a vital piece to their recent surge at the end of the first half, Danuel House Jr.? Sometimes it’s as simple as that. A guy most fans have never heard of. The little things, the smaller names, can make more impact on the big picture than you could ever believe. But it happens that way. Every championship team has at least 2 or 3 of these kind of grinding, sacrifice-everything-for-the-team kind of players, who also fit perfectly in their respective teams offensive/defensive systems. The Rockets had one in House, and let him go, back to the G-League (rumors don’t sound hopeful of a reunion). Even if he didn’t show up in many highlights, the Rockets will be affected by his absence drastically in the future. Don’t be surprised if they take a further dip in the standings. In the majority of games in Harden’s Streak, House was the 3rd most valuable player on the floor, behind Harden & Capela. House’s ability to mesh with any unit Coach D’Antoni put on the floor is a skill in its own right, and helped to hide some of the Coach’s weaknesses that are now starting to see the light of day, since the Houstonian product and the team couldn’t come to a contract agreement for the rest of the season. In their first game without Danuel House, Houston found themselves down by as many as 14 quickly in the first, and 14 in the fourth. Despite cutting these leads and gaining there own lead over the Nets at the end of regulation and overtime, the Rockets just weren’t the better team on Wednesday night. The Nets overcame another monster game from James Harden, who had 58 points, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in history to record back-to-back 55-point games. Brooklyn also overcame Eric Gordon’s return, who scored 20 in his first game back, only to get injured again in the fourth. P.J. Tucker chipped in with 20 points as well. The Beard got help, but he didn’t get the right kind of help. That kind of help Danuel House Jr. provided, on a nightly basis. The Rockets did all the big things right against the Nets: Harden erupted again, he got help, but Houston lost this game because of their poor defense, lack of hustle, and drop in attention to detail.
Danuel House Jr. was someone who made all the little things happen that go unnoticed if you only check the box score. House’s absence was sorely felt since the beginning of this deceivingly close contest. Despite holding leads late in regulation and overtime, the Rockets never seemed to be in control of this game. The Nets blasted Houston, showing them what teamwork can do over one individual’s (Harden) greatness. Brooklyn had six different players with at least 14 points. Spencer Dinwiddie carried the Nets in the fourth and OT, and without House, the Rockets had lapses on defense on 80% of their possessions. Kind of ironic how on the day before the night which was supposed to be “Get Your Picture with House After the Game Night” (Seriously), the Rockets couldn’t persuade the guy who fit perfectly in their system to stay. It’s a business, but the Rockets needed to recognize his importance and should have paid the man what he earned and asked for, if they wanted any part of Championship this season. House is the kind of player who has an immense, yet quiet impact on winning Championships. Similar to a Steve Kerr on Jordan’s Bulls, Kerr was also a role player. But he fit perfectly and the team won. House reminds me of Steve Kerr in a way, even though their styles of play are completely different. House was a great shooter for the Rockets during his tenure, shooting an effective FG% of 62%, which is insanely efficient, especially for someone who’s majority of shot attempts come from long range. Houston lost this game because of the little things, sliding over to help on defense (doesn’t show up in the box score), ALWAYS being in the right place spacing-wise on the court (one of the most overlooked aspects of any player’s game), House had these aspects of the game down perfectly. He truly was a perfect fit, and Houston was one House three-pointer away from at least sending the game to a second overtime. If they would have made the winning move, and kept him, I don’t think this game would have gone to overtime. I think the Rockets win by 14 with House in the lineup. We’ll never know how important he truly was to Houston’s success. Don’t be surprised if results like the loss to the Nets become more commonplace this season, for a Rockets team who just let go the glue guy to their entire system. P.J. Tucker can’t do all the intangibles by himself. There was a reason House was in the top seven net ratios (plus/minus) of duos the Rockets put on the floor. NOT James Harden. NOT Clint Capela. NOT Chris Paul. Danuel House was the guy in every single of the top seven net ratios of duos the Rockets put on the floor. His chemistry with Gerald Green was especially unique and the tandem brought a defensive intensity that was contagious to others that was lacking on Wednesday. The GreenHouse Effect was real and will be sorely missed in Houston.
The Beard needs some help. Since the Rockets decided to part ways with Danuel House, and Eric Gordon re-injured himself, James Harden needs help. Desperately. Now. Chris Paul, despite reports that he will be back soon, I have a feeling won’t return until after the All-Star break. Clint Capela is expected to return around the same time. Hopefully, the Beard can go for 50 every night, and can get some help in the intangibles area of the game. Help on defense, spacing, hustle, and playing to your respective role as a teammate. This is something Danuel House did better than any Houston Rocket, including the Beard himself. The fact that the organization couldn’t recognize his importance to the team’s success is something I find mind-boggling. I understand it’s a business. The two sides couldn’t come to an agreement. If you’re the Houston Rockets front office and owner (Daryl Morey, Tilman Fertita) you have to do whatever is necessary to keep a winner like House. They decided he wasn’t necessary to be on the roster for the Rockets to win come June. Look for changes to be made and I expect Houston to beg House to return. If the Rockets want to Run It Back, this time all the way to a championship, they’ll need their House back. For the time being, Harden needs some assistance after all of his 115 points over the last two games came un-assisted. Every. Single. Point. The Beard has been doing everything. Hopefully assistance will come in the form of a solid role player, or if Rockets fans are lucky… a House.