He’s Back! Defensive Mastermind Jeff Bzdelik Returns to Rockets as Houston Looks to Continue Winning on the Road Against Overlooked Indiana Squad
“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” is one of the more recognizable quotes, echoed by Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in the Godfather Part III, after realizing he’s never going to be able to escape his position as a member of the mafia. I can’t help but think Jeff Bzdelik was echoing this quote in his head after finally being persuaded to come out of retirement by Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta to rejoin the squad as their defensive coordinator. No, Bzdelik isn’t in the mafia, at least not to my knowledge (and you never really know with some made guys), but what this man is returning to, the goals are just as ruthless. Especially for as rare a specimen as Bzdelik is in NBA circles nowadays, a defensive specialist! Just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in. Such is the life of an NBA coach trying to preach defense and survive in a treacherous league where the new rule changes give all the advantages to the offense. It’s harder than ever before to play defense in the modern NBA with the freedom of movement rule posing that if an opposing player is merely touched (especially by a Rocket) he draws the foul. Similar to the NFL, where defense has seemed to be penalized for the glory of offense, defense in the NBA has all but disappeared. At least in the NFL you can still tackle someone. In the NBA you can’t even touch somebody without committing a foul. Jeff Bzdelik may not be the star player the city or the fans want right now, but he’s the piece the Rockets need right now. More than ever. It will also give the team a chance to see if Bzdelik’s absence was the main problem (which I suspect) to Houston’s torridly awful start, or if the Rockets really miss Trevor Ariza’s impact as much as some fans cautiously expected. The man who’s most commonly known as the Rockets defensive guru executed the defensive game plans, to go along with running the effective switches that worked so efficiently last year. His importance to the team last season was most noticeable in his ability to give in-game adjustments on defense, specifically against great teams who had figured out the Rockets scheme, Bzdelik would tweak the defensive style and always seemed to be one step ahead of the opponent, something the Rockets have sorely missed on the defensive end this season. Tonight, the Houston Rockets entertain the Indiana Pacers and look to jot another win in the W column on this road trip. The overlooked and underrated Pacers are off to a great 7-3 start through their first ten games. Victor Oladipo is having the best season of his career and looks to be an All-Star again this year. Houston’s defensive focus will primarily be on Oladipo on the perimeter, but don’t forget about Indiana’s big men in the post. They have several underrated, young interior players who play harder than most at their position, in particular Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner. The Rockets will need to control the glass, win the rebounding battle, and CONVERT easy-baskets (something that has confounded everyone in the NBA universe) if they want to move their win streak to 3 in a row on this road trip that continues in Indianapolis. Clint Capela will need to play BIG and P.J. Tucker will need help on the hustle plays as this is a hungry, young Indiana Pacers team that plays hard every night, and is an even tougher out on their home court with their explosive offense. Lucky for the Rockets, just when they thought he was out, they pulled their “Defensive Whisperer” back in.
Bankers Life Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, Indiana
6 PM CT – ATT Sportsnet