Suns Extinguish Brodie-Less Rockets, 127-91
Heavily Handicapped. Needing Big Help. Westbrook’s Team?
“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” Clarence asks in the classic film It’s a Wonderful Life. Something I asked myself after witnessing another hopeless Rockets team minus Westbrook. Just the night earlier, it was a wonderful life for these Rockets, but it’s crazy the impact one player’s absence can have on a team. Houston just isn’t the same team without Russell Westbrook. And his absence was sorely felt, as the Rockets got torched by the Suns, 127-91, for an embarrassing loss. Houston trailed by as many as 22 in the first quarter, cut the deficit to 5 shortly before halftime, but the Rockets couldn’t withstand Phoenix’s hot shooting, and ended up getting blow out by the Suns. The 91 points are a season-low for Houston this season. After outscoring the Suns 29-19 in the second quarter to get back in the game, the Rockets only managed 36 points in the second half, hence the blowout.
This game was evident that when Brodie doesn’t play, Houston needs help in the size area. Harden isn’t as much of an attacking-force as Westbrook. Come playoff time, the Rockets need a big body to put on the floor, at times in certain situations, when the game slows down. Hopefully they find a diamond in the rough in the buyout market. There are several options out there, but they need to act. The Bucks just got Marvin Williams. No big-names remain, but that’s irrelevant. Houston just needs a big body.
After Friday night’s burnout in Phoenix, nearly half of Houston’s losses have come to teams with losing records. Thankfully, there will be no inferior competition in the postseason. What the squad’s doing now just hurts their playoff seeding in the future. Luckily for the Rockets, there’s no back-to-back games in the playoffs. So, Westbrook will play every game unless he’s injured. Which begs the question, since he’s needed so much… is this Westbrook’s team? It doesn’t matter, as long as the squad’s truly focused on winning the title. But for now, the way this squad goes is trending in Brodie’s direction. When he sits out on one of those back-to-backs, like he did in Phoenix, Russ sure leaves an awful hole… one the Rockets have trouble filling.