Houston Heartbreak: Rockets Get Burned in OT, Fall to Blazers in 128-126 OT Thriller
Historical Headache. Wood You Take This Dance? The Waiting Game.
“I don’t surprise myself at all. I know what I’m capable of,” James Harden said after Houston fell in their opener to Portland, 128-126 in an overtime thriller that had all the makings of a classic. If you’re surprised Harden, despite basically coming straight off vacation, with no training camp, had a historical game, you don’t know the Beard. It’s obvious no matter what off-court drama is occurring, Harden’s loves to hoop too much to have anything affect his performance on the court. He’s too fierce a competitor to just mail it in for the season. Harden’s not gonna sit out games, like other superstars who’ve demanded trades in the past, but didn’t get their wishes granted. Harden showed exactly why he’s worth all the trouble and all the headaches, why the front office lets him get away with everything short of bloody murder off the court. He is that good. His last two threes were insane and.. this situation is truly a historical one. The Rockets still have the same James Harden, the best offensive player in the world, on the court, and while he may continue to act up and demand to be traded, hopefully Houston can play well enough to convince him to stay in town. I can’t understand why after a sensational debut pairing with Wood, Harden really thinks he has a better chance winning elsewhere. Houston didn’t even have John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Eric Gordon, and they almost beat a probable playoff team in the West. It’s a headache, because if James was any other player, you’d trade him. But Harden is truly a generational talent. And unless you’re getting an MVP-caliber player in return, it’s worth the trouble and headache of playing the waiting game. Keep Harden and let him leave after this season, or even the next. He’s too talented to not optimize his value. After joining a bunch of guys he’d never played with before, for a team he didn’t want to play for, after being called fat and lazy by the media coming into the season, the Beard still became the first player in NBA history to recored at least 40 points and 15 assists in his first game of a season.
Harden had 44 points, and a career-high 17 assists, and nearly gave Houston one of its most impressive franchise victories in history. But, as the game went into OT, and C.J. McCollum continued to make shot after shot, the Rockets were too gassed, and came up short on the final possession, losing by two after turning the ball over to end the game. C.J. matched Harden toe-to-toe on the soaring board, notching 44, leading the Blazers to the win. A miscommunication error between Harden and P.J. Tucker ended Houston’s victory chances. Teammates who are more than familiar with each other’s style of play usually don’t have missteps like the one they encountered to end the game. But in the end, it was evident the squad just came up short on energy, having only 9 players, while basically using a thin seven-man rotation. Sure this loss was heartbreaking, but it displayed eons of positive signs for this Rockets team to come in the future.
Christian Wood dazzled in his debut, setting a franchise record for points by a Rockets center in their debut. Wood had 31 points, and grabbed 13 boards, as he and Harden gelled like peanut butter and jelly in their first game as teammates. Wood looks poised to make a run at the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award, and if he keeps putting up numbers like he did in Portland, possibly an All-Star nod could possibly be in the works. But, given the depth of talent out West, Wood’s likely a few years away from All-Star status. Speaking of depth, Ja’Sean Tate was sensational in his debut, bringing an infectious, tenacious energy this Rockets team sorely lacked in seasons’ past. Not only his energy, but Tate’s defense and court vision were stellar. Look for him to steal the starting small forward position later in the season. Tate plays so hard, like a version of Patrick Beverley mixed with P.J. Tucker. And that alone will get him into the starting unit. Other than Wood, Tate was most impressive, notably because no one really knew what to expect from Tate. But if you watched the game, it’s evident this wasn’t just a hyped-up Ja’Sean Tate for his NBA debut. This man plays like this every night, and it’s going to be a pleasure getting to watch someone instill some energy every night into a Houston team with plenty of distractions. David Nwaba also looked exceptional in his debut. A solid help defender, with the ability to knock down the long range bomb, Nwaba should play a key part of the rotation this season. P.J. Tucker’s shot was off, but he grabbed 13 boards. He’s become a liability on offense. Look for Tucker to eventually slide into a bench role. Danuel House Jr. struggled in the season opener. Other newcomers Sterling Brown and Brodric Thomas showed potential. But Wood was the story. Other than Harden being completely unaffected on the court by his off-season antics, Christian Wood showed why he was the steal of the off-season. 31 points and 13 rebounds is more than impressive in a season debut. Hopefully the big fella keeps it up, and improves as the season moves forward.
In his first game as an NBA Head Coach, Stephen Silas already looks better suited for this job than Mike D’Antoni would have been. There was a key play late in the third quarter, where Harden was subbed back into the game for the final offensive possession, the kind of attention-to-detail D’Antoni lacked in his laissez-faire approach to his “we just didn’t make shots” excuse. Silas made all the right moves, and will Stone made the right hire for top coach. Expect Silas to even get Coach of the Year consideration. He’s a players’ coach. And along with many of Houston’s young core, Silas is brand new to the squad. But this marriage feels like it was meant to be. A match made in heaven. Don’t be surprised if this group exceeds expectations. After all, when you still have James Harden… who knows what this group is capable of.