NBA playoffs: Rockets put Spurs on notice
Since the beginning of the regular season, everyone has assumed a pair of endings for the NBA year. For starters, the Cleveland Cavaliers would be in the NBA Finals. The second thing? They will be playing the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs.
Apparently, nobody told the Houston Rockets.
Houston, which handled the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games, went into San Antonio on Monday night and plastered its interstate counterpart, winning 126-99. The Rockets tore apart the defensively-sound Spurs, notching six players in double figures. Mike D’Antoni’s crew came out firing, scoring 34 points in the first quarter to take an 11-point lead, before exploding to a 69-39 halftime lead.
James Harden scored 20 points and added a game-high 14 assists, while Trevor Ariza totaled 23 points in the win. All told, the Rockets were dominating from start to finish, putting the second-seeded Spurs in a virtual must-win situation for Game 2.
While it is only one game, the Rockets’ dominant start left a clear signal for both the Spurs and everyone left in the championship chase. Most believed the series win over Oklahoma City was a little easier than expected, but it didn’t set off the alarm bells it perhaps should have.
Harden is arguable the league’s Most Valuable Player this season, but is surrounded by a cast that few would be able to name. Regardless, Houston was an offensive juggernaut this year, and has the capability to lock up perimeter players on the defensive end with Patrick Beverley and Ariza.
With all that said, the Spurs remain the superior team both by measure of roster and regular season record. San Antonio has a proven track record of success, winning an astounding five titles under head coach Gregg Popovich. The Spurs also have the advantage on the interior with both Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge, along with a dominant wing in Kawhi Leonard. Leonard, the best two-way player in the league this side of LeBron James, was the only player who showed up in Game 1 for the home side, scoring 21 points with 11 rebounds and six assists.
The aforementioned Gasol and Aldridge combined for a measly 10 points, with Aldridge taking only seven shots. In the next meeting, look for a huge difference in that department.
It remains to be seen what adjustments Popovich will make. For starters, he might simply hope that Houston cools off a bit from beyond the 3-point line, where it shot an absurd 22-of-50. If that happens three more times in the series, Popovich will be thinking of a way to stop the Rockets while watching them on television in a few weeks.
