If there was a match that underscored both the benefits and follies of the Rockets’ total embrace of small ball, it was theirs yesterday’s against the Celtics. True to form, head coach Mike D’Antoni relied heavily on his starters, with none taller than 6’7”. And of the four reserves who saw action, only Jeff Green cleared the ceiling, and barely at an inch higher. Yet, it wasn’t as if they lacked height to compete; in fact, they wound up forcing the hosts to go their way as well. When the final buzzer sounded, not a single stalwart who saw action topped 6’8”.
To be sure, the Rockets did stare at the backsides of the Celtics for much of the first half. Save for two instances totaling 27 seconds (in which the score was tied), they struggled to keep pace; they retreated to the locker room at the half down by double digits. And then they went to work. All-Stars Russell Westbrook and James Harden got going on offense, with the rest following the lead. Meanwhile, they held their own at the other end of the court, and their heady two-way play enabled them to engineer a 14-point turnaround in the third period.
For much of the fourth quarter, the Rockets managed to protect their advantage. Only two unlikely treys sandwiching an iffy call prevented them from walking off with victory in regulation. Instead, they had to go through overtime, during which they thrice faced a deficit. They ultimately claimed the win when a potential basket was ruled to have come just after the game clock expired. Their effort wasn’t pretty, but they got the job done. Despite shooting only 41.8% from the field and 27.3% from three, they departed TD Garden with their sixth straight triumph.
Once again, Westbrook wound up being the engine of the Rockets’ charge. His 41 points on 27 shots spearheaded their dedication to taking efficient stabs at iron and nylon, and the outcome proved yet again that he has benefited the most from the departure of erstwhile starting center Clint Capela. Even as Harden could, and still can, produce gaudy numbers regardless of the composition of the roster, he needed the open space created by the trade deal to operate at his best. And, to his credit, he has constantly held off on ill-advised attempts from midrange and trey territory in favor of drives and point-blank heaves.
Which, in a nutshell, spells out the Rockets’ road to success: Westbrook’s dedication to D’Antoni’s system is key. The moment he veers from the script is the moment they unravel, and whether he has truly bought into the plan remains to be seen. After all, he’s still in the honeymoon phase, and a rough patch or two could yet compel him to revert to hero ball. At this point, the hope is that he is swayed by good friend Harden enough to stay the course. And from the outside looking in, his capacity to do so figures to make the difference between going far and going all the way.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
