Posted by Rob Mahoney on December 31, 2009 under Previews | 
If you had to pick the centerpiece of the Houston Rockets this season, it would probably be Trevor Ariza. Errrr, maybe it would be Aaron Brooks. Or Luis Scola. Or Shane Battier. Or Carl Landry. Or Chuck Hayes. In a vacuum completely devoid of traditional superstars, the redeeming value of the Rockets lies in their disregard for the traditional model. There was no desperation to play Tracy McGrady upon his return, or to make a deal for an overpaid quasi-star. Just a team full of professionals working hard and playing in concert, in part because Trevor Ariza, while good, falls short of great:
You could blame a lot of people for Ariza’s stunted offensive development, but it just seems natural for him to exist in his current state. As a Laker, Ariza’s skill set made him not a Kobe wannabe, but a welcome, unique part of a championship squad. And as a Rocket, Ariza’s physical tools would seemingly allow him to step into Tracy McGrady’s shoes, but his limitations allow him to be something so much more. If you were to pick out the teams of the NBA in the truest sense of the word, the Rockets would certainly be among them. Would that be the case if the divide in traditional statistical production between Ariza and his teammates was more notable? If his high number of shot attempts were a product of anything other than necessity?
Hardly. If Ariza had a more diverse offensive game, it’s probable that the Rockets would be improved as well. But everything we’ve come to know about them this season would be eclipsed by convention. Ariza’s mediocrity (which isn’t meant to be an insult) is part of what makes Houston so unbelievably charming, as if each clanging jumpshot or overambitious drive was only further evidence of Trevor being earnest. The Rockets are only the Rockets because of their delightful limitations, and to expect more of Ariza is to wish death upon the Rox as we know them.
Read my full thoughts on Trevor Ariza, the Houston Rockets, and the beauty of their limitations at Hardwood Paroxysm.
Posted by Rob Mahoney on December 18, 2009 under Previews |
The Mavs have pleasantly surprised. Although it might be easy to dig up a Maverick die-hard who had faith in Dallas’ ability to develop a top-notch defense, I think you’d be hard pressed top back that argument with warrant and logic. Expecting such a prolific defensive display could possibly have labeled you as some kind of maniac, or worse, a homer.
But the Rockets have been a surprise in a completely different way. Whereas underestimating the Dallas defense was natural given the personnel (a supposedly slowing Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion, and the near-liabilities turned competent defenders, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry), the Rockets were underestimated due to a complete oversight of the power of a basketball cooperative. Each player compensates for the weakness of another, and though high-level talent separates Houston from the West’s elite, we all should have expected competence from a batch of skilled, highly-motivated ballplayers:
I don’t know if you heard, but over the Summer, the Houston Rockets essentially swapped Ron Artest for Trevor Ariza. The former is a bit of a wildcard, known for ill-advised 3s, elite perimeter defense, and something about snake eggs. The latter is a superb athlete, a tremendous wing defender, and an emerging shooting threat.
So why is it that the Houston Rockets were so woefully underestimated coming into the season, when the only significant difference between last year’s playoff team and this year’s would-be playoff time is the (occasionally bad) shot creating abilities of Artest?
I…I don’t know. Count me among the many that refused to acknowledge Houston’s potential. I didn’t see where the points were going to come from, even if Ariza is a young, talented player on a perfectly reasonable salary. Call me crazy, but I wasn’t sold on Aaron Brooks’ ability to score consistently, much less run an offense. And I saw some problems among their rotation of bigs, which had fallen to three productive if undersized power forwards in the absence of Yao Ming. Not only is none of that true, but we’ve seen virtually the opposite.
Read my thoughts on the Rockets in their entirety on Hardwood Paroxysm.
Posted by Rob Mahoney on November 11, 2009 under Recaps |
Photo by Glenn James/NBAE/Getty Images.
Box Score — Play-By-Play — Shot Chart — GameFlow
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing - that’s why we recommend it daily.”
-Zig Ziglar
Though it may not bode well for your blood pressure or the items being thrown at your television set, the Mavs are definitely making things interesting. We’re just seven games into the season and they’ve already found just about every possible way to win. They shot the lights out against Toronto, they put up a fine, combined offensive/defensive effort against Los Angeles, Dirk had an impressive one-man show against Utah, and finally, they overcame the 17-point handicap the Mavs gave the Rockets in the first half last night.
That first quarter was brutal. Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola combined for 24 points on 9 of 11 shooting, and the Rockets were picking apart the Mavs’ D with timely offensive boards and sharp interior passing. Say what you will about the talent level of this Houston team, but they’re smart players with good instincts, and their basketball savvy was more than evident during the opening quarter surge. It took a few minutes for them to get into rhythm, but once Brooks started triggering the fast break, the Mavs looked done. Dallas was caught in a bit of a dilemma: hitting the offensive boards would likely translate to more possessions against an undersized Houston squad, but doing so would allow Brooks to jog, skip, or crab walk his way to a free fast break layup. It’s a tough call, and the Mavs clearly deliberated between both options in the first half, before somehow opting to do both in the second.
Something just clicked. After a 10-4 second quarter run, the Rockets managed just one other run of note: a quick 5-0 burst in the fourth, when the game had more or less been decided. The Mavs, on the other hand, rode their momentum going into halftime, and haven’t bothered to disembark since. They rattled off the following runs without answer from the Rockets: 12-3, 10-1, 8-0, 12-4, 8-3. That’s how days are won and dreams are made, kids.
The defense was just as impressive after the internal trigger. The Rockets shot just 11 for 36 in the second half, as virtually every offensive threat was neutralized. Aaron Brooks’ speed was negated by Kidd’s defense, which guided Brooks directly into the help D. Trevor Ariza (9 points, 3-10 FG, 5 rebounds) was completely bottled by Shawn Marion. Luis Scola, Carl Landry, and David Andersen were cut off from smooth interior feeds, instead being forced to take long jumpers or create for themselves by backing down the Mavs’ interior defenders. Dallas was suddenly able to both secure offensive rebounds and halt Houston’s fast break opportunities, leaving the Rox in a bit of a rut.
Jason Terry (24 points, 7-8 FG, 1-1 3FG, 9-9 FT, 3 assists) was absolutely brilliant. He looked and played like a man with a mission, as JET clearly had redemption on the line in his own personal game against the ghost of free throws past. You can’t ask for a better scoring night off the bench.
Erick Dampier deserves a paragraph all to himself, but I’m getting there. Just wait.
Closing thoughts:
- The Mavs showed no hesitation in using the three guard lineup down the stretch in the fourth. Jason Kidd, J.J. Barea, and Jason Terry were all on the floor when this one was carefully put away, giving Josh Howard plenty of time to rest that bum ankle.
- Erick Dampier. Seriously.
- Though the three guard look dealt the final blows against the Rockets, it’s worth noting that the starters did most of the heavy lifting for the Mavs. They were responsible for the 22-3 run bridging the second and third quarters…y’know, the run that completely flipped the game on its head.
GOLD STAR OF THE NIGHT: The Gold Star of the Night goes to, without question, Erick Dampier. JET was spectacular, Kidd was patient, Marion was aggressive, and Dirk was Dirk, but you absolutely cannot argue with the force of nature formerly known as Ericka. He was an absolute monster (14 points, 20 rebounds, 3 blocks, 6-6 FG, 2-2 FT), and made his presence felt with all the contract year might he could muster. Honestly, I don’t care what Damp’s motivations are. If he’s playing for a new deal, that’s just awesome. If he’s having some sort of mid-life crisis, that’s awesome, too. But as long as Damp keeps rockin’ the rim, setting huge picks, and altering the game with defense and rebounding, I have absolutely no objections.