Nice read: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/1/...ckets-2012-james-harden-jeremy-lin-legitimacy [rquoter] Back in late December, when the Rockets were just another .500 team struggling for relevance in the crowded Western Conference, Kevin McHale offered a simple solution. "We've got to play with pace for our team," McHale said. "Being tired, we're too young to be tired." Oh, there were other concerns. Questions about rotations and depth and the big one: whether Jeremy Lin and James Harden -- two ball-dominant guards -- could function together in the same backcourt. But to McHale this was simple: play fast. This was the only way they could separate themselves. That night the Rockets dusted the Knicks in Lin's New York homecoming by scoring 109 points. Two nights later they put up 125 points on the Sixers and then 121 on the Grizzlies and another 120 on the Bulls. NBA teams don't regularly put up 120 on anybody, let alone some of the finest defenses in the league, but the Rockets were just getting started. Already one of the faster-paced teams in the league, they kicked it up a notch in December averaging over 101 possessions and the offense has surged right along with the faster pace. They've topped out a rather ridiculous 113.6 points per 100 possessions in January and that was before they hung 125 points on the Lakers on Tuesday after trailing 18-4 less than five minutes into the game. Not that this particular result was unexpected. Without Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, the Lakers were reduced to starting Metta World Peace and Robert Sacre, which meant their notoriously thin bench lacked both their top player and cheerleader. At one point, Kobe Bryant was out there trying to hold things together with Chris Duhon, Earl Clark, and Jodie Meeks with fairly predictable consequences. Almost makes a man miss the halcyon days of Smush Parker. But enough about the Lakers. They've sucked so much of the life out of this season that the truly meaningful revelations sometimes get lost. Revelations like the Rockets, who have now won 10 of their last 12 including five straight, and suddenly they look very much a playoff team at 21-14. Now, here's where the sober NBA analyst is supposed to dutifully note that teams that are hard-wired to run in the regular season are suspect in the playoffs until proven otherwise. Just wait until May when the games slow down and points are earned in the man's world of halfcourt slow-down offenses and grind-you-down defenses. You know what? Screw all that. There's plenty of time for it later and if the Rockets can stay the course we will hear it ad nauseum this spring. Right now let's enjoy the fact that a team with five new players and only two rotation players from last season has figured out how to play the most entertaining, and at times beautiful basketball in the league. Harden is tremendous, of course. A low-to-the-ground master of feints and fakes, he is capable of taking games over all by himself. He can score -- or put himself in position to score -- practically every time he touches the ball, which is one of the reasons people wondered if a point guard like Lin was truly necessary. It turns out that he is. Lin's game started to pick up with that win over New York and the Rockets have hit on the rather ingenious method of maximizing their time on and off the court by having one sit while the other runs the show. They are still a work in progress as a duo, but it's no surprise that the Rockets hit their stride when Lin's play took a turn for the better. Manning the middle is Omer Asik, a rugged screen setter and fantastic rebounder. Opposing guards bounce off Asik picks like so many bumper cars. He, along with Harden, is a big reason why the Rockets should not be dismissed out of hand come playoff time. Yes, they give up points, but if you're going to score on Houston when Asik is on the court you're going to have to work around him because he is practically immovable under the basket. And in Chandler Parsons, they have the right amount of athletic freak to complement an otherwise earthbound lineup. A classic jack of all trades corner man, Parsons would be miscast on a team that asks him to do more, but on this one he provides the appropriate amount of everything. There have been other more serendipitous events. Patrick Patterson's foot injury allowed Marcus Morris to take his place in the starting lineup -- a group that is outscoring opponents by better than five points per 100 possessions, as compared to the one with Patterson that was a -5, per NBA.com. Morris offers a jolt of athleticism and three-point shooting, but a funny thing has happened to Patterson since he came back. He's playing better as a reserve. Patterson has made 27-of-38 shots in his last five games while averaging better than 12 points and 5 rebounds. Patterson and out-of-nowhere find Greg Smith have give Houston a strong, and versatile reserve frontcourt. It's important to note that Smith didn't just appear on the scene. He spent most of last season with Rio Grande, the Rockets' D-League affiliate. They were the first to operate the so-called hybrid relationship, meaning that the Rockets run the basketball side of the franchise. Morris, a first round draft pick in 2011, also put in significant time with the Vipers and returned a capable rotation player. These developments are not accidents. All that and Carlos Delfino makes funny faces whenever he makes threes, which has been happening a lot lately. Deep breath. Now it gets hard. The Rockets have 10 of their next 13 on the road with only brief trips back home for games against the Clippers, Nuggets and Nets. There's only one way to play through a stretch like that and it is to run. [/rquoter]
This team has gone WAY beyond my expectations... even following the acquisition of James Harden. Not only that, but we are hella fun to watch now. Didn't think I would be saying this until a couple years down the road, but it is a GREAT time to be a Rockets fan. Forget about where we land in the draft, I wanna see this team compete in the playoffs. We all remember the great playoff run we had with AB, RonRon, and crew... I see potential for the same kind of run this year.
You guys don't understand how badly I crave being able to watch this young Rox team every night they play. This is that young, run & gun team we've all been wanting to see when Tracy and Yao went down. Please Comcast, DirecTV, someone please help me get the opportunity to watch my young Rockets night in night out! Please!!!!
This is definitely a pretty exciting team to watch and it pisses me off that I can't see all their games, It's definitely exciting like the 08/09 season!
I love it! Great find, durvasa, and an excellent take by the author. I've been trying hard not to get too excited about the team, easily the youngest in the league, and I can't help it. We aren't supposed to be this good, yet we are. Greg Anthony on NBAtv called Harden a superstar last night, after the win, of course. Too much. Just before the Harden trade, who dreamed that we'd have a guy of that caliber this season? Luck has found us again. The Rockets are back.
Someone needs to post gifs or a vid compiling all of the delfino reactions after he scores. Might be just a fun as the WB squad of barry and sura after they made 3's
So suddenlly everyone is in K.McHale bandwagon. lol!! Good, because he is one of the best coaches in the league and this season proves that. If Morey could make one more trade for an allstar player, I think we would be set for the play-offs.
The great thing about this Rockets team is that they are so young with so much potential. Compared to most of the youngest teams in the past, the Rockets far exceeded expectations. Morey did a great job by being patient, got rid of the core from last year's team and slowly built this team from ground up. Now that I think about it, I am incredibly grateful that all the players Morey was trying to acquire before, Melo, Bosh, Gasol, Amare, and Howard were all unsuccessful and that Harden was the one successful acquisition and the right fit for this team. Harden is the perfect star for Houston. Its amazing how all the other pieces fit so well. Most of us questioned Morey about signing Carlos Delfino at the beginning of the season saying that he's too old and that he would only take up playing time from the youngster but none of us would ever imagine how well he fits in with this team. That his veteran leadership helps the youngsters on this team and he leads our 2nd unit. Carlos plays a big vital role for the Rockets and even guys like Toney Douglas is also very important to this team also. I'm happy that Les was patient with Morey and gave him time to rebuild this team the right way instead of just finding quick fix solution.
Long time reader of the forums but a first time poster. Just wanted to say that this is the most fun Rockets team I have watched, maybe ever. The pace, the aggressiveness, and the camaraderie of the team give me a lot of hope for this season and the future. The fact that we are contending for a playoff spot is amazing to me given how young we are. We may not get very far in the playoffs given our style of play and the fact that the elite teams in the West (OKC, SAS) are more than happy to grind out games in the half court, but damn are we fun to watch. Also, I had my reservations about McHale and Sampson, and sometimes it seems we are succeeding in spite of both of them, but they also deserve some credit for adopting and pushing for our break neck pace. Credit where it's due, as they say. My personal notes on most of the important Rockets this year: James Harden-- Absolutely Fear the Beard. He never stops attacking and getting to the line. All those free points he's getting make him so much more efficient than a lot of other 2 guards in this league. Fearless and maybe the best Euro-step in basketball. Jeremy Lin-- I was pissed when we let Goran Dragic walk, he does everything that Lin does but arguably better. At least that's what I thought when we first got Lin and through the first 10 games or so of this year. But he has steadily improved and shown real chemistry with Harden on the Lin-Harden PnR plays we are starting to run. He is still a sieve on defense but he has enormous potential to grow. I'm starting to believe in him a little. Omer Asik-- My favorite Rockets player this year, hands down. He is our everything on defense and gobbles down the boards like he's freaking starving. These days he is way less goofy on the offensive end than he was at the beginning of the year. There's no more plays where he's blocked himself at the rim (anyone remember those old Sprite commercials?). I'd vote for him as the Most Improved Player in a heartbeat. Chandler Parsons-- Morey keeps hitting on these late 1st rounders and 2nd rounders. Parsons seems like he's capable of doing everything on the basketball court and has flashed a way better drive and finish game than I ever thought he had in college. Just gotta hope he stays healthy. Morris/PPat-- Maybe less flashy and therefor less attention than our other guys, but solid nonetheless. It's a shame that either one or both have to go if we want to upgrade the team. They could develop into solid starters for the right team. Carlos Delfino-- Had to add a comment on him. He has the green light, for me at least, whenever the Rockets cross half court. Keep chuckin' Los!
I haven't seen a team grow this fast in some time. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite Rockets teams, behind the '95 championship year, the '04-05 Rockets (McGrady, Yao and the WPBS) and the 22 win streak Rockets with Dikembe ("The critics can kiss my black ass!") They are playing together, enjoy each other's company on and off the court and look like they are truly having fun. Then again, if you've been scoring 120 a night, you are going to have a lot of fun, I suppose. Any way you slice it, the future looks bright for this team.
I think the most important factor is the style of Harden's game, not only he is a prolific scorer, but the way he get his points,e.g., 10+ at FT line, and his willingness to pass the ball and the ability to get it to the right person at the right spot.
Crips! i spend all day getting ready to hook up another innertubes stream of the 2012-2013 playoff bound Rockets! Not in my wildest dreams ! Good Gawd Go Baby Rockets !
