http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9997968/the-rockets-approach-nba-finals-worthy Even their defense, maligned across the Internet after a couple of embarrassing performances, ranks 13th in points allowed per possession and has held opponents to just 41.7 percent shooting overall — the third-lowest mark in the league. "It's way too early to panic," says Kelvin Sampson, the team's top assistant coach. "There are a lot of things we are doing better than people might think." Howard hasn't really made a dent in Houston's overall defense. The Rockets have allowed 101.7 points per 100 possessions when he plays, 101.6 when he sits, and 101.2 when he plays without Asik. Houston's defense on the perimeter is a well-chronicled mess outside of the delightfully feisty Patrick Beverley. Jeremy Lin works his tail off, but he's often at a quickness disadvantage, and he tends to ball-watch and lose his man on cuts off the ball. Chandler Parsons is smart as all hell, but he's not as fast as the league's speediest wings, and he often lunges himself out of possessions by jumping passing lanes in pursuit of steals he has little chance of snagging. And James Harden … He has been a disaster on defense this season. There have been games in which he has barely bothered to try. He might be the first player in NBA history to become a mainstream (sports) Internet sensation because of his lazy, unfocused off-ball defense. When Harden is not feeling it, he tends to gaze wistfully upon the ball and stand upright, a nonathletic position from which it is very hard to muster quick-hitting movements when the need arises. That poor stance is behind the one-on-one blow-bys from luminaries such as Steve Blake. When drivers get by him, Harden has a habit of going for the desperate reach-around steal and then quitting on the play when he doesn't get it. He's a gambler like Parsons off the ball, only with less urgency and much worse risk/reward calculations. 1. Can they build a championship-level defense without a major roster upgrade? 2. Can they integrate Howard's fading inside game into the go-go, 3-point bombing offense that blitzed the league last season?
