The Power of Perseverance

Rockets realize they must rise up and stand strong after latest defeat

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com

Houston - These are the days which inspire – and often require – reminders about the power of perseverance.

They are tough, they are trying and typically the exact opposite of enjoyable. They demand blood, sweat and tears as their sacrifice, all while promising little more than the prospect that tomorrow will demand even more of the same. And during the darkest moments it even becomes tempting to believe that the warm, hopeful glow emanating from the end of the tunnel is actually just the headlight of an oncoming train.

Yet still you find yourself compelled to carry on because at the end of the day each and every one us is offered but two options in life: keep fighting or give up; persevere or quit; live or die. That’s it. Those are your choices. The right path is obvious. “Easy,” however, is not a word you’ll find listed on the travel brochure.

And so it is here, smack dab in the middle of a jagged rock and a hard place, that the Rockets currently find themselves. They are most definitely hurting, with half the roster nursing injuries of various severity. They are without question weary, having wrapped up their fourth game in five nights toward the tail end of the NBA’s grueling grind of a marathon regular season. And they are certainly suffering, too, knowing that every loss brings them one step closer to seeing their playoff bubble burst for good.

After Thursday night’s disappointing 99-93 home defeat at the hands of the lowly Los Angeles Clippers, Houston’s postseason fate appeared all but sealed. The Rockets came into the game already knowing they required a minor miracle of sorts and losing to LA certainly didn’t make the miraculous any more likely. The Clippers simply overpowered them, using their size and superior health to eventually wear down the short and shorthanded home side in the fourth quarter. Houston shot just 30 percent from the field in the final frame, a fairly strong indicator that fatigue simply exacted too tough a toll on a team having to hold down the fort without five (Kevin Martin, Shane Battier, Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries and David Andersen) of its players – six if you count Yao Ming, the missing piece for which the Rockets have been scrambling to account all season.

This, then, is when we discover the measure of a man, no? With heavy legs and dreams dashed, how does he respond? Shut down shop and go home for the summer? Or wake up even earlier the next morning determined to fight until the bitter end?

It’s been said a million times that adversity provides a revealing glimpse into the contents of a person’s soul. Perhaps, then, it is telling that the words “fight,” “work even harder” and “no excuses” were heard in abundance inside the Rockets’ locker room after the game. Such declarations come as no surprise, of course. This group has built its entire identity on a determination to overcome each and every obstacle placed in its path. Their energy may be waning and frustration might be setting in but the Rockets’ resolve remains as strong as it ever was. They have made their choice and they have chosen to fight. Regardless of the circumstances. And regardless of the dark and dreary hopelessness which can take hold in times like these.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote that, “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” The Rockets’ task, then, is clear: they are to get up once more, dust themselves off and carry on, standing firm in the knowledge that doing so is not just the key to overcoming failure but also to one day experiencing the hard-earned and well-deserved success which always awaits those who dare to rise.

QUOTES

RICK ADELMAN

Tough loss. Our guys played hard, we just had some breakdowns in the fourth quarter. They got a lot of offensive rebounds back which kept them alive but they made some big shots down the stretch.

You have to play with what you have and we had six guys out. That’s the way it is. Guys did a good job of maintaining. We tried to maintain the tempo of the game but, again, you’ve got to be really good and we didn’t shoot the ball well enough tonight and, again, they got too many second chance opportunities.

On Ariza: I thought Trevor played hard. He made some shots and rebounded the ball well. I don’t know, it’s disappointing right now. It was our fourth game in five nights and our guys busted their tails we just didn’t have enough.

Playing the zone: We hardly ever play it so I thought we did a pretty good job. We really didn’t have much choice. They had a defensive mismatch on us and we knew they were probably going to get some boards but we were trying to stay out of foul troubles and slow them down at the start of the game. I thought we did okay for awhile but usually teams figure it out and they hurt us around the boards because you can’t really box out. Our guys did a better job as the game went on but I don’t think it’s something you can do all the time. It’s something you can try and with our limitations tonight, I thought it was worth trying.

CHASE BUDINGER

(On the game) “It was just one of those games where we had the lead in the middle of the game and then we really didn't push on them or didn't close it on them. We let them back in the game in the fourth quarter and they took the lead and they were able to close it out on us.”

(On the outlook for the rest of the season) “We just got to come in and work harder. We are undermanned right now so we have to come out and play hard with what we got with no looking back and leave everything out there on the court. It's going to be tough for us to score a rebound and do things out there because we don't have some of our key guys out there so the rest of us will just have to step up. Step up our roles.”

AARON BROOKS

(On the game) “It was back and forth the whole game. We had a big opportunity in the beginning to stretch the lead out. I think when they called that timeout we were up by 10 (points). It was probably a big transition. They (Clippers) ate at the lead the whole game. When they got up it was still back and forth and they hit some big shots at the end.”

(On playing back to back games) “Like I said, we all play a lot of games and we all have played back to backs before, so it came down to finishing and they did that.”

KYLE LOWRY

(On the loss) “This was a tough one. It was one that we needed. We were undermanned but it was one game we thought we should have got. We felt we should have gotten it. They (Clippers) out rebounded us. It's a tough loss. We've just got to go back and bounce back Saturday.”

(On the Rockets adapting their offense while being undermanned) “We're just trying to get some more spacing and open the floor up a little bit, control the tempo even more. Tonight, we missed a few shots that we usually make and we ran out of gas a little bit, going down to eight players and they out rebounded us by a lot. It was tough.”

TREVOR ARIZA

(On being short-handed) “It's always tough going in when you are down men that we have. We've got to fight. It's been the same story all season. We've been playing without a full team all year and we found ways to win early in the year. We've just got to do it now.”

(On the Rockets numerous injuries) “It's real tough. That's the toughest part about this game. We work all preseason and all season with those guys and they go down. It takes a lot out of you. We know that coming into the game, playing the game that we play, we just got to figure out ways to keep it going and keep winning.”

CLIPPERS COACH KIM HUGHES

(on the game) “It’s good to get the win for all the hard work our guys have put in. We made some adjustments down the stretch. Baron (Davis) really bailed us out in the fourth quarter and Craig Smith had a great game. We subbed early and everyone contributed even though we didn’t make very many shots. Our defense bailed us out. It was a good starting point in getting the road victory.”

DREW GOODEN

(on the game) “It felt like the first road win for us. At least, since I got here, it feels like my first road win. I think Houston just ran out of gas and we took advantage of that. Back-to-back games were tough on them. They started great and then when we got them out of their zone we seemed to turn the game around.”

CHRIS KAMAN

(on the game) “It was a combination of Houston playing a tough game last night and our energy and hard play. It was good to get the win. Anytime you get a road win it is nice.”

BARON DAVIS

(on the win) “It was much needed. It’s been tough for us to stay close in games we have played on the road. We were able to stay close and when we do we have the confidence to win down the stretch. The win was great! We didn’t turn the ball over in the fourth quarter and we got stops in the end.”

(on Aaron Brooks’ improvement) “He’s been great all season. He’s established himself as one of the most dangerous guards in the league. Houston’s success this season has a lot to do with Aaron’s improved play and the way his game has developed.”

NOTES

The Rockets dropped a 99-93 decision to the Clippers tonight, snapping Houston’s home winning streak over Los Angeles at five straight. It marked the first victory for the Clippers at Toyota Center since the 2006-07 campaign (98-93 on 12/23/06).

Houston matched its season low with just eight turnovers tonight. The Rockets have actually turned the ball over just 17 times in the last two games (nine on 3/24/10 Oklahoma City).

The Clippers took the battle of the boards by a 56-42 (-14) edge tonight and blocked 10 Houston shots. The Rockets have now been outrebounded by a double-digit margin in three of their last four games.

The Clippers bench outscored the Rockets reserves by a 43-21 edge tonight. The Houston bench had outscored the Los Angeles reserves by a combined 46-17 count at the L.A. Clippers (12/2/09). The Rockets bench once again outscored the Clippers reserves by a 62-12 margin vs. the Clippers (12/22/09).

Trevor Ariza recorded 18 points (7-20 FG, 3-10 3FG), eight rebounds, a career-high-tying eight assists, three steals and one block tonight. Ariza also had a career-high eight assists at New Jersey (12/26/09), eight at the L.A. Lakers (1/5/10) and eight at New Orleans (2/21/10).

Aaron Brooks also registered 18 points (6-15 FG) and nine assists tonight. Brooks is now averaging 7.3 assists over his last three games (3/22/10-3/25/10).

Luis Scola posted 16 points (7-21 FG) and 14 rebounds tonight. Scola now has 30 double-doubles on the season.

Kyle Lowry, who scored 14 points (8-8 FT) tonight, has reached double-figure scoring in a season-best four straight games (3/21/10-3/25/10). Lowry has also made his last 25 free throw attempts (3/17/10-3/25/10). Lowry also recorded a streak of 23 consecutive free throws made earlier this year (1/9/10-1/22/10).

Chase Budinger made his third career start tonight, getting the call for Kevin Martin who was out with a sore left shoulder. Budinger finished with 14 points (6-12 FG, 2-6 3FG) and three rebounds.

Craig Smith totaled a season-best 25 points (10-13 FG, 5-10 FT), a season-high 10 rebounds and two blocks tonight. Smith’s previous season highs were 21 points at Denver (1/21/10) and eight rebounds done three times (last on 3/17/10 vs. Milwaukee).

Drew Gooden had 17 points (7-14 FG) and 14 rebounds tonight, giving him his 16th double-double of the season.

Chris Kaman added 12 rebounds and two blocks tonight. The last time Houston’s opponent had three players grab 10 or more rebounds in the same game was Carmelo Anthony (10), Nenê (10) and Johan Petro (10) for Denver at Houston (3/15/10).

Baron Davis, who had 20 points (8-17 FG) and six assists at the L.A. Clippers (12/2/09), notched 16 points (5-12 FG, 2-5 3FG) and eight assists tonight.

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