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Rockets ready themselves for 6 PM New Year's Eve showdown with Mavs
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Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer
HOUSTON - The Rockets went back to work Wednesday afternoon, taking part in a shootaround rather than a full-blown practice due to the 6 PM start of Thursday’s New Year’s Eve showdown with the Dallas Mavericks.
Houston, of course, is coming off an impressive 108-100 victory over New Orleans; a game which featured a return to the more up-tempo style which had served the Rockets so well early on in the season.
One play in particular seemed to signal the revitalization of Houston’s dedication to aggression: it occurred in the second quarter after a seemingly innocuous New Orleans bucket. Not content to merely jog the ball up the court, Kyle Lowry received the inbounds pass and immediately sprinted to half-court where he found Aaron Brooks wide open on the wing for a three-pointer. The Hornets were completely unprepared for the swiftness of Houston’s attack and in the span of a mere 6 seconds, the Rockets had answered New Orleans’ make with one of their own. That’s an ingredient of Houston’s offense which had been mostly M.I.A. of late and one which the Rockets hope to prominently feature once again as the club prepares to begin a new year.
“That’s the first time in awhile we’ve been really aggressive and, if they scored, we had a quick in-bounds, pushed the ball, take a three or attack the basket,” explained Shane Battier. “It’s been awhile since we’ve had that sort of energy. It wasn’t there in the third period obviously but we scored at least 30 points in three of the quarters and that’s what we need to do to win games.”
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s win also showcased something which might come as a surprise to those who believe the Rockets to be at a significant disadvantage when the club finds itself locked in a close game in the final minutes. More often than not, those contests become battles decided by who can operate best in the half-court and whose “closer” can come through in the clutch. Yet while the Rockets may not yet exactly thrive in half-court situations and don’t possess someone recognized as a classic closer (though it should be noted Carl Landry ranks among the game’s top fourth quarter scorers), Houston has enjoyed a great deal of success so far this season in nail-biters. In games decided by 7 points or fewer at the end of regulation, the Rockets currently sport an impressive 8-4 record.
“I think when you get into half-court in close games in the NBA, you rely on your players to make plays and you’ve got to put them in (positive) situations,” says Rockets Head Coach Rick Adelman. “I think the biggest thing you’ve seen is Aaron has made plays down the stretch and Carl has been huge because you can go inside; he can attack the other team, he gets to the foul line and he makes free throws. You need people that you can go to that are going to attack and have success. I’ve watched the Lakers a lot and there seems to be one constant there: one guy (Kobe Bryant) gets the ball a lot, or if Gasol has it going he gets the ball – and that’s what you need, you need people who make plays, not only for themselves but for other people and our young people just have to get consistently better at that at the end of the game.”
Trevor Ariza was among the players who stepped up for the Rockets last night, delivering a powerful dunk in the final minute at a time when Houston desperately needed two points. Much has been made of late about Ariza’s shooting slump but Adelman believes the sixth-year swingman is simply going through some growing pains while he adapts to a new role and figures out what works and, just as importantly, what doesn’t.
“I think sometimes he puts the ball on the floor and he gets into an area that he’s not being decisive and he gets himself into a situation where he’s got to take a tough shot or nothing happens. I think he’s got to be more aware of where the dribble takes him; either you keep the dribble alive or you go in there with a little more authority knowing what you want to get done. I think he’s just kind of caught between; it could be because he’s missing shots so he’s hesitating as to what to do. We’re trying to find things out that might help him offensively and get him into situations that are better and easier for him.”
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