PrintRockets Defense Falls Short In Defeat
Wade scores 37 to lead Miami to 115-106 victory over Houston
Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer
Houston - Aaron Brooks drove baseline, beating his man off the dribble before helplessly watching as the ball slipped from his hands and flew out of bounds.
Dumbfounded and dismayed, the Rockets’ point guard fell to his knees as a look of pained bewilderment spread across his face; an expression which perfectly summed up the frustration his team had been feeling all evening.
Yes, it was the sort of night for the Rockets, as Dwyane Wade and his Miami Heat teammates had their way with Houston throughout, piling up 115 points while shooting better than 53 percent from the field during a surprisingly easy 9-point victory.
The Rockets struggled defensively all night but especially in the first half, when Miami seemingly scored at will on a host of uncontested layups and jumpers, prompting Houston Head Coach Rick Adelman to issue a call to arms to his troops after the game.
“We talked about Dwyane Wade being a great player and talked about when he has the ball it’s like playing LeBron or Kobe,” he said. “I don’t know how many layups he got. But instead of coming at him, we just backed away. That’s a sign of a team that’s not paying attention to what you have to do.
“He’s one of the best players in the league, top-5 scorers in the league and we act like we never talked about him. I don’t care how big we are, that we don’t have Yao or have a presence at the basket, we’ve got to make a stand at the basket as a team. Don’t just let him lay it in. It’s one thing if he hits tough shots and it’s another thing to just give up layups. It was like a recreation league – just get out of his way and let him score.”
Houston’s disappointing defense was doubly difficult to swallow because it ruined a strong showing from the team at the other end of the floor. The Rockets featured six players who reached double digits in scoring, shot 48.7 percent from the field and knocked down 11-of-21 three-point attempts – all while posting more than 111 points per 100 possessions. Chase Budinger was lights out, scoring 17 points in just 22 minutes of action. In fact, the bench did its usual bang-up job, outscoring the opposition’s reserves 45-18. True, Houston’s 17 turnovers hurt but, all things being equal, the Rockets will take offensive production such as the kind they enjoyed Friday night more often than not.
There are no two ways about it, this defeat falls at the feet of the defense while simultaneously highlighting the fact the Rockets just aren’t playing their best basketball right now. The club has now lost 5 of its last 7 games and realizes the turn of the tide needs to happen quickly.
“It was a poor defensive night all the way around,” admitted Shane Battier. “We didn’t execute our gameplan. When you don’t do that, you can still get away with it with hustle and covering for each other and we didn’t do that either. When (Wade) turns the corner on the pick-and-roll there has to be a wall of defenders - he has to see bodies and what he saw was open space, and that’s when his eyes lit up and he was able to get to the basket. There was no way we deserved to win this game.
“I don’t care if it’s on the road or at home, we have to play a better brand of basketball than we’re playing right now. We can no longer use youth as an argument and we can longer use the schedule as an argument. We have to play better and get it done.”
There remains, of course, plenty of time to turn things around but there’s also an unquestioned sense of urgency to do so given the jam-packed Western Conference playoff picture. Houston currently finds itself in the 8th and final spot, just half a game ahead of Oklahoma City and a mere one game removed from the No. 11 seed. In other words, the Rockets need to make sure they heed the hard lessons learned from Friday night’s loss and apply them beginning Monday when the Milwaukee Bucks invade Toyota Center for a matinee affair.
“If there’s any solace,” said Adelman, “maybe (tonight) teaches us a real hard lesson that playing at home doesn’t mean anything if you don’t come out and play with more energy than we played with tonight and try to put them on their heels. This homestand is great but we play a lot of good teams and we’re going to have to play well to win.
“I’m just disappointed and hopefully we’re going to learn our lesson that that’s not how we’re going to succeed.”
QUOTES
RICK ADELMAN
I’m just very disappointed with our effort. I don’t know what it was the first half but we just let them do whatever they wanted to do. We were reacting, they had us on our heels and we had a gameplan but the gameplan means nothing if you don’t put the energy into what you’re trying to do. We didn’t do that. I said the same thing at halftime we said before the game: It’s just disappointing.
If there’s any solace, maybe it teaches us a real hard lesson that playing at home doesn’t mean anything if you don’t come out and play with more energy than we played with tonight and try to put them on their heels. This homestand is great but we play a lot of good teams on this homestand and we’re going to have to play well to win. I give Miami credit, they came out, Wade got going early and then they just spread it out after that and got a lot of confidence. Hopefully we can learn from what we didn’t do.
(The problem) certainly wasn’t offensively. We scored 106 points, had six guys in double figures and shot 48 percent which is not what we normally do and we lose going away by 9. We just have to find a way to regroup in the next few days.
Believe it or not we talked about Dwyane Wade being a great player and talked about when we has the ball it’s like playing LeBron or Kobe – you react to him and everybody reacts. I don’t know how many layups he got. But instead of coming at him, we just backed away. That’s what I’m saying. That’s a sign of a team that’s not paying attention to what you have to do. He’s one of the best players in the league, top-5 scorers in the league and we act like we never talked about him. I don’t care how big we are, we don’t have Yao or have a presence at the basket, we’ve got to make a stand at the basket as a team. Don’t just let him lay it in. It’s one thing if he hits tough shots and it’s another thing to just give up layups and that one stretch in the second quarter was like just get out of the way. It was like a recreation league – just get out of his way and let him score. So I’m just disappointed and hopefully we’re going to learn our lesson that that’s not how we’re going to succeed.
SHANE BATTIER
It was a poor defensive night all the way around. We didn’t execute our gameplan tonight. When you don’t do that, you can still get away with it with hustle and covering for each other and we didn’t do that either. There was no way we deserved to win this game.
(on Wade): The only reason he didn’t get 40 was because he stopped shooting. He couldn’t got 50 if he wanted to tonight. We just didn’t do a very good job of covering for each other. Wade got going early and we didn’t do a good job of keeping him out of the paint. We just couldn’t solve their puzzle.
When he turns the corner on the pick-and-roll there has to be a wall of defenders - he has to bodies and what he saw was open space, and that’s when his eyes lit up and he was able to get to the basket. When a great player like that – it’s the same for Kobe, it’s the same for LeBron and it’s the same for Dwyane Wade – turns the corner, there has to be a wall of defenders. And if there’s not, they’re going to score because they’re just too good.
We’re very average right now. If we play like this we’re going to lose games. We just have to play better, especially on the defensive end. I don’t care if it’s on the road or at home, we have to play a better brand of basketball than we’re playing right now.
I’m not happy about it. We have to continue to progress. We can no longer use youth as an argument and we can longer use the schedule as an argument. We have to play better and get it done, and we’re very middle of the road right now.
We have to continually evolve as a team because what may have worked early in the year, might not necessarily work in the middle of the season. So you have to continually evolve as a team and get better. I’m disappointed on the defensive end because at this point we should be more together and connected. Offense comes and goes but we should be better connected on defense by this point.
CHUCK HAYES
(defending Wade): It starts with the whole team. He’s an All-Star, he’s an Olympian and we’ve got to get in there and collapse, and make him kick it out. The first half we didn’t do that at all. The second half we did it a little better but, by that time, he was already in rhythm and so were his teammates.
CHASE BUDINGER
(On what went wrong) “I was just being aggressive on the offensive end but offensively, that wasn't our problem tonight. We just lacked on the defensive end. We didn't do the things that we said we were going to do. We messed up on our coverages and it led to them scoring 115 points when they average 97 (points).”
(On defending Dwayne Wade) “Our main objective was not to let D-Wade get off to a good start and that is exactly what happened tonight. He got off to a great start, attacking the basket and making easy layups. Once that happened, we started collapsing on him and then in the second half, he was able to find teammates for wide open shots. Once that happened, we had no answer for him or for what they were doing.”
AARON BROOKS
(On fatigue being an issue) “No, Dwayne (Wade) set the pace for the game. We got up to a good start but and Dwayne came out and started doing his thing and pretty much starting getting anything he wanted at will. We didn't follow the game plan. We didn't load up to him. So, you know he is a great player and that's what happens when you don't follow the game plan.”
(On the shooting of the other Heat members) “We allowed them to get into their rhythm and I don't want to say lack of energy on the defensive end. We had all our energy on the offensive end, we just didn't do it on the offensive end and that's the key.”
TREVOR ARIZA
(On the energy level in the 2nd & 3rd quarter) “We played poor all the way around tonight. We didn't do a good job today. We didn't play the way we are capable of playing and if you want to do something then it has to change.”
(On if fatigue was a factor) “No, that has nothing to do with it. Even though we are tired, this is what we love to do so we have to come out and play better next game.”
MIAMI COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA
(on the game) “This was a very mature, business-like win. It was very simple. We competed very hard against the hardest playing team in this league. We found open shooters and it was contagious for all our guys. We wanted to establish an inside-outside game to control the tempo and we did. It was a good effort from a lot of guys defensively.”
(on the road trip) “We cannot relax and we must stay in the moment and put ourselves in a position to end the trip with a win. The next 24 hours we must stay focused and finish it off with a great effort in Oklahoma City.”
(on the key to the comeback) “ Houston came out and played with more energy, quickness and speed to start the game. Then we made some adjustments and got the job done. Wade made some adjustments in going with his quickness to offset Battier’s size advantage.”
DWYANE WADE
(on the game) “ Houston came out of the blocks fast but we stuck with our game plan. Defensively, we played very well.”
(on his play) “I’ve been shooting the ball decently and hitting my shots. I was mixing it up, getting into the paint and taking it to the basket. My wrist is sore but it will be for the season and I just have to fight through it.”
(on Jermaine O’Neal’s play) “He has put together two great back-to-back games. We will continue to feed him as much as possible to keep him going.”
RAFER ALSTON
(on return to Houston) “It was beautiful. They appreciated all of my hard work and the way I played the game. I felt very comfortable out on the court. I took good shot after good shot in the flow of the game. I tried not to turn the ball over and passed it around to my teammates.”
(on the key to the win) “We re-grouped as a team in the first quarter. Our poise and resolve were the key to victory. We came out in the third quarter and extended the lead.”
NOTES
The Rockets suffered a 115-106 defeat to the Heat tonight, ending Houston’s three-game winning streak over Miami.
The loss tonight snapped Houston’s season-best home winning streak at eight games (12/9/09-1/13/10).
Houston dropped just its 10th game ever at Toyota Center when scoring 100 or more points. Overall, the Rockets stand at 93-10 (.903) all-time in games when they hit the century mark at Toyota Center.
The Rockets held a 10-point lead in the first quarter. Overall, Houston’s opponents have come back from a double-figure deficit to defeat the Rockets nine times in 2009-10.
Houston has now faced a double-digit deficit at home only four times this season, going 1-3 over in those four outings.
The Heat set Houston’s opponent season high with 35 second-quarter points (14-20 FG) tonight, surpassing the previous best for second-quarter scoring of 34 points set by the Warriors at Golden State (10/28/09).
The Rockets finished 11-of-21 (.524) from beyond the arc tonight. Houston has now reached double-digits in 3-pointers made in 11 games this season, including five of the last nine outings.
The Houston bench outscored the Miami reserves by a 45-18 count in tonight’s game.
Luis Scola with 17 points (8-14 FG) and Chase Budinger with 17 points (6-9 FG, 3-4 3FG) led six Rockets in double-figure scoring tonight. Budinger just missed matching his career best of 19 points (6-9 FG, 3-4 3FG, 4-4 FT) set at the L.A. Clippers (12/2/09).
Kyle Lowry netted 11 points behind a 7-of-7 performance from the stripe tonight. Lowry matched his season high for free throws made (7 twice: last on 12/18/09 at Dallas).
David Andersen posted his 10th double-digit scoring performance of the season with 12 points (4-6 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and three assists tonight.
Dwyane Wade registered a game-high 37 points (15-24 FG, 7-7 FT) and eight assists tonight, including 23 points (10-14 FG) over the opening two quarters of play. Wade’s 23 points tied for the third-highest scoring half against the Rockets this season. Tonight’s game also marked the ninth time this season Wade has netted multiple double-figure scoring quarters in the same game.
Jermaine O’Neal finished with 16 points (8-15 FG), 13 rebounds and four blocked shots tonight, marking his eighth double-double of the season.
Rafer Alston totaled 17 points (7-10 FG) and two assists tonight, marking his highest scoring performance since joining the Heat.
Quentin Richardson, who had 15 points (3-7 3FG), made the 1,000th 3-pointer of his career with his first make tonight from beyond the arc.
Michael Beasley added 12 points (5-13 FG) to put all five Miami starters in double-figure scoring tonight.
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