5 Unsung Reasons the Houston Rockets Just Keep Winning
With all of the injuries, trades and other nonsense throughout the season, those dang Rockets just keep on winning. With James Harden leading the way, Houston finds itself in the top tier of the league at the one-third mark of the season.
The Rockets are in the thick of what has become one of the strongest conferences in NBA history. They are currently in the lead in the toughest division, with every Southwest team over .500.
There are plenty of reasons for Houston's early success. Harden's exciting play has him as the front-runner for MVP. The much-improved defensive effort has bolstered the Rockets' team confidence. The additions of Josh Smith and Corey Brewer seem to be paying off as well.
However, there are a handful of unsung reasons as to why Houston is off to a great start. How about Donatas Motiejunas' steady improvement, or other unexpected contributions off the bench? And what about Harden's significant improvement on the defensive end? Clutch City is back in business.
These five unsung reasons for the Rockets' winning ways are ranked based on which factor has had the biggest impact on the team's success.
5. The Emergence of D-Mo
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After two under-the-radar seasons in the NBA, Donatas Motiejunas is having a breakout year. The 7-footer is finally realizing his potential since coming to the league from overseas.
With Dwight Howard out for an extended amount of time and Terrence Jones hurt for all but two games, D-Mo has been the go-to guy down low for the Rockets. In the games he has started, he is averaging 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds.
D-Mo is a legitimate scoring threat in the post. He has a wide array of moves on the block and can pass out of double teams pretty well. In an overtime game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with Howard injured and Harden fouled out, Motiejunas was the guy who took over and won the game.
He can stretch the floor just enough with his 28.3 percentage from deep, but he isn't forcing up any long-balls. D-Mo has done a good job of letting the offense come to him and acting accordingly. He also has improved his defensive game, including boxing out for rebounds and closing out on rotations.
It's been a fantastic season for D-Mo so far in Houston. With the recent acquisition of Josh Smith, Motiejunas' role could take a hit, but he still should be able to contribute as a key rotation player for the Rockets.
4. Credit to the Coaching Staff
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In his first three years as head coach, Kevin McHale is yet to win a playoff series. However, that didn't stop Daryl Morey from signing him to a three-year contract extension.
Although not everyone is McHale's biggest supporter, it's hard not to admit he has done an excellent job this season. After getting schooled by Terry Stotts in the first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, some were calling for his head. Yet here we are, with the Rockets thriving in 2014-15 under McHale and their newly-found defensive intensity.
A lot of the credit should also go to McHale's staff, particularly J.B. Bickerstaff and T.R. Dunn, for revitalizing the defense. But McHale is the one who has figured out all of the minutes for each player in the rotation. That has been quite a task, especially with all of the injuries and more recently with the new acquisitions.
McHale has been missing key players all season long. Howard has missed significant time, as have Patrick Beverley, Kostas Papanikolaou and Isaiah Canaan. Jones has been out for all but three games! There have been stretches where Houston was without three starters plus a makeshift starter, and yet the Rockets are one of the winningest teams in the league.
As a coach, McHale has also been criticized for his late-game tactics. The Rockets, though, are undefeated in games decided by five points or less.
This will be a big postseason for McHale and his staff this summer. He may have already gotten his extension, but McHale needs to prove he can win with this team during this championship window.
3. Next Man Up
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The Rockets have been battling injuries all season long. Injuries are a part of every team's struggles but few teams have faced as much adversity as Houston has in that department.
As I mentioned earlier, the Rockets have played through stretches while missing three-fifths of their starting lineup. Beverley, Howard and Jones all have missed long periods of time with their own respective injuries.
Motiejunas has done a great job filling in for the big men. Isaiah Canaan went from being out of the rotation to starting alongside the Beard in the backcourt. In his nine starts, Canaan averaged 12.6 points and shot 42.9 percent from behind the arc. He was one of the Rockets' best facilitators until he went down with an ankle injury himself.
Other guys like Nick Johnson, Joey Dorsey, and Kostas Papanikolaou have all pitched in as unlikely heroes as the Rockets continued to win games. Johnson spent a good chunk of time in the D-League before he was called back up and hit a game-winning shot. Dorsey was a laughing stock at the end of the bench before proving he could become the primary backup center.
Many teams tend to crumble when missing a primary starter in their lineup, but not the Rockets. Houston has had several pleasant surprises this year as bench players have stepped up and kept the winning culture alive.
2. Harden's Defensive Effort
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It's clear that the Rockets have improved defensively, but I still had to mention it. After giving up the most points per game of any playoff team last season, Houston ranks second in the NBA in defensive efficiency, only behind the Golden State Warriors, per ESPN.com.
It all starts with Harden. He's not a defensive mastermind or anything like that, but his effort on that end of the floor has improved dramatically. After becoming notorious for his lazy defending, the Beard is blocking shots and closing out shooters like you wouldn't believe. As the team leader, Harden and his new focus on defense has inspired the team to follow suit.
The replacement of Chandler Parsons with Trevor Ariza has also helped tremendously. Ariza averages the second-most minutes per game in the league, and for good reasons. He locks down the opposing team's best scorer every night, whether it's 7'0" Dirk Nowitizki or point guard Chris Paul.
It also doesn't hurt having Patrick Beverley and Dwight Howard either. As a unit, the Rockets are one of the most sound defensive teams in the NBA, and it has helped them win a lot of games they easily could have lost last season.
1. Clutch City Returns
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There have been a lot of factors to the Rockets' early success but perhaps the most significant of them all has been their clutch performances. In the nine games Houston has played that either went to overtime or were decided by five points or less, the Rockets are undefeated.
Even if just half of those went the other way, the Rockets would slip drastically in the brutal Western Conference standings. Every game counts out West, and you can't afford to slip and fall too far behind.
We take it for granted sometimes, but Harden is one of the best clutch performers in the league. He leads the NBA in points scored in the final minutes of close games. He has hit clutch shot after clutch shot in many games this year.
The Beard sent the game to OT and closed it out singlehandedly on the road versus the Sacramento Kings. He also has big shots against the Denver Nuggets, Mavericks and Grizzlies.
The outcomes of close games can make or break your season. When the game is on the line with the clock winding down, the Rockets have consistently found a way to win. When you're undefeated in tight games down the stretch, chances are you have a pretty good record.
After all, this is Clutch City.
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