Houston Rockets' Stars Shine to Avert Playoff Disaster vs. Los Angeles Clippers
It took more than six quarters of second-round postseason basketball, but the Houston Rockets finally found the urgency they needed to secure a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
The Rockets overcame yet another brilliant effort from Blake Griffin and a hefty first-half disadvantage to salvage a 115-109 Game 2 win and, more importantly, a 1-1 split before the series moves to Los Angeles for Game 3.
One item to address up front: This contest was a horror show to watch. There were 96 free throws, and the whole affair took more than three hours to complete. On the plus side, at least we saw some history-making, per ESPN Stats & Info:
There are a number of angles to cover here, but there's simply no way to talk about this game without addressing the complete lack of flow all those foul shots caused. If you watched it, you know. If you didn't, congratulations. You're better for it.
All right, moving on.
Houston's urgency, M.I.A. in Game 1, appeared to show up at the opening tip of Game 2. The Rockets jumped out to a 35-24 lead in the first 12 minutes.
But their focus promptly disappeared in the second quarter. And just like Game 1, Griffin was there to capitalize.
Coming off two consecutive triple-doubles, Griffin continued to prove he could carry the load with Chris Paul sidelined again. He was masterful in the first half. His 26 points before the break were more than he'd scored in any half this season, and the Rockets couldn't find an answer for L.A.'s relatively simple Griffin-led attack.
He finished with 34 points, 15 rebounds and four assists on 13-of-23 shooting.
Houston trailed by nine at halftime, and the sting of losing that second quarter by a 41-21 margin, especially after building an 11-point advantage after the first period, felt fatal.
After all, these were the same Rockets who completely rolled over against a Clippers club missing Paul in the series-opener. To that point, they'd given no reason for anyone to believe resiliency was in their makeup.
The third quarter proved otherwise, though not immediately. A fed-up James Harden found himself on the pine just over a minute into the period, and it seemed as though Houston was headed for real trouble, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
Oddly, though, the Rockets made their pivotal push after Harden sat down. The offense flowed more freely, and the defense tightened up a bit.
And when he returned, he brought something unexpected with him, as Matt Moore of CBSSports.com observed:
"Harden trying defensively like he did most of this season is a nice change from Game 1
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) May 7, 2015"
Harden would finish with 32 points and seven assists, while hitting all 15 of his free throws. In other words, Harden, like the rest of the Rockets, finally showed up.
The Beard was hardly the only reason Houston pulled out a badly needed win. Dwight Howard tallied 24 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots. He was overly aggressive in hunting swats at times, but his overall presence on the interior was a positive one.
Strategically, the Rockets made some second-half tweaks they should consider keeping around for as long as this series lasts. By going with just one big man for long stretches in the fourth quarter, Houston got more of the spacing its offense desperately needed, and it also served to keep Terrence Jones and Josh Smith (who combined to shoot 7-of-19 from the field) off the court.
Feigen also cited Trevor Ariza, who contributed 15 points, 13 rebounds and two assists, as a major key:
Ariza was integral, but so were some of the double-teams Houston finally decided to throw at Griffin in the second half.
Before the break, Griffin routinely took the ball at the top of the circle and either found his own shot or created opportunities for teammates. But after halftime, Griffin appeared to tire (who could blame him after carrying the Paul-less Clippers for a game-and-a-half?).
A handful of quick doubles by the Rockets in the third quarter forced a harried Griffin to relinquish the ball under duress, and the resulting tough looks nudged the Clippers out of the rhythm they'd established.
Looking ahead, the Rockets should strongly consider sending extra bodies at Griffin if Paul remains sidelined. The big man is a fine passer, but at least the Rockets can dictate the terms of those passes by sending help in a coordinated way.
The alternative—helping after Griffin breaks down the initial defender—certainly never worked.
It's important to keep some perspective here. Securing a 1-1 home split against a weary Clippers squad that didn't have its most important player can hardly be termed a victory. And we should all still be skeptical of the Rockets' ability to muster the kind of sustained effort and focus it'll take to knock off a highly competitive Clippers team.
But if Houston had lost Game 2, it would have meant almost certain elimination.
According to WhoWins.com, NBA teams that have fallen into 0-2 holes at home in a seven-game series have gone on to lose that series 89.7 percent of the time.
So in one narrow sense, the Rockets should be feeling good.
More broadly, Houston ought to remain worried.
Every day that passes makes Paul's return likelier, and the Clippers training staff will now have two full days off to work on the point guard ahead of Friday's Game 3. And let's not overlook the critical location change that's about to take place in the series.
The Rockets struggled to look like a team that cared while surrounded by thousands of their own screaming supporters in Houston. Whatever motivational deficiencies caused their shoddy play at home aren't likely to disappear in a less nurturing environment.
Still, at least for now, the Clippers feel like they're the team that missed an opportunity, per Arash Markazi of ESPN.com:
This has been an altogether strange series in which both clubs now feel like they're in need of redemption, so Game 3 will be pivotal. We'll see if the Rockets remember to show up in Los Angeles and if Paul will be on the court to greet them.
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