Mike D'Antoni Rips Rockets as 'Soft' After Loss to Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni was not pleased with his team following Sunday's 129-100 loss to the Miami Heat, describing the Rockets as "soft" in his postgame comments:

He added, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

"They jumped on us from the beginning. They outran us and outhustled us and outplayed us. First quarter, they just came out and smacked us, and we just took it. At a certain point, you've got to fight. Little like last year, not enough tiger out there. We're just not playing as hard as we should be playing, especially on the defensive end."

Superstar guard James Harden agreed with his coach's assessment:

"They brought an energy and effort from the beginning of the game we couldn't match, and it showed. The score showed. They're a team that plays hard, extremely hard, on both ends of the floor. We can't let teams outplay us. Energy and effort has to be there all the time no matter who we're playing. For whatever reason, it wasn't there."

Russell Westbrook summed it up succinctly.

"Defend," he said. "We have to defend."

That lack of defensive intensity led to solid games from a handful of Miami's role players, including Duncan Robinson (23 points), Meyers Leonard (21 points), James Johnson (17 points) and Goran Dragic (15 points). Leading man Jimmy Butler was excellent as well, putting in a well-rounded performance that included 18 points (on 7-of-15 shooting from the field), nine assists, seven rebounds, four steals and a block.

The Rockets have offered a mixed bag to start the season, going 3-3. On one hand, they lead the NBA in points per game (121.3). On the other, they are last in the league in points allowed per contest (127.0). Their point differential (-5.6) is 24th in the NBA.

The advanced stats don't paint a better picture. Per NBA.com, the Rockets have a defensive rating of 116.2 (29th in the league) and a net rating of -4.8 (23rd). Opponents are shooting 47.2 percent from the field against them, ranking the Rockets worst in the NBA.

To be fair, the Rockets were always likely to go through an adjustment period as Harden and Westbrook learn to coexist in the backcourt as two primary ball-handlers. But Houston's offense hasn't been the issue—the team's 111.3 offensive rating is fourth in the NBA.

And both players are getting their numbers. Harden is averaging 35.3 points and 7.7 assists per game, though his 37.1 percent shooting from the field and 21.5 percent shooting from three are concerns. Westbrook, meanwhile, is nearly averaging a triple-double (21.2 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 9.2 APG), a feat he achieved the previous three seasons.

The offense isn't the issue in Houston. But beyond the defense, hints of other issues are creeping to the surface.

"There's not really good energy with us," guard Eric Gordon said, per Feigen. "We have to play for one another. For as good a team as we are—I know the type of talent we have—you have to play for each other. Because when you have bad energy, it gets worse for us, and it shows. It's still early. We're going to do whatever we can to turn this thing around."