Ahead of schedule… Still behind the Warriors. Rockets lose in 7
On this May the Fourth, the rebel Houston Rockets would need “The Force” to be with them if they were going to make history for the third time in franchise history and be the 14th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit. Rockets fans would feel a disturbance early in the game and Toyota Center rarely was able to get into the game as the Warriors executed everything they needed to do to advance to the Western Conference Semi-finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Houston Rockets were not able to do the things that gave them success in their three wins in the series. The Rockets defense was only able to force seven turnovers, and the Golden State Warriors were able to shoot 47.6 percent from the field including 41.9 percent from the three-point line. Buddy Hield scored 33 points in the game, scoring 22 of them in the first half while Steph Curry had only three points on 1-of-7 shooting. That helped the Warriors take a 51-39 lead into the half.
The third quarter is the only quarter the Rockets won, and we saw the fight of Amen Thompson, who was great in this game. 24 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists on 9-of-16 shooting and a blocked shot. Other than that, the Rockets had a very hard time scoring, especially in the paint and on second chance points. The rockets were 23-of-55 in the paint and only hit 50 percent of their second chance opportunities. Alperen Sengun scored 21 points but only shot 39 percent on 9-of-23 shooting.
The Warriors did a good job of taking Jalen Green out of the gameplan offensively by blitzing on pick and roll and collapsing on him in the paint. While he didn’t turn the ball over, he only had one assist and only shot the ball eight times and only got the free throw line three times. The spotlight has been on him in the media and among fans, but it seems like the coach is okay with him taking what the defense gives and looking to make the right play rather than trying to “take over” offensively. Jalen certainly needs to improve on taking advantage of the few opportunities he gets when defended the way many teams are sure to begin defending him moving forward, but this should be valuable experience for not just him but all of the young players.
Fred VanVleet was unable to put the Superman cape for the third time in as many games, however in 43 minutes played he scored 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 7 rebounds and 3 assists and 3 turnovers. Offensively the Rockets were not in-sync and while hats must go off to the Golden State Warriors, to a man each of these players knows they had opportunities in this series that they let slip by.
Credit also must go to Steve Kerr for countering with a zone defense of his own that the Rockets struggled with executing against. With a strong first half from Buddy Hield and Draymond Green, followed by Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler being the closers they have become famous for, with poor shooting performances by the Rockets, it was just too much to overcome.
The Rockets know they have better performances in them than what they showed tonight and at moments in this series. Missed opportunities in the paint, only getting up 18 three-point shots in Game 7, losing Game 3 when Jimmy Bulter was out, shooting below 60 percent from the free-throw line in their losses… there is much for this young team to chew on over the summer.
The Houston Rockets also have much to be proud of as well. We watched this team grow up in a lot of ways. Seeing the pain and disappointment they have already begun to express, Tari Eason fighting back tears as he spoke to the media, is very reminiscent of the disappointment we saw them show in falling short of the playoffs last season. The fact that their response was to get to work, come back in the 2024-2025 season and win 52 games and clinching the second best record in the extremely loaded Western Conference, and take a team with three players having more playoff experience than the entire Rockets team combined to Game 7 after being down in the series 3-1, the level of optimism for next season should be even higher than it was to begin this season.
The Houston Rockets are now here. They won’t be sneaking up on anyone, they will not be the “feisty up and coming team” anymore. They have arrived, and with that will come raised expectations and standards, starting with the players in that locker room, the coaching staff, and the front office. The media and fans will no doubt begin to expect and even demand more at times. I believe if this team can tune out all the noise and keep the main thing, the main thing, we will see this young team continue to ascend.
The Rockets learned first-hand in this series that there are no truer words in sports than those of former Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich… “Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion.” The young Rockets have an opportunity to continue to grow together as long as ownership and front office personnel don’t get too impatient and really make something special. Without the sting of defeat, there is no joy in victory. The Rockets opportunity is coming. The only question is will they be ready when the time comes to seize it.
It’s been hell of a season TDS family! Can’t wait to talk offseason with you all. As disappointed as we all are right now it seems sure that brighter days are ahead. The NBA Draft Lottery falls on my birthday this year, and the Houston Rockets have a 3.8 percent chance of landing Cooper Flagg as the number one pick thanks to the Phoenix Suns. May The Force be with us.