The Houston Rockets are still stuck squarely in the middle of the NBA pecking order after last night’s gritty but ultimately heartbreaking 101-95 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs. At 3-7, they look neither like a serious playoff threat or deserving of the NBA’s lottery dregs, similar to the past two seasons. The Rockets matched San Antonio in energy and tenacity last night, but the foul calls were not tilting Houston’s way and the Spurs’ superstars pushed the black and silver over the top, continuing their undefeated mark at the AT&T Center. Here are five reasons why Houston couldn’t close the deal:
1) The disappearing act of Kevin Martin. Martin scored 18 points and contributed mightily to Houston’s first half lead with a series of elbow jumpers, but Martin was nowhere to be found in the fourth quarter or overtime when the team needed someone to step up and make shots. He shot 0-5 from three-point range for the game, and missed all three of his attempts in the closing quarter and OT.
Often Martin looked to draw fouls instead of creating a reasonable shot, and as expected on the road, he wasn’t getting the usual calls. Martin needs to step up in clutch situations if he wants to be known as anything more than just a solid offensive player.
2) San Antonio’s stars. Tony Parker had a magnificent game, scoring 28 points and making a series of crucial jumpers. A particular fadeaway with the shot clock running down late in the fourth was a definite stake in Houston’s hearts after a salty defensive possession. Houston had no answer for the speedy Frenchman, and nobody for the Rockets could match Parker’s clutch shotmaking ability.
Tim Duncan struggled throughout OT with his free throw shooting, but he stepped up with a late layup (and travel) on his way to 17 points and 11 rebounds. Even oft-maligned Richard Jefferson drained a huge, Bruce Bowen-like corner three when the game was still tied in OT. Although they continue to age, the Spurs stars can still bring it.
3) Houston’s shooting. The Rockets could not find the bottom of the net in overtime, scoring only five points in the extra period. The team couldn’t make outside jumpers either, finishing with an abysmal 3-21 clip from behind the arc. The Spurs didn’t exactly light it up either — hence the close contest — which made it even more painful that Houston couldn’t capitalize on opportunities due to their poor shooting. The Rockets missed at least three lay-ups in OT, a crippling number considering how the score was knotted at 90 for much of the added five minutes.
Take away Kyle Lowry’s pair of clutch threes — one in overtime to make it a one-point game and the other to help force OT — and the Rockets only made a single trey for the entire night. With Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger both mired in slumps, Courtney Lee injured, and Chandler Parsons shaky from downtown, there aren’t many three-point marksmen currently on the roster. Terrence Williams is shooting the highest percentage on the team, but his posterior appears firmly plastered to the pine for the moment.
4) One-sided officiating. This is expected when playing in a hostile environment like the AT&T Center, and especially when the opposing team has a wealth of stars that trumps Houston’s modest collection as the Spurs do. But it was still frustrating for Rockets fans to watch. Duncan and Parker are two of the NBA’s whiniest superstars and they know how to draw fouls — a few phantom calls went Duncan’s way late — but the main problem last night was the inconsistency in how physical the officials allowed the contest to be for each side. It seemed as if a push that garnered a no-call if Luis Scola was shooting was immediately labeled a foul if the shooter was Duncan.
Houston was whistled for 24 fouls, and San Antonio for 12. The disparity was too wide to chalk up to one team playing with more aggression than the other, as each team played a similarly rugged style. Houston’s players, especially Martin and Lowry, are partly to blame for trying to draw fouls instead of taking smart shots, as one can’t expect to receive the usual calls in a road arena. But when Jordan Hill was called for traveling on a nearly identical Duncan play that finished whistle free, the home cooking was a bit obvious.
5) McHale’s post player rotation. I praised McHale’s rotation Wednesday night, as the addition of Chandler Parsons to the starting lineup has lowered opponents’ overall shooting percentage by over 10 percent. But the rotation at center continues to befuddle. When Luis Scola and Patrick Patterson are the lone posts, the undersized duo has a difficulty stopping taller foes on defense and securing rebounds. Jordan Hill, Samuel Dalembert, and Hasheem Thabeet (hell, even Jeff Adrien) should not all be sitting on the bench at the same time.
In fact, I believe experimentation with a Hill/Dalembert lineup may be worthwhile. That would create size mismatches throughout the league, yet also require Hill to improve his jumper and high-low game. Dalembert is protecting the paint better than anyone on the roster, while Hill is currently sucking up offensive boards like a force. Houston is vulnerable when McHale refuses to have a true center on the floor.
Buy Houston Rockets Tickets | Buy Houston Rockets Apparel
