The Houston Rockets fail to handle the moment in game 3

Houston Rockets fail to handle their biggest moment of the season, lose control of series; Spurs lead 2-1

The Houston Rockets faced a key moment of their season in Game 3 against the San Antonio Spurs. Red-hot favorites at home against the San Antonio Spurs, it reflected an important quote from a popular film:

"“You only get one moment in life… Can you handle the moment?”"

Now if I was to ask can you guess where it is from? Shawshank Redemption? No. A few good men? No. Citizen Kane? Not quite. It is actually a line from Diddy in the comedy ‘Get him to the Greek’.

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Whilst it may not be the quality of film of the others mentioned, the point remains. People are faced with moments and they have to be able to handle those moments.

The Houston Rockets did not handle their moment in Game 3.

Coming off an embarrassing loss in Game 2, the Houston Rockets had to hold their home court in Game 3. Along with home court, the Rockets were also aided with Spurs’ Tony Parker going down with a knee injury. At home, and playing a side without their on-court coach, the pressure was mounting for Rockets to keep their home court advantage.

Houston kept the game close until the end of the third quarter again, as they did in Game 2. However when the heat was on, the Rockets folded like origami. Whilst the Rockets ended up only being outscored by five points in the last quarter, they looked 15 points worse. In the end, Houston lost 103-92.

The Rockets’ offense struggled at times again, and were held to under 100 points in consecutive games for the first time this season. The Spurs’ defense was the best performing throughout the regular season and after a blowout in Game 1, that trend has continued since.

The main critique of the Rockets usually devastating offense is what happens when the three-point shots don’t fall. At times the Rockets have been able to make do with poor long-range shooting, usually making up the difference at the line. However in the playoffs, the whistle is harder to rely on. Houston actually had two less attempts from the line, with the Spurs equaling the Rockets’ 16 points from the charity stripe.

In Game 3 though, the Rockets did not have an answer for its poor shooting. Whilst the final percentage from three was 30 percent, a few garbage-time threes from Harden helped pad that statistic. It also helped pad his shooting statistics, as he was 3-11 from three before hitting two late shots.

Harden did work his way and finished with 43 points, five assists, and three steals. However, Harden started the game off poorly again. He also made sloppy plays in the last quarter as the Rockets tried to fire their way back in to the game. At times is seems like Mike D’Antoni’s plan-B is to just turn plan-A up a few notches.

Combining with Harden’s shooting woes, Ryan Anderson, Lou Williams, Eric Gordon and Patrick Beverley shot a joint 2-14 from beyond the arc. In order to combat the Spurs, the Rockets NEED these four to turn in better performances.

Despite the poor showing, Game 3 was lost in the final minutes. The Rockets looked like they had stopped caring and were purely going through the motions. Juxtapose this with the Spurs, and Kawhi Leonard. Leonard defended Harden on an inbound with under 30-seconds left in the match, with his team 11 points up.

Game Four

The Houston Rockets will only be under more pressure in Game4. It is going to be the most important game of the Rockets’ franchise in recent memory. If players like James Harden, Eric Gordon, and Ryan Anderson can start to hit their important shots, then the Rockets can start to re-gain some confidence.

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Furthermore, a Game 4 loss will result in the Spurs taking a commanding 3-1 lead as the teams head back to San Antonio. Game 4 is a must-win for Houston.