Houston Rockets run out of gas at a vital time in Game 5 vs Spurs

The Houston Rockets ran out of gas at a vital time during their second round series against the San Antonio Spurs. The Rockets now trail 3-2

"“We played well enough to win. We just didn’t finish the job.”"

Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni spoke afterwards about the crushing overtime loss his Rockets suffered in the crucial Game 5 of their second round series. The San Antonio Spurs, who played overtime without Kawhi Leonard – who injured his ankle earlier in the game – successfully held off the Rockets at home to take a 3-2 series lead.

Again, this was Houston’s moment. The Houston Rockets missed it. Again.

Gassed

More from Sir Charles In Charge

With Nene out, backup center minutes went to Ryan Anderson, as the Rockets went to a seven man rotation. Houston play a historically fast paced offense, play with energy, used limited substitutions, and played a long game. It does not take a rocket scientist to see why Houston were missing so many late shots.

The Rockets looked exhausted late in the game. With Nene out injured, Houston’s only played seven players throughout the night. Whilst every match so far has been a blowout, the loss of Nene was definitely noticeable in Game 5.

Coach, Mike D’Antoni discussed the limited rotations.

"“We had a lot of opportunities in those last three minutes to go in the game, knocked down a couple of threes, had good shots but just couldn’t make a big play by that point. You know, it was hard fought. We played as hard as we could and we had our chances to win, so be it.”"

Harden Hero Ball

With players tiring and missing shots, James Harden stopped playing Rockets basketball and tried to be the hero in overtime. He was forcing shots as the Rockets moved away from the style that proved successful throughout the season. Harden was 0-2 with three turnovers in the extra session.

Tim MacMahon from ESPN wrote about Harden’s defensive efforts throughout the night. With a defender out, and the Rockets playing smaller, Harden was used more on defense. His ability to rest at times on defense is vital in his ability to consistently carry the offense.

"“Harden was the primary defender on a team-high 20 possessions, according to ESPN Stats and Information tracking, and the Spurs got only seven buckets out of those trips. Aldridge and Leonard, whom Harden had to guard several times after switches, were a combined 0-for-8 against him. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Harden fought hard and used leverage and strength to consistently push Aldridge and Gasol off their sweet spots, as evidenced by the Spurs’ bigs going just 1-for-3 on post-ups against Harden despite a significant height advantage”."

Must Read: Five Potential Landing Spots For Kyle Lowry In Free Agency

If James Harden is the sports movie hero that the Houston Rockets need, he has to do it as a part of their system, not despite it.

Home/Houston Rockets