The Rockets’ Small-Ball Strategy Gets a Big Test Against the Lakers

It was a matchup that offered a referendum of sorts on the blockbuster off-season deal the two teams made a little over a year ago. After the Thunder traded Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers, Harden pushed for the Rockets to trade for Westbrook, his former teammate in Oklahoma City. In exchange for Westbrook, the Thunder received Chris Paul, two future first-round picks and the rights to swap two other future first-round picks.

The immediate sense was that the Thunder were engaging in a rebuild — so many picks! — and that Paul would eventually be sent elsewhere. Instead, he played at an All-Star level while mentoring his younger teammates, and the Thunder exceeded expectations before pushing Houston to the brink here at Walt Disney World.

Make no mistake: The Rockets had everything to lose. Falling in the first round — to their trade partner, no less — would have been devastating for a team that, just two years ago, was one win from a conference title. Houston mortgaged a good chunk of its future to acquire Westbrook, and even for an organization accustomed to bold moves, the deal carried with it a whiff of desperation.

After missing the first four games of the series with a strained quadriceps muscle, Westbrook labored through Games 5 and 6 before finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds in Game 7.

“We dug deep,” he said.

In a twist, the Rockets won with their defense. Harden, who otherwise struggled, scoring 17 points while shooting 4 of 15 from the field, compensated in the game’s late stages by closing out on the Thunder’s Luguentz Dort and blocking his 3-point shot. Over the course of the evening, the little-known Dort had elevated himself into a cult hero by playing the game of his life, scoring 30 points while defending Harden for long stretches. But he could only watch as Harden screamed to celebrate his game-saving block.

“I think James’s defense has gotten a lot better,” D’Antoni said. “He’s been locked in, and I think he knows that for us to win at a good clip, the defense has to be there.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/sports/the-rockets-small-ball-strategy-gets-a-big-test-against-the-lakers.html