For a while this season, we weren’t sure what the Rockets were doing, or how they might ultimately end up.
Since the All-Star things became a little clearer. This was never going to be the juggernaut we envisioned when Rockets’ general manager Rafael Stone pulled off the blockbuster trade of last summer, bringing in dynamic scorer Kevin Durant, but the Rockets improved dramatically over the last month of the season.
At one point, they won eight straight, and once the season ended on Sunday, they were winners of 9 of their 10 final games.
But even more important than the wins were the improved consistency of Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith, complementing what we already knew we would get from Alperen Sengun and Durant night in and night out.
Time is everything, especially with LeBron James and the Lakers awaiting in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.
“I think some familiarity with each other, zeroing in on some things that worked well and then guys kind of looking at opportunities lost and they really want to take advantage of what we have in front of us,” Ime Udoka said to the Defender prior to Sunday’s regular-season finale against Memphis. “We’ve had quite a few throughout the season in general, and so we wanted to finish out on a great note. Play our best basketball going into the postseason is kind of a mantra of ours.
“We all got together and talked about some things we can do better execution wise in game situations, and I think we have improved in those areas.”
There is no question they have. But the question is, will it be enough as the Rockets head into the playoffs?
The disappointment of last season when the No. 2-seeded Rockets exited the playoffs in the first round at the hands of an aging Golden State Warriors squad caused Stone to blow things up and essentially mortgage the future of the franchise with the Jalen Green for Durant trade with Phoenix (Dillon Brooks doesn’t really factor into the future conversation).
The vision all looked promising until life happened. Veteran point guard Fred VanVleet suffered a right ACL injury that sidelined him for the season before the season ever began. Then veteran big man Steven Adams was sidelined for the season with an ankle injury.
Suddenly, the vision looked really murky without a proven ballhandler and the needed muscle on the inside. The vision changed, but the lofty expectations that came with a hired gun like Durant didn’t.
“I don’t think at any point did we think we are not going to be able to accomplish what we set out to, just because of injuries,” said Udoka, whose team finished the regular-season 52-30. “We go about it a different way. With Fred going down, we had to figure out some things and have some ups and downs with that, but I don’t think anybody’s expectations were lessened at all.
“For us, if anything, we feel like we let some things slip away with the season-ending injuries to Fred and Steven. We feel very confident about playing against anybody. I think we have shown that. When we play our best, we can beat anybody, and when we don’t, we can lose to anybody.”
We saw hints of that during the last 20 games or so of the regular season, when the Rockets could do just about anything they wanted with Sheppard and Thompson alternating handling the rock and Smith beginning to assert himself more in the paint.
Last month, the Rockets locked down their playoff spot, which was a sigh of relief for some, given the adversity, but there was never any doubt in the locker room.
“I feel like it was expected of us,” Thompson said. “It was an accomplishment, but not to just make the playoffs. We have bigger goals.”
But as much as the Rockets have improved, there was no guarantee of playoff success or even advancing out of the first round. The matchup with the Lakers in a No.4 seed vs No.5 seed has seemed like destiny for a while, but with the Rockets losing their last two games against the Lakers, and the way the Lakers were playing didn’t look good for the home team.
This time, however, life happened to the Lakers, who locked into the fourth seed after a 43-point loss to the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder came with the cost of losing leading scorer Luka Doncic (hamstring) and rapidly improving Austin Reaves (oblique strain) for the final few games of the regular season.
It’s not certain if they will be back for the first game of this series on Saturday in Los Angeles, but it’s very likely. Without the duo and even with James playing like he is in a Cavaliers uniform again, the Lakers aren’t as daunting.
But with a healthy Lakers’ lineup, this is a problem for a flawed Rockets team.
“Obviously, [we] know they are injured, but quality players across the board. Minnesota had guys out or whatever the case may be, but it’s still the NBA,” said Udoka, referencing Friday’s late-game meltdown loss to the Timberwolves. “They have some great players there, so we will have our hands full.”
And what happened in the regular season will have no bearing on this series. Playoff basketball and regular-season basketball are not the same.
“It’s a whole other ballgame,” Udoka said. “The intensity, the possession battles; everything matters. You can feel that. Even late in the season, in-season tournaments and stuff like that, you can feel the difference. Certain matchups, as well, when you get a playoff atmosphere.
“The attention to detail and obviously the scouting is way more in-depth. You have to prepare for that, and that’s what we tried to do in these last 10 to 15, flip the switch and get in the playoff mode as far as focus and mentally being ready for what’s to come, and also physically upping our physicality. I think we have done that for the most part. Now it’s time to dig in on an opponent.”
And to continue the late-season success in the playoffs.
“Just keep the momentum going,” Thompson said. “We are on a good winning streak right now. We just have build good habits going into the playoffs.”
