The second round finally gave NBA fans that game. The game that raises blood pressure, creates heroes, and crushes the losing team so thoroughly they feel as though they may never feel the sweet embrace of victory again. That is not true, of course, but the feeling alone has the power to leave one nauseous enough to gag at the sight of a basketball.
One of those people may be James Harden. Although the series is not over, he will surely be sick following his second half performance. Harden was 3/13 in the second half and had 9 turnovers in the game. His fourth playoff game with 9+ turnovers gives him the most in NBA history. The Rockets ultimately lost the game, 110-107, to give the Spurs the 3-2 series lead. What is truly sickening is how well James Harden was playing in the first half. Shooting an astounding 8/11 and fueling the Rockets to a halftime lead.
Kawhi Leonard then powered a huge 3rd quarter when it appeared the Rockets were going to run away with it. His defensive to offensive sequences were truly sublime and he completely controlled the game for a solid 7 minutes. Just enough to keep the Spurs within striking distance when he went down with an ankle injury, though he has already declared himself ready to go for Game 6.
4th quarter and overtime was then a calamity of offensive failures, turnovers and poor play. The Spurs scored only 25 points in the 4th and OT combined, yet won the game. Manu Ginobili and Danny Green, however, showed up in the waining moments of a playoff game for what feels like the thousandth time. After dunking in a game where Kawhi Leonard blew a dunk, Manu finished the game by blocking James Harden’s attempted game tying shot. Even with no bats around it was one of his most shockingly terrific feats.
In this game no new heroes in San Antonio were made, just legacies extended.
This game also appears to have continued the plight of Mike D’Antoni in playoff series’ against Gregg Popovich. His offense devolving into a middle suburbia playground court wasteland of motionless offense. James Harden looked lost, the movement was gone and the confidence must have taken the same flight.
There is a chance this is due to the lack of players on the court. The Rockets only dusted off 7 players to the Spurs 9. In an intense overtime playoff game, fatigue plays a factor. It certainly looked like it did with Harden. This has hurt D’Antoni in the past against the Spurs, who have often used their deep benches to perfection in the playoffs. MDA keeps his benches tight. This needs to change.
Gregg Popovich flinched tonight, playing small ball lineups when the Rockets did. Going away from the two big philosophy they have employed all season long. It is time for D’Antoni to do his own flinching by opening up the bench, at least one player deep. Sam Dekker was a useful contributor all season long, can out speed the Spurs bigs, and can relieve the muscle straining work the guards are having to endure.
Boxing out and defending the post are two skills necessary for the small ball lineups the Rockets run out. Harden and Ariza specifically could use a break from this work for a few minutes. Dekker could be the source of that relief. He is big enough to handle it and has had plenty of experience this season to be trusted. The Rockets have little time to make a change and Mike D’Antoni has just one more card to play. Whether or not he flinches could be the difference in the series.
