It was a excellent effort by a Dallas team that could’ve easily been swept after the Rajon Rondo drama, but with a Head Coach like Rick Carlisle you know they’ll be prepared and give their best effort.
Game 5 stayed consistent with all of the other games in the series with both teams coming out of the gate hot, but eventually The Maverick’s offense would get cold shooting 38% from the field compared to Houston’s 45%.
The Rockets James Harden helped start things off with 7 points in the first quarter and would go into halftime with 15 points to help guide The Rockets to a 56-50 lead.
Another player that set the tone for his team is Monta Ellis who really was the only consistent offensive threat for The Mavericks this game with 25 points, but shot 11/26 from the field.
One thing I will say is Houston turned up the defense in the second half to force Dallas to take some bad shots and make silly passes. The Rockets controlled the flow of the game and Dallas tried to contain, but the overall talent on The Rocket’s roster took over.
Dallas would shoot just 19% from beyond the arc which is the game changer in all of this if they make a couple of the 26 attempts it’s a new game.
Houston would win 103-94 and advance on to the next round, and The Rockets seem focused going forward as James Harden talked about last nights victory.
“It’s just the beginning,” the bearded superstar said. “We’ve got bigger goals than this.”
Dwight Howard and Josh Smith would also help Houston advance combining for 38 points and 27 rebounds, but it was Terrence Jones in the fourth quarter scoring 10 of his 15 points to help Houston advance.
Harden on the performance of Jones: “Struggling, struggling, struggling, but in that fourth quarter he … basically won us the game. He did a great job.
The Rockets now await for the winner of The San Antonio Spurs vs. Clippers series with some rest for a young team that looks ready to make an impact. If Houston continues the hot offensive start and big games from Harden,Howard, and Josh Smith the sky is the limit for this team.
