OFF THE TOP OF MY BALD HEAD
Barry Warner: Rockets fizzle in Game 1, plus a look at the rest of the NBA, Texans and Astros
May 15, 2018, 8:30 am
Kevin Durant is an unstoppable force. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The Rockets were sloppy, tentative and had no rhythm, while the Warriors were free and easy with their ball movement and shooting in their 119-106 Game 1 win.
The Rockets had no swag, made too many mental mistakes, committed 16 turnovers, spent way too much time dribbling with their isolation.
After a tied first half, the Warriors opened up a seven-point lead at the end of the third quarter,
Sure, James Harden was terrific, scoring 41 of the hardest points he has scored. The Warriors shot 33 times over the Beard, wearing him out.
The Rockets did not get the ball to Chris Paul for the mid-range jumper. He scored 23 and dished out 11 assists.
Where were the 3s getting nothing but net?
Regardless who was guarding Kevin Durant, it did not matter. He simply is impossible to stop. The one and done from Texas had 37.
Klay Thompson had 28 while Steph Curry added 18.
Golden State has the rings. You cannot discount the experience factor. What the fans do not see is they are the best defense the Rockets have faced. They forced the Rockets into shot possession mistakes and way off balance, awkward attempts. Then you add the mismatch with Kevin Durant. Unless the bench of Gordon, Green and Mbah a Moute are stellar each night the Rockets will watch the Finals on TV.
That’s why my prediction is Golden State in six.
Jeff Van Gundy was my guest on Reality Check last Friday
Among the topics covered was the career high by Chris Paul in the finale against overmatched Utah.
"CP 3 is fabulous and he has been so good for so so long. But the focus has been more on negative, rather than how good he his. Remember, he was dominant since his rookie year in New Orleans. The variety he gives Mike on pick and roll gives him a chance at scoring the best mid-range jumper in the league
“His level of assertiveness offensively has been terrific,” the colorful former Rockets coach stated.
Paul’s friendship with Steph Curry goes back to the great shooter’s rookie season. Chris went out of his way to help the budding star. The two still hang out together during the off seasons and text during the year.
Curry missed 31 games during the regular season. The fact he is so well rested is yet another major advantage for the defending champs.
Cav-nots?
The Celtics lost Gordon Hayward early, then Kyrie Irving late, but they beat LeBron and the Cavs by 25 in Game 1. It’s yet another reminder to the world of sports why Danny Ainge is one of the great executives in modern NBA history, and why Brad Stevens is the best basketball coach working right now, in either college or the pros.
Just imagine how much more fun the Eastern Conference finals would be if Kyrie were in the gym, doing the same things for his new team the way he used to when he was LeBron's wingman in Cleveland?
Bad Rap?
Raptors coach Dwane Casey was named the National Basketball Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year. The choice on its own did not raise eyebrows, as Casey led the Raptors to 59 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, four games ahead of the Celtics.
A few days later Toronto management fired him. It is important to remember that in life, as well as sports, that the grass can be browner on the other side.
Change can also lead to worse product, worse record or worse balance sheet for the company or franchise that makes the new hire.
Fat chance, Texans
The Texans placed guard Jeff Allen on reserve PUP list.
If you believe that then you believe in Santa Claus and pigs flying. The Texans are trying to avoid a lawsuit. Cutting the slob was not exactly earth-shattering news. The former KC Chief guard was signed to take the place Of Brandon Brooks who signed a free agent contract with the Super Bowl Eagles.
It was yet another example of where the former GM Rick Smith Mc Nair made an error.
Allen came here and looked like the Pillsbury Dough boy in uniform. He was fat, sloppy and not very strong, not exactly looking like an NFL player. True, he did have both ankle and concussion problems, but losing the Battle of the Bulge cost him a job here.
You bet
Sanity has finally prevailed in the highest court in the land.
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has been openly meeting with bookmakers from Vegas casinos. The most visionary of commissioners, the NBA’s Adam Silver, has long been in favor of legalized gambling.
Now that Las Vegas has hockey and the amazing Golden Knights, they too can see the future.
All leagues would see an increase in their revenues by getting a percentage of the take.
But not the league that wallows in hypocrisy, the NFL. Why do you think they had the networks put in the ten-minute ticker? The masses still watch in part because of fantasy football.
The American Gaming Association estimates that Americans illegally wager about $150 billion on sports each year.
Texas will be among the last states to finally get their heads out of the sand. We have no casinos, yet the state is content to let millions of dollars go across the border to Louisiana casinos.
On the Astros
Charlie Morton lowered his ERA to 2.03. Two teammates, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, are the only two with lower ERAs in the AL. It was nice to see Evan Gattis finally wake up with a pair of homers and four RBI’s for the streaky DH.
I am concerned about the 0-13 slump of Jose Altuve, sending his batting average to .302.
Dallas Kuechel is now 3-5, as he used his new four seamer to give up only three hits in the Mother’s Day win over Texas.
The Houston Texans addressed their most glaring needs by selecting offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery and a pair of Iowa State receivers in the NFL draft.
“The idea was to try to add good players, good people that are young, tough, hungry, that want to win, that put the team first,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “These picks exemplify that.”
The Texans got players that could help them quickly despite not picking in the first round for a second straight season. They didn’t have a first-round pick last year because of trades, including the one to move up and get defensive end Will Anderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 draft.
This season they shipped the 25th overall pick to the Giants on Thursday in exchange for several picks.
Their first selection in this draft was receiver Jayden Higgins, who was taken with the second pick of the second round. They added Ersery later in the second round with the 48th overall selection and picked up Higgins’ teammate Jaylin Noel in the third round.
Ersery could be Houston’s left tackle of the future after the offseason trade of five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Ersery started 38 games at left tackle over three seasons at Minnesota where he was a third-team All-American last season.
He comes to Houston to help shore up a line that allowed C.J. Stroud to be sacked 52 times last season, which was the second most in the NFL.
The Texans added veteran tackle Cam Robinson this offseason and Ersery will compete with him to protect Stroud’s blind side as the Texans attempt to reach the playoffs for a third straight season under coach DeMeco Ryans.
The 6-foot-6, 331-pound Ersery, who was the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year last season, can’t wait to play with Stroud.
“C.J. Stroud is a baller,” Ersery said. “I’m so honored to be a guy to help out and come in and help protect him. I’m just super stoked and I know I’m going to a great organization.”
Cyclones teammates
Higgins and Noel join the Texans to add more depth at receiver to complement star Nico Collins with Tank Dell recovering from a serious knee injury and Stefon Diggs gone to the Patriots.
Higgins, who has been compared to Collins, had 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns last season for the Cyclones and Noel added 80 catches for 1,194 yards and eight scores.
After Higgins was drafted, Noel never imagined he’d be heading to Houston, too. He shared on social media a fortune he received from a Chinese restaurant that read: “Look forward to an unplanned reunion with an out-of-touch friend.”
Noel later shared his feelings about joining Higgins on the roster.
“I was surprised,” Noel said. “But they’ve seen that 1-2 punch all year. They’re going to be very happy with those selections for sure.”
Caserio said a talk with Iowa State coach Matt Campbell on Friday helped him make his final decisions on the receivers.
“He was effusive in his… belief and praise of both Higgins and Noel,” Caserio said.
The Texans now have three receivers from Iowa State on their roster after drafting Xavier Hutchinson in the sixth round in 2023.
Overcoming obstacles
Ersery and his four siblings were raised by a single mother and experienced homelessness when he was a child despite her working multiple jobs. He is thrilled to have put those struggles behind him as he embarks on his next chapter.
“I’ve got that hardworking mentality from her,” he said. “So, growing up times were tough but now I’ve got my foot in the door and I look forward to trying to change some things around.”
Caserio loves guys with work ethic like Ersery’s and said that’s one reason why they believe he’ll fit in with the Texans.
“If you come in and put your head down and work and just get better, take advantage of your opportunities, you’re going to have a shot to have success and do a lot of good things for the organization,” he said.
What’s in a name?
Along with Noel, the Texans added another Jaylin in this draft with they picked USC cornerback Jaylin Smith in the third round.
“We got Jaylins, and we got all these guys around. It’s going to be hard to keep them straight,” Caserio joked on Friday after they picked Smith.
Then on Saturday, the Texans added another player with the same name, albeit with a different spelling, when they took Penn State safety Jaylen Reed in the sixth round.
That gives them four players with the same name and three different spellings as the three rookies join starting safety Jalen Pitre on the team.
Doubling up
Along with drafting two players from Iowa State, the Texans also added a pair of players from Southern California when they picked running back Woody Marks in the fourth round after drafting Smith in the third.
Marks ran for a career-high 1,133 yards with nine touchdowns for the Trojans last season after transferring from Mississippi State.
Be sure to watch the video below as NFL.com Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein shares his thoughts on all the Texans' picks!