NBA PLAYOFFS
Fred Faour: 5 observations from the Rockets Game 1 loss to the Warriors
May 14, 2018, 10:31 pm
Steph Curry was not great, but it did not matter. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
The Rockets lost Game 1 to Golden State in the Western Conference Finals 119-106. Here are five observations on the loss:
So much for home court: The Rockets worked all season to get homecourt advantage, and they gave it away in one night. In reality, this was a game they had to have, and they lost it in a third quarter where they were outscored 31-24. Golden State also was better in the fourth quarter and that was the difference.
No answer for Durant: The biggest concern going in was that the Rockets could match up with the Warriors' Big Three, but did not seem to have a matchup for Kevin Durant, the big fourth. That proved to be true, as Durant dominated with 37 points. James Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela held their own with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, but Durant was the difference.
Awful a Moute: Luc Mbah A Moute was a serious liability for the Rockets. He took too many shots -- hitting none of them -- and looked like a rec league player. He scored as many points as a dead person. That will not beat the Warriors.
Useless Ariza: Trevor Ariza was almost a zero, getting five fouls and taking bad shots. He scored a whopping 8 points. The Rockets needed more.
No help for Harden: The Beard scored 41 and played well, but got little help. Chris Paul scored 21 but on just 7 of 16 shooting. Eric Gordon had 15 and Clint Capela 12, but there simply was not enough offense throughout the roster.
The bottom line: The Rockets looked overmatched in a game they had to have. This series could get out of hand fast. A similar effort in Game 2 and the Rockets could easily go full Raptor.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.