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Joel Blank: Rockets will live or die based on whether or not "Elimination James" shows up
May 28, 2018, 7:37 am
James Harden needs to bring his "A" game. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
It's time for the second coming of Big Game James as the Rockets try to avoid elimination.
One game, winner-take-all for the Western Conference and loser goes home. For all the obsessing, talking, hard work that got you home court advantage and the upper hand that came with it, no one mentioned the devastating hand the Rockets would be dealt. Now it could be the final hand if James Harden and the rest of the team don't find a way to win Game 7.
We've heard the term "elimination James" and are far too familiar with the narrative and the history that backs that moniker up. James Harden had nine turnovers in Game 6 and gave his critics plenty of ammunition to continue the criticism and add to that negativity. This is a guy who disappeared a year ago in an elimination game against a short-handed Spurs team playing without Kawhi Leonard. The same guy that set an NBA record for turnovers by an individual player in a playoff game the last time the Rockets were in the WCF. Even this year, his biggest games came in Game 1's of the first two series and without Chris Paul's late series and late game heroics, this Rockets team may already be fishing. Now there is no CP3 to save the day and guide the troops to victory which makes the spotlight on the Beard brighter and the expectations of Red Nation even higher.
Even if Paul can somehow pull a Clyde Drexler a la Game 5 in Phoenix in 1995, he will probably be as ineffective as the Glyde was and only there as motivation for the rest of his squad. Sure, the role players have to step up and do their part as they have done in every playoff victory, but with Coach D'Antoni basically going with a 7 man rotation, they can only do so much. At the end of the day, this is why James Harden is paid the big bucks and for all the glory and accolades, there are times like this when your shoulders have to be wide enough to carry the team and the entire city of Houston to victory. James Harden is the MVP.
The Beard has put together a four-year run that has included three years where he could have won that award and two that he should have. He is a great player and has a huge window of future success ahead of him, but there is also a rear view mirror full of playoff failures. Stars are born and reputations built in the regular season, which coincidentally is also when the MVP is voted on.
The playoffs are a different animal, where legends are constructed and history is written. Robert Horry was never an all-star but is the subject of legitimate Hall of Fame discussions because of his postseason success and his ability to transform into "Big Shot Bob" when his team needed him the most. So, for all of the broken dreams and busted bubbles of the past, all can be right if he can just lead his team to victory in the biggest game of their season and with it, punch their ticket to the big dance and a date with a guy who has shown the world how it's done and how big games are won.
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NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
C.J. Stroud faced criticism in Houston's last few games as the Texans hit a rough patch after losing just two of their first eight games.
But the second-year quarterback remained confident and his strong performance last Sunday helped the Texans (8-5) to a 23-20 win over the Jaguars to enter their bye with a two-game lead atop the AFC South.
“When he is leading and playing the way he is playing, our entire team feeds off of him,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I am excited for his second year. I think he is showing a ton of growth, he is in a really great spot for us physically, mentally. I really love where he is and I am excited to see how he comes back after the break.”
Stroud threw for 242 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville to leave him ranked fourth in the NFL with 3,117 yards passing this season. That game came after he threw two interceptions in a 32-27 loss to Tennessee a week before for the team’s third loss in four games.
Those two interceptions brought his season total to nine, which are four more than he threw in 15 games a rookie. But the Texans aren’t worried about that statistic and believe he has grown in his second year.
“He’s made a lot of progress,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “There are some plays, like all of our players, that we probably wish he could have back, but happy he’s our quarterback, happy with what he brings to the table. ... Wouldn’t want anyone else leading this team.”
The Texans are in position to win their division for a second straight season despite dealing with several significant injuries on offense. Running back Joe Mixon missed three games early with an ankle injury and leading receiver Nico Collins was sidelined for five games with a hamstring injury.
They also lost four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for the season when tore an ACL in Week 8.
Mixon leads the team with 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and has added four touchdown receptions. His work in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati has helped the team deal with those significant injuries to the receiving corps.
Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing in seven games.
Stroud has continually raved about Mixon’s contributions on and off the field.
“He’s a servant, a helper,” Stroud said. “That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is.”
While Mixon has been the team’s most important new acquisition on offense, Danielle Hunter has been Houston’s new defensive star. The defensive end spent his first eight seasons in Minnesota before joining the Texans this year.
He has helped Houston lead the NFL with 84 tackles for loss after piling up 15 this season, which is tied for third most in the league. He also leads the Texans with 10½ sacks to help them rank second with 42.
Hunter been a great addition to a team that already had defensive end Will Anderson Jr., last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson ranks second to Hunter on the team with 13 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.
Ryans said this week’s break is much needed for a team that opened the preseason on Aug. 1 in the Hall of Fame game.
“It’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time.”
The Texans need to recharge this week with a brutal stretch of three games in 10 days when they return from their bye. Houston hosts Miami on Dec. 15 before a trip to Kansas City on Dec. 21 and a visit from the Ravens on Christmas Day.
“It’s Christmas and all that, but we can’t worry about that. All we can do is focus on Miami,” Caserio said. “And then when we get through the Miami game, then we kind of turn the page to the next. ... We’re either going to earn it or we’re not. Not to oversimplify it, but that’s the truth.”
The Texans will play those game without starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after he received a three-game suspension for his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.
Al-Shaair will be eligible to return for Houston’s regular-season finale against Tennessee.