ROCKETS DID NOT LOSE GAME 7 BECAUSE OF BAD CALLS
Rockets need to worry less about the past and more about making shots
Apr 30, 2019, 12:16 pm
ROCKETS DID NOT LOSE GAME 7 BECAUSE OF BAD CALLS
The audacity and arrogance of an organization to go back and try to justify that they were the better team in the series and the best team in the NBA after being eliminated, is just an awful look and it's embarrassing. There were 7 games in the series and every one of those games played a part in the end result. If you were going to take the time to break down the deciding game in detail then you should have done the same thing, using the same process for the other 6 games that helped decide the outcome.
Did you look at Game 3 which the Rockets won by 3 points and Game 4 which Houston prevailed in by 4 and break down every call and possession to determine if you really deserved to win those games?
Were there missed calls that helped your team? How many whistles went against Golden State unjustly? When you created your formula for points and values for the calls, did you factor those numbers and results into the games you won instead of the final game you lost? Speaking of these formulas and numbers, who validated them and deemed them as an accurate measure for calculating the outcome of games played in the NBA?
Ok, forget about all those "minor" details, let's get to the biggest point that the report the Rockets compiled may have forgotten about, the 27 straight missed 3-point shots that sealed their fate in that final game. Regardless of the situation, the calls, the officials, you have to make shots to win basketball games.
In the case of the Rockets, when your entire offense is predicated on making 3-point shots and getting out on the fast break in transition, missing 27 straight attempts behind the arc and shooting less than 16% for the game is not going to get it done. Period. Bottom line. Those are the most important numbers that need to be remembered and discussed, along with the 4 games the Warriors won to the 3 that Houston came out victorious in.
At the end of the day, you will be remembered most by how you handled your toughest defeats and the dark days you had to endure before you finally reach the mountain top. You win with class and you lose the same way. Stop looking in the rear-view mirror trying to change history that has already been made and spend all that energy looking in the windshield, moving forward, focused on the goals ahead.
C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson found themselves in the same spot when they met in Week 2 last season.
Both quarterbacks were top-five draft picks, lost their season openers and seemed to be facing a steep learning curve.
Richardson won Round 1 in Houston, although he didn't finish the game.
Stroud took Round 2 in Indianapolis with the injured Richardson watching from the sideline as Texans clinched the AFC South title and Stroud locked up his runaway selection as NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
On Sunday, each QB begins his second pro season — with a lot still to prove.
“I’m excited. First official game back with my guys and my teammates,” said Richardson, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last October. "I want to win. So, whatever I’ve got to do to do that, I’m going to do it.”
Winning a season opener certainly would be a welcome change for a franchise that last started 1-0 in 2013. The 10-game winless streak is easily the NFL's longest active streak.
But that's just a start for Richardson.
He needs to improve his accuracy after completing a pedestrian 59.5% of his throws in 2023 and must demonstrate he can finish games. He missed 13 last season and only finished one of his four starts because of an assortment of injuries, including the concussion that knocked him out of that Week 2 matchup at Houston after he ran for two scores.
Stroud, meanwhile, is coming off one of the most successful rookie seasons in NFL history.
He became just the third player in a half-century to lead the league in yards passing per game (273.9) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6 to 1), won a playoff game and made hist first Pro Bowl appearance.
How can he improve on a season like that? By showing last season was a building block — not a fluke. He has a stronger supporting cast, too, with Joe Mixon, a four-time 1,000-yard rusher, and Stefon Diggs, who has four straight 100-catch seasons, now in the mix.
The long journey begins Sunday in Indianapolis.
“I want to just start fast,” Stroud said. “It doesn't have to do with a certain game, just in general this season. Last year, we started off really slow and just kind of had to build our way back. It's not an easy thing to do, so I would say this year we want to start fast.”
Houston receiver Nico Collins had two of his biggest games last season against Indy — catching seven passes for 146 yards and one TD in the Week 2 matchup only to outperform those numbers with a 195-yard day that included a 75-yard TD catch in Week 18.
He could play an even bigger role this time with Indy's young secondary trying to match up not only with Collins but also Diggs, Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz.
“Nico is a playmaker,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Every time I see him, he’s a true playmaker. So, you just have to get Nico the ball in any way, shape or fashion. Just find a way to get him the ball just to see how explosive and how dynamic he is.”
Injuries and a contract dispute prevented Jonathan Taylor from replicating the form he used to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Starting against the Texans could be just what he needs.
In six games against Houston, Taylor has rushed for seven TDs and 135.2 yards per game — his highest average against any team he's faced multiple times. And in that rematch with Houston in Week 18, he finished with 30 carries for 188 yards, the NFL's highest single-game total all season.
Houston defensive end Will Anderson, last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, will play Sunday after recovering from an ankle injury that limited his training camp snaps.
The No. 3 overall pick in 2023 had 45 tackles, 10 for loss, and 7 1/2 sacks as a rookie. He expects to be even better this season.
“I’m way more comfortable,” he said. “Just going into Year 2 knowing the scheme better, knowing what to expect a little bit more and knowing what’s going to happen gives you more confidence.”
The Colts lost their 2023 sacks leader, Samson Ebukam, with a torn Achilles tendon during training. But they may have the perfect replacement.
Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player taken in April's draft, at No. 15 overall, and he's shown coaches that the moves he used to record 23 1/2 sacks over his last two college seasons can work in the NFL.
“We know that there’s going to be a learning curve there," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "We know there are going to be plays that we’re going to come in and say there were some good plays, and there were plays he wishes he had back — we understand that. But just his overall mentality and skill set, we’re very excited to see.”