Are the Rockets title contenders?
Here's where the Rockets stand with the NBA returning
Jun 8, 2020, 10:39 am
Composite photo by Brandon Strange
Since the Rockets were given four months off because of COVID-19, this allowed the team to rest. This was basically a new team from last season. Players like Westbrook and Covington were still trying to get adjusted to the offense in Houston. Covington was averaging 12.8 PPG and Westbrook was averaging 27.5 PPG before the season came to a halt.
Another important factor is Eric Gordon and James Harden have lost a tremendous amount of weight. This will allow them to be more mobile on the court. Both players have put on a good amount of muscle in their careers in Houston. Harden has not been this slim since playing for the Thunder and his early days with the Rockets. When Harden was slimmer, he was much more athletic. Meaning his vertical was higher, and he was able to get down the court much faster.
The Rockets want to be much faster and in better shape for an eight-game regular season. Since it looks like Adam Sliver, NBA Commissioner, still wants to the finish the NBA season. This will allow teams below or at .500 to still make the playoffs.
Now the Rockets chances at the NBA Finals are still high because of Harden and Westbrook. These two started to click before COVID-19 shut the season down. The Rockets main two road blocks to the NBA Finals are the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers. Against both opponents they are a combined 3-3.
When it comes to playing the Lakers, the Rockets have shown their strengths and weakness. How the Rockets can beat the Lakers is beating them down the court with their quickness and perimeter shooting. The Lakers were not able to keep up with the Rockets small-ball rotation because of their big man. The Rockets were able to spread out Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee to the corners. This allowed Westbrook and Harden to attack the basket without seeing any rim protectors. When the Rockets can attack the basket, this allows shooters like Eric Gordon to get open. This can also affect the Lakers rebounding abilities as well.
Now, what could hurt the Rockets is when they are not making their shots. The Lakers could take advantage of the Rockets small-ball rotation by allowing Davis to post up P.J. Tucker more often. That team feeds off of a great defense because they are top five in that category.
The Clippers would be more of a problem than the Lakers because they match up better. Even though the Clippers do not have a small-ball rotation when it comes to their starting five, Doc Rivers can create one throughout the game. They have an amazing backcourt made of scoring and defense. The reason for that is because of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Clippers also have one of the best sixth men of all-time, Lou Williams. But we can not forget about Westbrook's favorite friend, Patrick Beverley. Beverley is a two-time member of the all-defensive team in the NBA. Finally, another player that can give the Rockets problems is Montrezl Harrell.
The Rockets number one issue with the Clippers is maintaining the lead. Changing scores with the Clippers is a bad situation. They are the best at slowing the game down and playing great defense. The Clippers are good at getting everybody involved on the court. That is when they are the most dangerous.
The way the Rockets can beat the Clippers is by becoming the better team. Meaning, Harden and Westbrook must be perfect. It is also important that the Rockets' supporting cast is helpful. When the whole team can score, the Rockets become more dangerous. The Clippers did dismantle the Rockets' small-ball rotation the last time they played against each other, and the last time the Rockets beat the Clippers, was when they still had Clint Capela. The Rockets are 2-2 against the Clippers.
The best way to beat the Clippers is with fast breaks and pace. Not many teams can keep up with the Rockets. If the Rockets play fast, it becomes extremely hard for teams like the Lakers and Clippers to keep up. That is how the Rockets can make it to the Finals.
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Through 20 games, the Houston Astros have managed just six wins and are in last place in the AL West.
Their pitching staff trails only Colorado with a 5.24 ERA and big-money new closer Josh Hader has given up the same number of earned runs in 10 games as he did in 61 last year.
Despite this, these veteran Astros, who have reached the AL Championship Series seven consecutive times, have no doubt they’ll turn things around.
“If there’s a team that can do it, it’s this team,” shortstop Jeremy Peña said.
First-year manager Joe Espada, who was hired in January to replace the retired Dusty Baker, discussed his team’s early struggles.
“It’s not ideal,” he said. “It’s not what we expected, to come out of the shoot playing this type of baseball. But you know what, this is where we’re at and we’ve got to pick it up and play better. That’s just the bottom line.”
Many of Houston’s problems have stemmed from a poor performance by a rotation that has been decimated by injuries. Ace Justin Verlander and fellow starter José Urquidy haven’t pitched this season because of injuries and lefty Framber Valdez made just two starts before landing on the injured list with a sore elbow.
Ronel Blanco, who threw a no-hitter in his season debut April 1, has pitched well and is 2-0 with a 0.86 ERA in three starts this season. Cristian Javier is also off to a good start, going 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA in four starts, but the team has won just two games not started by those two pitchers.
However, Espada wouldn’t blame the rotation for Houston’s current position.
“It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster how we've played overall,” he said. “One day we get good starting pitching, some days we don’t. The middle relief has been better and sometimes it hasn’t been. So, we’ve just got to put it all together and then play more as a team. And once we start doing that, we’ll be in good shape.”
The good news for the Astros is that Verlander will make his season debut Friday night when they open a series at Washington and Valdez should return soon after him.
“Framber and Justin have been a great part of our success in the last few years,” second baseman Jose Altuve said. “So, it’s always good to have those two guys back helping the team. We trust them and I think it’s going to be good.”
Hader signed a five-year, $95 million contract this offseason to give the Astros a shutdown 7-8-9 combination at the back end of their bullpen with Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly. But the five-time All-Star is off to a bumpy start.
He allowed four runs in the ninth inning of a 6-1 loss to the Braves on Monday night and has yielded eight earned runs this season after giving up the same number in 56 1/3 innings for San Diego last year.
He was much better Wednesday when he struck out the side in the ninth before the Astros fell to Atlanta in 10 innings for their third straight loss.
Houston’s offense, led by Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker, ranks third in the majors with a .268 batting average and is tied for third with 24 homers this season. But the Astros have struggled with runners in scoring position and often failed to get a big hit in close games.
While many of Houston’s hitters have thrived this season, one notable exception is first baseman José Abreu. The 37-year-old, who is in the second year of a three-year, $58.5 million contract, is hitting 0.78 with just one extra-base hit in 16 games, raising questions about why he remains in the lineup every day.
To make matters worse, his error on a routine ground ball in the eighth inning Wednesday helped the Braves tie the game before they won in extra innings.
Espada brushed off criticism of Abreu and said he knows the 2020 AL MVP can break out of his early slump.
“Because (of) history,” Espada said. “The back of his baseball card. He can do it.”
Though things haven’t gone well for the Astros so far, everyone insists there’s no panic in this team which won its second World Series in 2022.
Altuve added that he doesn’t have to say anything to his teammates during this tough time.
“I think they’ve played enough baseball to know how to control themselves and how to come back to the plan we have, which is winning games,” he said.
The clubhouse was quiet and somber Wednesday after the Astros suffered their third series sweep of the season and second at home. While not panicking about the slow start, this team, which has won at least 90 games in each of the last three seasons, is certainly not happy with its record.
“We need to do everything better,” third baseman Alex Bregman said. “I feel like we’re in a lot of games, but we just haven’t found a way to win them. And good teams find a way to win games. So we need to find a way to win games.”