The Houston Rockets Are Winning at the Right Time

Uh, all right, let's talk about the Houston Rockets who have been on quite the ride this season.

Uh, started the year strong, 6-6 going into early December.

They lost a bunch of games between mid-December and mid-January.

Then they lose Steven Adams for the season, they lose some.

games, they look awful.

Coming out of the All-Star break, you see everybody, uh, calling for Ime Udoka's job after that.

But the last 8 games, they have looked outstanding.

8 straight wins and I want to give you some of the numbers over these last 8 games.

They are number 2.

In the NBA during that stretch in offensive rating.

They're 6 in defensive rating.

They're #2 in net rating.

Jabari Smith has been playing good.

Reed Shepherd has been playing good.

Alpern Sanguon, a little hot and cold, but overall putting up some numbers.

And of course, Kevin Durant is all NBA, no doubt about it.

Uh, now, the caveat to all this is that the schedule over these last 8 games has not been great.

But Durant is still an elite, all-time great playoff performer.

Shengoon is still an All-Star.

They can still get after you defensively.

How are you feeling about the Houston Rockets going into the playoffs?

I'm not, I'm not gonna lie, I'm not a big fan of him.

I'm, I'm just not.

Like I understand like the, the, the 8 game win streak.

I understand Kevin Durant can always, you know, get it heavy, uh, you know, get it figured out .

I just One thing that made me nervous is I'm trying to figure out their playoff rotation probably like a couple of weeks ago, like when they started playing Jashante.

I'm not against any of it.

I'm just like, That, that moment made me nervous for a team that tries to hang their hat on structure, discipline, or whatever Eme preaches, and you're going two weeks in and you're, you're scrambling for a guy that hasn't played in 3 or 4 years.

You know what I'm saying?

I think, uh, I have to give him credit for, you know, going into the playoffs and feeling good, you know, basket and teams run, you know, and feeling great.

Anytime you got Katie, you know, on the other side, it's going to be a tough night.

I, I just think, man, that, that team lost heavy minutes, you know, top heavy wise, and I think they turned the ball over and have a lot of careless errors, too much for the playoffs.

And last but not least, I'm, I'm no, I'm no like mental coach or whatever, but I, I think sometimes there's just so much static and drama on that sideline and on the court.

I feel like that locker room gets a little too hectic and too wild and when things get tight, I feel like, much like in Minnesota.

They're up 11 in overtime and they, they give the game up.

Like, you know what I'm saying?

I feel, I feel as though It's cool, it's cute, but it's, it's too crazy for the wild, wild west.

Yeah, the Rockets averaging 14.5 turnovers per game.

That is the second most of any would-be playoff team, the most of any team that's in the top six in either conference right now.

So that's definitely a problem.

Um, and then the most of any was somebody that got an abusive coach, you know, Eme don't play that shit.

Like, do you, do you , do you understand what I'm saying?

Like, do you know, it's not like it's a.

Dantoni vibe.

It's like, no, that's some what are y'all doing?

Like 3 or 4 minutes, like each game, they kind of struggle in that sense and I don't understand if it's a carryover of they don't care if they're tired, they log too many minutes, but for how a guy preaches and how they expect it, that should never happen.

Especially after they lost in the first round last year as well.

Like I, I don't know if I believe this yet, you feel me?

I, I, I can understand the skepticism too.

On eBay.

I, I, I will never be someone that calls for his job because I, I have, I've seen this story before.

Um, in 2022, I was basically doing pre and postgame in Boston for NBC like every game.

And when they started off awful, I was killing them, man.

Like I was killing them.

I'm like, he didn't hire a former coach or a high-level assistant at that time.

He's in over his head, yada yada yada.

And then second half of the season, that team took off.

His tough love style, it worked.

Is he the most imaginative coach out there?

Probably not when it comes to play calling.

Uh, but this guy can coach.

This guy can coach his ass off.

I, I really believe that.

And I've seen it firsthand how he has taken a team that's looked like it was lost and turned it into a contender.

Now, that Boston team, um, had more scoring depth, I think, than this, uh, Houston team.

No, Durant's great, but they had more of that.

You point your head there like a maybe a higher basketball IQ overall.

And just mentor, I mean, I'm not trying to diss my man because Katie a team led by Jason or even Jalen.

Has different foundation in a team led by Kevin Durant and his history shows that.

So I, I give Emey all that, but at the same time, you had two, like Jalen believes he's a warrior in a different lifetime, bro.

Like he's gonna make, I'm just saying, but like he's gonna make you talk about him.

But he stole a finals MVP.

Like, he's gonna take his shit.

Like, do you understand what I'm saying?

Like, Those are two animals, bro, like, it's, it's a dude with a fake, like a, a fake account, dog, like.

Can you work, Chris, am I wrong?

Can you work with that?

Uh, I, I, I can't speak to locker room dynamics.

You are my fault, bro.

My fault.

I'm, I'm, I'm sorry for saying that.

I just thought I needed to say, no, no, you're, you're equipped to do it.

You played 10 years in the league.

You know what that's all about, like the, what, what goes on, um, there.

I think that's certainly, certainly fair.

And if, if they were struggling right now, I think that's a, a much more significant conversation.

But the fact they've won 8 straight suggests something, and I'm just wondering if it suggests that they're high level.

My, my biggest problem with the Rockets is I think they got the coaching.

I think they got the defense.

I don't know if I can trust that offense.

I don't know if Reed Shepherd and Alren Chingo and Jabari Smith are gonna be able to make shots because, you know, in a seven-game series, these coaches in the Western Conference, beginning with probably the Lakers , so they, they'll probably beat given what the Lakers are right now, but you get to a 2nd-round series against, say, Oklahoma City.

OK, look at all the defensive guys they've got .

You get to a 2nd-round series against Oklahoma City.

Um, you, to beat them.

You've gotta have 2 or 3 other guys consistently making shots.

And right now, those guys are making shots.

You know, whether it's Jabari, Reed, Shengoon, they're making shots.

Are they going to do it reliably in the postseason or is Kevin Durant going to be shooting over triple teams during postseason games?

That's something he's done, but that's not something that's gonna get you anywhere in the 2nd round against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

That is for sure in my mind.

No, for sure.

To give credit down the stretch these past couple of weeks, I mean, Jabari Smith has stepped up and hit some tough shots.

He's hit some big shots in certain moments.

I, I will give Reed Shepherd credit for how he's been able to, you know, float around and step up, and he's had big moments in big games too.

It just has to be seen, man, the playoffs are serious.

You know, matchups are serious and sometimes, man, when a guy got a week to focus to turn your water off, he, he, he sometimes does it and, and, and when you bring up OKC I don't even want to talk about the boogeyman, but like even Mitch Johnson said like, bro, they don't lose, so we just gotta see what we can control control what we can control.

So I'm gonna wait and see if my dogs can hit some shots, you know.

Yeah, and it, and also the lack of playmaking probably hurts them in the playoffs too, because you need a lead playmaker in postseason games a lot more than you needed in regular season games.

Like you can get away kind of with Ahman Thompson running point and Reed Shepherd running point, but this is where they miss a Fred VanVleet.

Like you get to the postseason and having a reliable, steady guy back there on the backline.

That's important.

So I, I, I like what, I like their chances of beating the Lakers in the first round.

I will say that.

I, I think the Lakers are kind of picture perfect for anybody.

That's why everybody's kind of clamoring to play the Lakers right now, um, but anybody else.

I'm still suspect until I see those guys make shots.

That to me is the biggest area of concern.

Um.