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It was expected that the Houston Rockets would lose and that they did - but what really sets this drubbing apart from the other blowouts we've seen in these Playoffs is the sheer margin by which the loss came about - something reflected in the scoreboard.
This was the Rockets' biggest margin of loss for a defeat in the playoffs - as it was the largest margin of victory for the Golden State Warriors at the same stage. This is the only time a 65+-win team from the regular season has ever been beaten by 40 points or more in the postseason. The margin could have been a wee bit better for the Rockets if their starters had stayed in, or if their garbage-time lineup hadn't literally been garbage and given up 19 points in 5 minutes while scoring just 7.
In the aftermath of this record-breaking game, the Rockets have an uphill task at hand - finding a way to reverse Game 3 on its head and beating the Warriors at the Oracle Arena. That is easier said than done since the Dubs are unbeaten in 16 playoff games at home - yes, that is another record the Warriors broke today with this win.
What went wrong for the Rockets? A look at each player's individual performance will probably give us the keys to the answer:
Chris Paul - 4.5/10
Stat line: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 5-of-16 (31.25% fg), 2-of-8 (25% on threes)
The Point God wasn't nearly as God-like as the Rockets needed today. He had an uncharacteristically low 4 assists for the game, and couldn't buy a bucket from most parts of the field. He was accurate on less than one out of three shots, and his driving game was the part of his game that took the biggest hit.
The only thing that he gets credit for today's performance is his on-ball defense, as he affected a block and 2 steals. The Rockets, however, were not functioning well in the half-court set as an offense, and as the point guard for the team, Paul has to shoulder the blame fully.
He was hounded by Klay Thompson whenever he got on the ball, and he has shown us in the past that at his best, reaching in on Paul's handle will lead to him teaching the defender a thing or two. The H-town faithful will be hoping that Paul is able to deliver 3 games better than this outing since they have no chance of beating the Warriors if CP3 falters like this, calf injury notwithstanding.
James Harden - 6/10
Stat line: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 7-of-16 (43.75% fg), 2-of-6 (33.3% on threes)
The Beard did not play too badly, but for Houston to have even a chance in this series, he has to be his MVP-winning self from the regular season in every single game. Other than turning the ball over 4 times, Harden resorted to a bad habit on display from game 1 - taking too long to get going on isolation possessions by over-dribbling.
He uncharacteristically missed a couple of layups while shooting from open positions, and too often, he was forcing the issue with his shots. On the other side of the ball, Harden got taken to the task by the likes of Curry and Durant - in 16 possessions that he was the primary defender on either of them, the duo shot 7-of-10 from the field.
This wasn't an egregiously bad game from the prohibitive MVP favorite. But it was nothing to write home about. He cannot have outings like this and realistically expect to lead Houston to a series win over the Dubs, who have control of this series now.
Trevor Ariza - 5/10
Stat line: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2-of-6 shooting (33.3% fg), 0-of-2 on threes
Ariza had a great Game 2 when he was attacking the paint relentlessly after pump fakes from the 3-point line. He started this game out in a similar fashion, but for the rest of the game, the Rockets' offensive schemes seemed to just skate him by. Despite being on the field for 36 minutes - the highest among their starters, the 3-and-D specialist took just 2 3-point field goal attempts and 6 overall.
He was markedly better on the defensive end - he projects as their team's best on-ball defender alongside Luc M'bah a Moute on paper. The Warriors, however, were able to get their players to attack defenders other than him, and that approach bode well considering Ariza's stifling brand of defense.
The small forward must improve on the offensive side of things, demand the ball more and get into open positions as he did in Game 2 in order to have the best impact he's capable of.
PJ Tucker - 5/10
Stat line: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2-of-5 shooting (40% fg), 2-of-3 (66.7% 3-pt)
Tucker was immense in the win that the Rockets secured in Game 2 by going off for a playoff career-high 22 points. Like Ariza, however, he was found to be too passive in their offense this time around. As a role player, Tucker knows that he has to do extra work in order to do any damage on the offensive end. But unlike Game 2, when he was a safe bet to win every 50-50 ball or run out in transition, Tucker wasn't fully locked-in.
While he shot 2-of-3 from downtown, a great corner 3-point shooter like him should be looking to manufacture more looks every game. Tucker was also below-par defensively tonight, while he turned the ball over twice as well.
Tucker needs to dial in and make things tough for the Warriors with his much-vaunted hustle plays more often.
Clint Capela - 6/10
Stat line: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 6-of-9 (66.7% field goal conversion)
Capela feasted on both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz by capitalizing on Harden and Paul's pick-and-roll sets, dunking in lob after delicious lob. The way the Warriors have defended, this supply line of points for the Rockets has clearly dried up and Capela has had to find other ways to notch up significant point tallies.
In this particular game, Capela was the Rockets' best starter. He continued to defend the paint and switches on the perimeter with the sprightliness of a 6'3" point guard, while he got his points on the board by crashing the glass on the offensive end (he had a credible 4 offensive rebounds, a couple of which ended as put-back layups/dunks).
We have to downgrade Capela for a below-average effort on the defensive glass, however, as the Warriors racked up 9 offensive rebounds with him on the court. The fact that the 6'7" opposition starter at the center position has more than twice the number of rebounds that he does must rankle the Swissman and D'Antoni.
Eric Gordon - 5/10
Stat line: 11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4-of-13 (31% fg), 2-of-8 (25% on 3-pointers)
Eric Gordon has been underwhelming as a weapon for the Rockets off the bench for most of the playoffs, and his performance today, unlike the one he had in Game 2, is in line with those disappointments.
While he was one of the few Rockets to be willing to rough it up and take physical contact, his inability to be efficient - particularly on his drives - was definitely a minus on the night, all things considered. He took 13 shot attempts to get to 11 points, and he was off-target from downtown, scoring only 2-of-8 on his threes.
He was, in fact, better on the defensive end, willing to take up the defensive assignments of both Curry and Durant and doing objectively well against them. The Rockets need much more from him on offense, however, if they are to win this series.
The -33 on his +/- stats is indicative of that.
The rest of the bench
Gerald Green - 5/10
The H-town native was clearly not at his best during the game. Kevin Durant was able to score on him after taking the switch from mid-range, while he could have done a better job of crashing the offensive boards.
He was also quite inefficient, chucking 10 shots on his way to a 9-point total. Shaun Livingston was able to block the ultra-athletic forward on one of his increasingly-rare dunk attempts.
Luc M'bah a Moute - 5/10
The Cameroonian continued his putrid display in the postseason with another below-par showing. While he was once again adequate defensively, he took just 2 shots in 15 minutes of game time, connecting on only one 3-pointer.
Joe Johnson - Unrated
The veteran guard came off the bench for the second successive game in garbage time - the only difference this time around was that Houston was getting their backsides handed to them instead of it being the other way round. He helped himself to 4 points on 3 shots.
Ryan Anderson - Unrated
The stretch forward on a $19-million dollar contract is looking more and more like untenable baggage on the Rockets' roster. He only saw minutes during garbage time, and he did not have a single bucket to show for it.
Tarik Black - Unrated
The frontcourt player was inconsequential in the 5 minutes of garbage time that he played.
Guess the Lakers players!
