It’s not easy trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder 2-0, but James Harden and the Houston Rockets haven’t given up hope.
Houston fell to Oklahoma City in tightly contested 105-102 battle. The Rockets were down by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter, but came storming back to take the lead. But both Kevin Durant and Thabo Sefolosha hit monstrous threes that ultimately put the game out of reach.
The Rockets aren’t hanging their heads, though. They were throttled in Game 1, but nearly pulled out a victory in Game 2. Had just a couple more shots gone down, this series could have been notched up at one game apiece. And that wasn’t lost on James Harden.
“We were down 15, and we could have just given up but we fought back and took the lead,” Harden said (via Eric Prisbell of USA Today). “We definitely have confidence going into Game 3.”
Which they should. Plagued by poor shooting performances from Chandler Parsons (7-of-23), Carlos Delfino (4-of-13) and Harden himself (9-of-24), the Rockets finished just three-points shy of beating the best team in the Western Conference. Why shouldn’t they have confidence.
Admittedly, Harden was able to remain effective. He attacked the rim relentlessly, going 17-of-18 from the charity stripe and finishing with 36 points. Patrick Beverley provided a serious spark on both ends of the floor as well. There was a lot to like in this game.
But there was also plenty not to like, which in turn, is something to like. Again, the Rockets didn’t play their best basketball. They shot under 40 percent from the field as a team and their defense (as per usual) was beyond spotty. Yet, they still almost won. They fought in one of the toughest buildings to win in, and nearly succeeded. That’s something to appreciate.
Is it cause to believe that the Rockets can make an improbable comeback and win the series?
Eh.
Initially, I had this going five games in favor of the Thunder. Even after this performance, I stand by that prediction. The Thunder should move on in five games. If Houston can find a way to hit more of the open looks the Thunder are allowing it to have, though, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it go to six. Which would be insane.
Extracting one victory from the Thunder is difficult enough, but if the Rockets can steal two, that’s a statement, for Harden and the entire team. This team is still so young, the youngest in the NBA, and making this a competitive series would be a victory in itself. There are no moral victories at the NBA level of course, but secretly, there are.
Harden’s sense of confidence isn’t some misplaced feeling. He and the Rockets should have it. They should also be fully aware that more thrashings like the one suffered in Game 1 are still possible, but they should remain confident all the same. They need to take it one game at a time, and do what few thought they could—not go away.
The Rockets probably won’t advance past the Thunder. It would be astonishing if they did. But that doesn’t mean that Harden and the Rockets have to lose either. Fighting like they did in Game 2 will get them a victory. Maybe even two.
For a team so young and still in the process of rebuilding, procuring those one or even two wins is just as emblematic as any upset would be.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
