J-Speaks: Historic Three-Point Shooting in Houston, Texas

Last season, the Golden State Warriors set the record for three-pointers made in a season with 1,077 with reigning back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry leading the charge with a single-season NBA record of 402 triples knocked down a season ago. Even with the change in the NBA to a high octane offensive attack with teams shooting triples at a high rate, it seemed hard to fathom that record would ever be matched. Well the 2016-17 Houston Rockets dared to challenge that record and they shattered it.

A three-point field goal by MVP candidate James Harden near the close of the first period in the Rockets 117-107 loss at the Trail Blazers (37-38) on TNT on Thursday night set a new single-season record for three-pointers made by an NBA team with 1,078 three pointers.

The Rockets (51-25) this season have made 1,095 three-pointers in 3,044 attempts.

To bring into fuller context about how good the Rockets have been from long distance this season, four players have hit between 60 and 240 triples this season. Harden has connected on a team leading 240 threes on the season, a new career-high and four more than he made a season ago.

Sixth Man of the Year candidate Eric Gordon, who has been healthy for much of this season has connected on 234 triples this season. The other new addition Ryan Anderson, who has been on the shelf the last couple of games because of an ankle sprain, has hit 187 three-pointers on the season, his most since hitting 213 from the great beyond in the 2012-13 season his first of four with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Starting small forward Trevor Ariza has connected on 185 threes on the season, matching his total all last season and is 10 shy of new career-high of triples made. He made 194 threes in his first season with the Rockets back in the 2014-15 season.

The other Sixth Man of the Year candidate Lou Williams, who the Rockets acquired at the trade deadline in February from the Los Angeles Lakers has made 35 three-pointers since joining the Rockets and has made a total of 157 on the season, a new career-high.

Rounding out the cast of 100-plus trifecta marksman is guard Patrick Beverly, who has made a total of 102 three-pointers this season. This on the heels of making 124 a season ago and 115 the year prior.

While the Rockets as a team rank just 15^th in the league in three-point percentage at 36.0 percent, they are No. 1 in “The Association” in attempts per game at 40.1 and makes at 14.1 per game.

On Dec. 16, 2016, the Rockets set a new NBA record for three-pointers made with 24 and attempts with 61 as they defeated the Pelicans 122-100. It was one of 10 games this season, the Rockets made 20 or more three-pointers a new NBA record. The 10^th occurred on Sunday in the Rockets 137-125 win versus the Oklahoma City Thunder (43-32) on ABC, where they went 20 for 39 from distance.

Williams had 31 points off the bench, going 7 for 8 from long range. Ariza had 24 points, going 6 for 8 from three-point land, with six boards and six assists. Gordon had 24 points on 4 for 9 from three-point range. Harden had 22 points and 12 assists and hit two three-pointers in eight tries.

Gordon was 7 for 12 from distance, scoring 29 points on the night, while Harden had a triple-double also scoring 29 points to go with 11 rebounds and 13 assists, hitting 6 for 12 from three-point range. Ariza was 5 for 14 from three-point range, scoring 20 points.

That record was equaled on Feb. 13 when the Denver Nuggets (35-40) made 24 for 41 from long range in their 132-110 win versus the defending Western Conference champions, Golden State Warriors (62-14).

It was then broken three months later when the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers made 25 threes on 46 attempts in their 135-130 victory at the Atlanta Hawks (39-37) on Mar. 3.

Two big reasons why the Rockets set this new record in NBA history is their new head coach Mike D’Antoni has adopted this philosophy his entire NBA coaching career, which began with the Denver Nuggets in the 1998-99 strike shortened season.

D’Antoni’s perfected that style for five seasons as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns from 2004-08 led by future Hall of Fame lead guard Steve Nash, who won back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006.

When D’Antoni came to Houston his first move was making Harden the starting lead guard and it has worked.

He is second in the NBA in scoring at 29.2 points per game, which a career-best. Harden is No. 1 in the league in assists per game at 11.2, while also averaging a career-high of 8.1 rebounds and garnering 20 triple-doubles, ranking second in the league, and registering a league leading 60 double-doubles on the season.

In the Rockets 117-107 win versus the Pelicans on Mar. 24, Harden had 38 points, 17 assists, seven boards and two steals on 12 for 24 shooting, including 5 for 12 from three-point range and 9 for 11 from the foul line. He joined Hall of Famers Nate “Tiny” Archibald and Oscar Robertson as the only three players in NBA history to score 2,000 points and dish out 800 assists in a single-season,

The Rockets as a team are second in the NBA in assists per game at 25.2 and in points per game at 115.3.

The question is for the Rockets, will this high-octane marksmanship from three-point range work in the playoffs?

When D’Antoni was coaching in Phoenix, the Suns made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2005 and 2006, but lost to the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks in five and six games respectably.

Both the Spurs and Mavericks found a way to put the clamps on Nash and the Suns offense and that is the same kind of attention that Harden will face come playoff time and it will be up to him and the Rockets to find a way to be just as explosive as they have been in the regular season.

The good thing is that Harden has made it to The Finals before, but that was back in the 2011-12 season when he was alongside current Warriors’ forward Kevin Durant and Thunder lead guard Russell Westbrook. This go around, Harden will be trying to lead the Rockets to The Finals, where they have not been since 1995, when led by Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and current Rockets color analyst Clyde Drexler led them to their second straight title with a 4-0 sweep of the Orlando Magic.

Information and statistics are courtesy of 3/25/17 2 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by State Farm with Casey Stern, Rex Chapman, and Vinny Del Negro; 3/26/17 3:30 p.m. contest Oklahoma City Thunder versus Houston Rockets on ABC with Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Lisa Salters; 3/30/17 10:30 p.m. contest Houston Rockets versus Portland Trail Blazers on TNT with Kevin Harlan, Mike Fratello and David Aldridge; www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/hou/houston-rockets; www.espn.com/nba/coaches/_/id/4771/mike-dantoni; www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/2017.html; www.espn.com/nba/statistics; www.espn.com/nba/standings; www.espn.com/nba/recap/matchup?gameid=400900232; www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/id/400900308 and http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Phoenix_Suns_seasons.