J-Speaks: Rockets Garner Win No. 60

Coming into this season, the Houston Rockets have been about one thing. Put themselves in position to have home court advantage when they play the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. That has been their mantra all season long and each victory has been another step toward that goal. They took a major step to end last week and to start this week. 

With their 118-99 win versus the Atlanta Hawks (21-53) on Sunday night, the Rockets earned their 60^th win of the season, their first in franchise history, and extending the single-season franchise record. 

“I don’t know if the players understand it’s hard,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said after the game about the Rockets earning their 60^th win of the season. “It’s a pretty special season to get 60, and to do it in this fashion the way they did. As quick as they did it. It’s pretty good obviously, and there’s some good things going on.”

The Rockets, who won their 16^th straight game at the Toyota Center on Sunday night became the 18^th team in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to win their 60^th game of the season in their 74^th opportunity. Of the 17 prior teams that have accomplished this, 11 of them went on to capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy, which is a goal of the top seed in the Western Conference hope to accomplish this late spring. 

The eventual league MVP James Harden had 18 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in leading the Rockets (60-14), the No. 1 Seed in the Western Conference to their ninth straight win. 

“It’s pretty cool to get 60 wins…. It’s just a good feeling,” Harden, who authored his fourth triple-double of the season and the 35^th of his career said after the win. “That means you’re doing something right, the chemistry is there, you’re sharing the ball, being unselfish and playing for each other.” 

This game was a testament to those kind words by Harden about his team. The Rockets shot 48.9 percent from the field on the night, connecting on 20 of their 52 shots from three-point range. They had 28 assists, compared to 12 turnovers. 

Defensively, they held the Hawks to 44.3 percent shooting, and to just 11 for 40 from three-point range. The scored 20 points off 13 Hawks turnovers and registered four block shots. That countered their 10-point deficit in the paint in the game, 54-44. 

On a night that Rockets missed All-Star lead guard Chris Paul for a third straight game with a sore left hamstring and sharp shooter Ryan Anderson was shelved to rest, Houston, TX native Gerald Green was a spark off the bench with a team-high 25 points, and seven rebounds on 10 for 15 shooting, including 5 for 10 from distance.

Starting in place of Paul, Eric Gordon had 22 points, hitting four threes in nine tries. Starting center, and Most Improved Player candidate Clint Capela and Trevor Ariza had 14 points each. P.J. Tucker, who started in Anderson’s place had 12 points, hitting four of his nine triples. 

“We just wanted to protect home court,” the 32-year-old Green, who the team signed in December 2017 said to AT&T Sportsnet Southwest’s Bart Ennis after the win about the Rockets mentality on Sunday night. “Even though what their [Hawks] record is we still got to go out there and play our best ball because we have a bigger goal to achieve.” 

“Ever since I got here, we’ve only been getting better, and that just goes to show the focus and determination, and this team we’re just dangerous man, we really are.” 

How focused have the Rockets been, not just of late, but throughout this entire season, this was the second straight game they never trailed after dominating the New Orleans Pelicans (43-31) 114-91 on Saturday night, to earn a then new franchise record 59^th win of the season. 

That was on the heels of escaping a game Detroit Pistons (33-40) squad 100-96 in overtime a little over 48 hours prior. 

If there is one thing that the Rockets have shown this season is their ability to answer the bell no matter who is on the court. That if anything is a clear example of the kind of influence Paul has had on this team in his first season with the team, that acquired him over the summer from the Los Angeles Clippers. 

When the Rockets set a new franchise mark for wins in a single-season, Gordon said after the game, Gordon, who had 19 points on the night said after the game, “It’s just another win. We have high expectations for one another.”

It has been 23 years since the Larry O’Brien Trophy has been in “Clutch City.” For the Houston Rockets, this season has been about putting themselves in position to end that drought.

While authoring a 14-game winning streak from Nov. 16-Dec.18, 2017; a 17-game winning streak from Jan. 28-Mar. 7; and their current nine-game winning streak are nice, and would mark a great season for any other team, for the 2017-18 Houston Rockets, it is all about being in position to take down as mentioned earlier the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors this postseason, and hopefully winning the championship.

It is games like the Rockets had in their last three outings, along with the statement made by Gordon, Harden, and coach D’Antoni which show how serious the Rockets are about over taking the Warriors for supremacy in the West and hopefully as mentioned winning their third title in franchise history, and their first since winning back-to-back titles in 1994-95. 

“The guys kept their concentration. They kept their energies up,” D’Antoni said of his team’s focus on Sunday night. “I thought it was a great showing tonight, just for what it is.” 

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 3/25/18 8 p.m. contest Atlanta Hawks versus the Houston Rockets on AT&T Sportsnet Southwest with Bill Worrell, Clyde Drexler, Matt Bullard, and Bart Ennis; www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/hou/houston-rockets; and www.espn.com/nba/standings.