Sunday Shootaround: The Rockets are more than just James Harden

BOSTON -- At this point in the season, the Houston Rockets’ story has been well told. It’s the tale of an exiled coach joining forces with a maligned superstar under the auspices of a visionary general manager whose foresight had been questioned that produced not just a crowd-pleasing revival, but one of the very best teams in the league.

The formula is so brilliant it’s a wonder why anyone (myself included) questioned the ingredients in the first place. Take Mike D’Antoni’s spread-offense, insert a dominant lead guard like James Harden, and sprinkle in a mix of undervalued Daryl Morey role players and you get an all-time offense that will win more than its share of regular season games.

It’s a story that’s irresistible, both for the redemptive tales among its central cast of characters and for providing us with one of the few genuine surprises in the narrative arc of a season that has been otherwise devoid of the unexpected. That it’s been even better than even the most optimistic backers of Rocketball 3.0 could have predicted only adds to the allure. So, yes that story has been told and told well.

"Probably too many times," Morey says with a laugh in the hallway outside the team’s locker room before a game against the Celtics earlier this week. "We haven’t done anything yet."

"We were optimistic," Morey added. "Our goal coming in was to get home court in the West, which we thought was maybe a bit of stretch goal, but we knew we could do it. We obviously struggled last year, but it was mostly the same players that two years ago made the Western Conference finals. So we thought it was possible, even if no one else did. That usually takes 53-55 wins. So far we’re pacing ahead of that, but again, it’s a long way to go."

And so we’re left with a different question to ponder: just how good is this Rockets team, really? In a practical sense they are the third best team in the West. The top two seeds are likely out of reach. Golden State is humming right along toward a 67-win season and the mighty Spurs are on course for their usual 62 wins or so. Morey’s initial projection of 53-55 wins is attainable, however, and that would place Houston in fine position come playoff time.

There are a few signs of slippage. Since finishing off a 20-2 tear from December through the early part of January, a bit of mid-season turbulence has cost the Rockets ground at the top and also allowed the Clippers and Jazz to hang around the race for third. There have been injuries, a loaded schedule, and the occasional off night during this stretch, but no one seems too concerned.

"Sometimes it’s a function of the league," D’Antoni said. "It’s hard to win in this league. It’s hard to win all the time. We’ve had a few injuries but everybody has injuries and everybody has dog days and everybody’s trying to get through it and get to the All-Star break and make your final push. You’re going to take losses, it’s how you bounce back."

That’s the immediate challenge for the Rockets, who left Boston on the wrong end of a hard-fought game against a desperate team. That’ll happen. But over the last few weeks the Rockets have found themselves on the wrong end of a number of those contests. By the numbers, their offense has regressed more than six points per 100 possessions from their 20-2 tear and their defense has slipped from surprisingly good to decidedly mediocre.

The latter is more of a problem than the former. No one doubts their ability to score points, and all good teams go through offensive lulls. The best of the best -- the true elite -- have a rock-solid defensive foundation to carry them through the dog days. That’s the Rockets conundrum: Can they defend well enough to truly make a run?

The conventional wisdom says that you need both a top-10 offense and defense to compete for a championship, but the Rockets’ offensive calculus may allow them to tip those scales in their favor.

"If you have an all-time great offense that changes it a little bit," Morey said. "There’s precedent when the Lakers won (in 2001) with a top offense and a (21st) ranked defense. We’re trying to get in the top 10."

The Rockets currently reside in 17th but the difference between the middle and the top 10 is only a few points. Morey believes that they have the players to make that happen. Clint Capela, Patrick Beverley, and Trevor Ariza are all fine defensive players and their three-headed hybrid center consisting of Capela, Montrezl Harrell, and Nene has been wonderful. Perhaps most encouragingly, they have withstood injuries to several players and managed to cover up for their absences without falling apart.

As brilliant as Harden has been, and he’s been arguably the best player in the league, the Rockets will ultimately rise or fall on the strength of the motley collection of role players that Morey assembled. For as much emphasis that has been placed on his pursuit of superstars, he had done underappreciated work rebuilding the roster. Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, and Nene were added in free agency and second-year players like Harrell and Sam Dekker have assumed larger roles.

Mid-season struggles aside, perhaps the biggest revelation of this Rockets season is how they have blended together so seamlessly. The most empirical of teams, they have solved the biggest riddle of team-building, that of chemistry.

"It’s refreshing," Anderson said. "This season has gone by relatively fast because we’ve really just enjoyed playing basketball. Each guy fits into this system and it’s fun basketball."

Consider the case of Gordon, Anderson’s longtime teammate in New Orleans, who has become one of the leading candidates for Sixth Man of the Year. Morey pursued him years ago when Gordon hit restricted free agency, but the Suns committed first and the Pelicans ultimately matched the offer. He continued to try to pry him out of New Orleans but couldn’t pull off a deal. When the opportunity presented itself in free agency, Morey finally got his man.

"Skill-wise, he’s always been someone we’ve looked at," Morey said. "He’s so good at so many offensive actions: Spot shooting, off the dribble, good at pick and roll, good passer. We thought he was an underrated defender. And then we got the physical info and it was very positive. It was in line with what they were telling us in the process. Things don’t always work out, but he’s such a good fit for Coach D’Antoni."

Gordon’s role is to take some of the scoring and playmaking pressure off of Harden and to be a reliable go-to threat whenever Harden is off the court. Long maligned for a spate of injuries throughout his career, Gordon has produced when healthy. His breakout season comes as no surprise to Anderson, who is also putting up strong numbers as the team’s stretch four.

"It’s fun to see," Anderson said. "It almost feels like he’s been freed. He can just play. I always knew he could play like this. This role is just perfect for him because he can just play his game."

Just as importantly, Gordon willingly accepted the sixth man role early in the season without hesitation or complaint. That left an impression on his teammates and the Rockets have carried that whole one-for-all, all-for-one vibe into their season.

"The third highest paid player on the team, it’s easy to say, ‘I should start’ or stuff like that but he doesn’t have that type of attitude," said Beverley, who took over the starting position. "He has a winning attitude. That’s the biggest thing with this team. We understand our roles and we accept our roles."

Beyond Harden’s magical season and the re-emergence of D’Antoni’s wonderful system, that ability to blend and adapt has formed the backbone of Houston’s success. Neither can prosper without the other and they are nowhere without each other. Subtract Harden from the equation and they are merely an interesting collection of spare parts. Remove those parts and there is no there here. The star, the system, the support, they are all one and the same.

"A lot of stuff makes a winning basketball team, but mostly it’s the heart and pride of the players," D’Antoni said. "When they buy in all together on and off the court it at least gives you a chance. Doesn’t mean you’re going to win, doesn’t mean you’re going to be the best, but you have a chance."

The Rockets have put themselves in position to have a chance. How they recover from their mid-season swoon and how far they eventually go in the postseason will rely on all three elements continuing to work together in harmony. That’s the story that has yet to unfold.

The tweaks the NBA made to All-Star voting produced the intended result. You can argue with a choice or two, but the 10 starters were all worthy choices, as were the 14 reserves selected by the coaches. The word ‘snub’ is a relative one here, but there are always more deserving players than spots and these are the best of the uninvited.

Chris Paul: It’s easy to understand why CP3 wasn’t included by the coaches. He’s been out since mid-January with a torn thumb ligament and won’t return in time to take part in All-Star weekend. By denying Paul a spot on the team, the coaches went ahead and picked his replacement. Injury aside, there’s no rational argument for leaving Paul off the team and it cost him his 10th straight All-Star nod. Maybe his true legacy will be that he is forever underappreciated.

Mike Conley: Speaking of underappreciated, Conley has never been an All-Star despite playing at an "All-Star level" for each of the past four seasons. This season has arguably been his best with career-high marks in scoring, True Shooting and Assist Percentage. He missed a dozen games with a back injury, but his return stabilized the Grizz and he’s logged more than enough minutes for consideration. More than anything, Conley has been a victim of geography, and it’s his dumb luck that he wound up playing for a franchise that began life in the Pacific Time Zone. Some day, Mike. Some day.

Rudy Gobert: While his numbers will never leap off the stat sheet, Gobert has made himself into a legitimate offensive threat while establishing his place as the game’s preeminent defensive big man. Taking DeAndre Jordan over him was fine. Wrong, but fine. Their counting numbers are eerily similar, but Gobert is the more impactful defensive player. That’s proven through wonky stats like ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus and manifests itself in metrics like net rating. Jordan is an terrific player having an excellent season. Gobert’s just been better.

Joel Embiid: At the risk of inflaming the Internet, Embiid simply didn’t play enough minutes relative to his competition. That’s it. That’s the whole argument against him. There’s no denying that he’s been a monster when he’s been on the court and by the end of the year he’ll get longer looks for All-NBA honors. Embiid is a delight and he would have been a lot more fun to include than, say, Paul Millsap. He also won the popular vote, but … yeah.

Damian Lillard: The Blazer guard is having another typically excellent season, even if his team has fallen off from its lofty preseason goals. It’s hard enough to crack the Western Conference squad even when things are going your way in the standings, so it’s perfectly understandable why he wasn’t chosen. Dame’s an All-Star player, with or without the recognition.