Rockets Rebuilding Beginning to Pay Off
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 19 Nov 2024
Relegated among the also runs of the Western Conference in the past four seasons, the Houston Rockets are showing their rebuilding program is starting to pay off as they are off to their best start in the current NBA season.
This despite dropping a 100-101 defeat to the host Milwaukee Bucks earlier today with the Bucks bigs Brook Lopez (27 points plus 10 rebounds) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (20 points + 13 boards) and Damien Lillard (18 points) rallying Milwaukee to the comeback win.
The Rockets won their fifth straight game Sunday by drubbing Chicago Bulls, 143-107 in Chicago.
Despite the loss, Houston remains top three in the Western Conference and for a time, had the longest winning streak in the conference, quite a turnaround for a team that opened its campaign with a bad home loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Prior to the win over Chicago, the Rockets also defeated the Los Angeles Clippers which now have as among their main starters James Harden who led Houston to its last winning record season in 2020.
With Harden then were stalwarts as Clint Capella, PJ Tucker, Eric Gordon, Tyson Chandler and Russell Westbrook who also all have left, leaving Houston to rebuild virtually from scratch.
After four seasons of frustrations, the Rockets are now ready to be in the mix again, at least for a place in the post season.
Houston showed signs of reemergence when it finished last season at 41-41 which unfortunately was not enough to dislodge Golden State for the play-in slot in the post season. Incidentally the Warriors are currently leading the West at 10-2.
The past season in particular may have completed the seasoning of the erstwhile wet behind the ears young Rockets, many of whom were fresh from collegiate leagues. The arrival of championship veteran Fred Van Fleet and promising young Turkish big man Alpenen Sengun likewise may have given the team the steadiness it needs.
The Rockets now boast of at least five players who can put up double figures on a given night namely Sengun, Van Fleet, Jabari Smith, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks. Coming off the bench and fast becoming Houston's dependable relievers are Amen Thompson and Tari Eason.
Though none could score in the high 20s consistently, most could always hit in the high 10s posing problems to the opposition's defense.
Take the Rockets 143-107 rout of Chicago. Van Fleet topped with 28 points followed by Sengun with 20 points but five other Rockets scored at least 12 points with two tossing 18 points apiece.
However in the Milwaukee game, Jabari Smith and Dillon failed to hit in double figures though Thompson and Eason nearly filled the scoring deficit with 10 and 9 points respectively plus combined 21 rebounds in support of Sengun (18 points plus 8 rebounds) Van Fleet (26 points) and Green (21 points) who held their own against seven footers Lopez, Antetokounmpo and Bob Portis and Lillard.
Not shabby for a young, still rebuilding team playing the Bucks in their own floor, their third straight road games since last weekend.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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