PrintBoston Brings Rockets' Win Streak To A Close
Celtics' suffocating defensive effort keys 94-87 victory
Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer
Houston - There’s just something about seeing the Rockets on a roll which seems to bring out the best in the Celtics.
On multiple occasions over the years, Boston has arrived in Houston with the Rockets harboring some sort of winning streak. And time after time the Celtics have left in their wake a discouraging defeat for the citizens of Space City to lament.
It happened five years ago when Boston snapped the Rockets’ 6-game run.
It happened last season when the Celtics laid waste to Houston’s 7-game home winning streak.
And, of course, it happened in 2008 when Boston spoiled the party and brought an end to the Rockets’ historic 22-game run.
Little wonder, then, that the Celtics would bring their ‘A’ game to Toyota Center Friday night with Houston riding a 4-game winning streak – it’s longest of the season to date. Showing off the still-considerable talents of its Big Three and an absolutely suffocating defense, Boston summarily snuffed out the Rockets’ hopes of continuing their run by grinding out a 94-87 victory.
“They’re a great team, they play good defense and they outplayed us,” said Luis Scola, who led Houston with 17 points and 10 rebounds. “They played a pretty intense game today. They were focused and knew what to do. They were talking and communicating a lot, and ready to play.”
The Celtics came into the game with a plan to do everything possible to take the red-hot Aaron Brooks away from the Rockets and by and large they succeeded where few other teams have. Boston’s Rajon Rondo made it his mission to pressure and deny the speedy Brooks the lanes and looks he’d become accustomed to finding and as a result the Rockets’ point guard could only muster 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting. What’s more, Brooks’ team-record streak of 39 straight games with at least one made 3-pointer came to an end, as he misfired on the only long-range bomb he took Friday night.
“They were very physical on him,” said Rockets Head Coach Rick Adelman when asked about Boston’s obvious efforts to undermine Brooks. “They were physical and we had to free him up a little better than we did. We have a lot of young guys. We didn’t set picks well enough to free him up. Rondo was very physical with him all night long and that’s just something he’s going to have to learn. That’s going to happen sometimes and hopefully the next time we face the same situation he’ll do a better job.”
Obviously, few teams – if any – can play defense quite the way the Celtics do. There is a reason, after all, they rank second in the NBA in defensive efficiency, just a whisker behind Orland for the league’s top spot in the category. However, the Rockets realize that raising their game to a higher level in the future will require them to master the lessons learned at the hands of the veteran Celtics Friday night.
“You have to be really sharp in your movement and you have to be persistent at it,” said Shane Battier after the game. “It’s hard. It’s not easy to keep running cuts and making the defense play you for a full possession but after a while that’s how you wear the opposing team down. You really have to push at them early in the shot clock and make them move and if you don’t do that for an entire game it’s tough to beat good teams.
“It’s been awhile since we’ve played a veteran team that knows what they’re trying to do. We’ve made a lot of shots in this homestand so you’re natural assumption is we’re going to come out and make shots and everything will be hunky-dory. But veteran teams know that when you play a team like the Celtics or teams that really lock-in on the strong side of the defense, you have to be sharp in execution.”
QUOTES
RICK ADELMAN
That’s a tough loss. We played a good defensive team. They play a certain way, very physical and they get after you. You’ve got to give them credit. After the first half we played better in the second half but we just couldn’t get over the hump.
(How to counter their defense against Aaron?): They were very physical on him. They were physical and we had to free him up a little better than we did. We have a lot of young guys. We didn’t set picks well enough to free him up. Rondo was very physical with him all night long and that’s just something he’s going to have to learn. That’s going to happen sometimes and hopefully the next time we face the same situation he’ll do a better job.
(happy with the shots you got?): Yeah, the second half we did a lot better. The first half we weren’t setting any screens at all. We were very impatient. We were looking for the first option and all we talked about was they’re a really solid team on the first side defensively, so you have to change, you have to make cuts and you’ve got to make them respond and I didn’t the first half we did that at all. The second half we did a better job.
(a matter of attacking more in the second half?): We have to but we have to attack them in a certain way. You can’t try to attack just the strong side. You have to move the ball to the weak side and have some patience. They were playing certain ways defensively and you have to have the patience to look for the next thing and we didn’t do that the first half.
LUIS SCOLA
They’re a great team, they play good defense and they outplayed us. They played a pretty intense game today. They were focused and knew what to do. They were talking and communicating a lot, and ready to play. I think we were ready to play, too, just our offense wasn’t fluid in the first half. When we came back in the second half we shot a little bit better but we were always trailing and that made it very difficult for us.
SHANE BATTIER
They are a good defensive team and to beat them you have to move the ball from side to side and make them move their bodies and we didn’t do as well as we could have.
(seemed like they pressured perimeter): That’s what they do. Old Tom Thibodeau, our old friend, that’s his signature move.
(key to second half run): I thought we attacked earlier in the shot clock and moved the ball better. We got some more paint shots and more uncontested looks.
(Garnett and Pierce in fourth quarter): Those guys got it going at the end and we just didn’t have enough offensive firepower to match them. They’re a veteran team and know what they want to do in the fourth quarter. They know where they’re going and where they want to go with the ball and those are really important things that separate the cream of the crop teams from the rest.
(Aaron’s importance): The vast majority of our game is when Aaron’s hitting shots, we win. And if he struggles to get shots and open looks, we usually have trouble scoring points and we usually lose. Teams know that and they try to take him away. (Boston) is real long and they do a good job of locking you in on the strong side of their defense. Our challenge is to get Kevin Martin and Aaron open looks off our movement.
You have to be really sharp in your movement and you have to be persistent at it It’s hard. It’s not easy to keep running cuts and making the defense play you for a full possession but after a while that’s how you wear the opposing team down. You also have to be more opportunistic in your running. I thought in our turnovers we got at them a little bit but you really have to push at them early in the shot clock and make them move and if you don’t do that for an entire game it’s tough to beat good teams.
It’s been awhile since we’ve played a veteran team that knows what they’re trying to do. We’ve made a lot of shots in this homestand so you’re natural assumption is we’re going to come out and make shots and everything will be hunky-dory. But veteran teams know that when you play a team like the Celtics or teams that really lock-in on the strong side of the defense, you have to be sharp in execution.
AARON BROOKS
We just have to run our sets. I think we didn’t play our best game today. They play pretty good defense and things like that happen. The good thing is we have a game coming up and I’m not really too concerned about that.
They played a great game offensively and defensively. They had it going on. They’re a good team.
I think their guards are pretty good at denying the ball. Besides that, they’re an excellent rotating team and when they won their championship that’s what they prided themselves on was their defense so they do a great job. They looked like the team of old and they’re tough to beat when they play like that.
JORDAN HILL
(On what happened tonight)
“I mean we fought, fought the best we could, unfortunately we didn't come up with the win. Boston is a good defensive team, a real aggressive team, so we tried our best, but we didn't come out with the win.”
(Second game in a row where he crashed the boards)
“That’s my game, man, I just go for every rebound and do whatever I have to do to help my team win. It wasn't enough to get the win, but you know we just have to keep going, going to work.”
TREVOR ARIZA
(On the loss)
“They (Boston) are a physical team and we didn't match their intensity too well, especially in the second half. It kind of got away from us.”
(On the Celtics)
“They're a good team. They're big, long and physical. They executed their plays and they did what they were supposed to do.”
BOSTON CELTICS COACH DOC RIVERS
(On the game)
“They kept making runs. They are a very resilient team and have been playing well. Rondo did a great job. He was determined to shut down their 3-point shooters. They are so tough on the glass and after the first quarter we did a pretty good job of holding them. Ray (Allen) carried us in the first half and then Pierce came on in the fourth quarter. We controlled the tempo and got good shots, after a poor start. Down the stretch we were real patient.”
(On Aaron Brooks)
“He is a great speed guard with a great shot. He is having a terrific year.”
KEVIN GARNETT
(On the game)
“I thought we controlled the game and Rondo really played well. It was a collective effort. We were playing aggressive basketball. The second unit was big. Defense won the game for us and it created energy. Definitely this was a team effort.”
RAJON RONDO
(On was he focused on stopping Brooks’ 3-point streak?)
“Not really. I wanted him to take contested shots and I got help from my teammates. Fortunately for us, he only took one 3-pointer. I knew Brooks has been hot from the three and he’d been shooting them well. He is one of the fastest guys in the league. My mentality was definitely to play defense.”
RAY ALLEN
(On the game)
“Offensively we were pretty good and defensively we were able to load up on their guys in their comfort zones. Offensively we were so much better. Our Achilles heel is bad offense and when we don’t do that it gives our defense a better chance.”
NATE ROBINSON
(On Aaron Brooks’ play)
“We’re hometown rivals since he was 7 or 8 years old. The difference in his play is now he is much more aggressive because he could always shoot the ball. He has more confidence now and has a chip where he believes he can’t be stopped.”
NOTES
Tonight’s attendance of 18,198 marks the 10th sellout for the Rockets this season.
The Rockets dropped a 94-87 decision to the Celtics tonight, which marked Houston’s fourth consecutive home loss to Boston. Houston is now 0-10 this season when scoring fewer than 90 points in a game.
Houston saw its season-best, four-game winning streak (3/9/10-3/17/10) come to an end, as well as its three-game run of shooting .500 or better from the field.
The Celtics have been streak stoppers for the Rockets in recent years at Houston. The Rockets had a home regular season winning streak snapped at seven games (3/24/08-11/1/08) with a 103-99 loss last season vs. Boston (11/4/08). A 94-74 loss vs. Boston (3/18/08) in 2007-08 snapped Houston’s 22-game winning streak and a 15-game home victory run. The Celtics also stopped a six-game run (3/6/05-3/16/05) by the Rockets in 2004-05 with a 103-92 decision at Houston (3/18/05).
Luis Scola posted 17 points (6-13 FG, 5-5 F) and 10 rebounds tonight, picking up his 28th double-double of 2009-10 to match his single-season career-best set in 2008-09. Scola snapped his run of 20 or more points in a career-best six straight games (3/6/10-3/17/10).
Kevin Martin, who totaled 17 points (6-12 FG, 4-5 FT) tonight, is still averaging 23.4 points over the last seven outings (164 points from 3/6/10-3/19/10).
Aaron Brooks finished with 10 points (4-12 FG), but missed his lone 3-point attempt tonight. He snapped his streak of at least one 3-pointer in a franchise-best 39 consecutive games (12/22/09-3/17/10). Brooks still became the first player in the NBA to reach 39 in a row since Orlando’s Rashard Lewis hit at least one trey in 56 straight contests last season (11/12/08-3/9/09).
Jordan Hill, who had nine points (3-3 FG, 3-4 FT) and a career-best nine rebounds vs. Memphis (3/17/10), recorded 11 points (5-11 FG), seven boards and a career-high five blocks (prev. high: two on 11/25/09 at Sacramento).
Paul Pierce, who notched a game-high 26 points (9-14 FG, 2-3 3FG, 6-8 F) and two steals, tonight matched Sam Jones (871) for ninth on the Celtics top-ten list for most games played.
Ray Allen registered 19 points (7-12 FG, 5-8 3FG) and six assists tonight. Allen, who led the Celtics with 29 points last season at Houston (11/4/08), equaled his season highs for 3-pointers made (five, done twice before) and assists (six on 11/20/09 vs. Orlando).
Rajon Rondo dished out 10 assists tonight to cross the 650 mark on the season (652). Rondo becomes the first player in Celtics history to reach at least 650 assists in two different seasons (659 in 2008-09).
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