PrintRockets Beaten, Bruised in Loss to Bulls
Cold shooting, untimely injuries doom Houston to costly defeat
Jason Friedman
Rockets.com
Houston - One after another, the missed shots began to mount. More painful for the Rockets, however, was that the walking wounded among them seemed to be increasing at a similarly alarming rate. Such was the story of the evening for Houston, during a disappointing 98-88 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls.
Suffering through their worst shooting half of the season, the Rockets simply couldn’t muster the wherewithal to overcome a Chicago attack led by Derrick Rose’s terrific all around performance, especially on a night when Houston began the game without the services of Shane Battier (knee) and David Andersen (back), and finished it with Jared Jeffries (achilles) and Jordan Hill (ankle) in the training room as well.
“It’s huge,” said Rockets Head Coach Rick Adelman of the toll exacted on his team following the rash of injuries. “We lost four guys in a game and a half. We’re not a deep team to begin with. Jared’s been playing well defensively, Jordan’s been doing a nice job and I had to go small at that point because we were just trying to find a way to get back in the game.”
The Rockets’ comeback attempt was certainly not aided by the sudden injury epidemic but the hole in which they found themselves had much more to do with a third quarter that was painful for reasons other than simply the ailments afflicting the roster.
Leading 53-48 at halftime, Houston left the locker room and proceeded to miss 14 of its first 15 shots in the second half, languishing beneath the burden of an offense which had suddenly become derailed. Aaron Brooks, so often the barometer of the Rockets’ offensive health, was especially icy, misfiring on his first 11 shots from the field.
Through it all, however, Houston managed to remain within striking distance, only trailing 72-66 heading into the final frame. But significant damage had been done to the club’s momentum and when Jared Jeffries limped off the court toward the end of the third quarter with a strained achilles – and Jordan Hill followed him after spraining his ankle early in the fourth – Houston’s already daunting task began to look downright Herculean.
“We’re not a selfish team but we played very selfish in the third quarter,” said Adelman. “We didn’t help each other out, we forced shots and things started snowballing. After that, we just started missing every shot we took. We really got impatient and allowed them to take control of the game.”
Nonetheless, the Rockets still managed to make a game of it in the final minutes, despite finishing the contest with more players in the training room than on the bench. Luis Scola did his part to give Houston a chance, leading the team with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Trevor Ariza enjoyed a second straight stat-stuffing game, filling up the box score with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
Their efforts allowed the Rockets to stay afloat until Brooks, just as he had the day before against New York, shook off his frigid start in time to drain a few big buckets down the stretch, trimming Chicago’s double-digit fourth quarter lead down to three with less than two minutes remaining. That was as close as the Rockets would get to a happy ending, however.
Rose took over from there, knocking down a clutch jumper before setting up Kirk Hinrich for a dagger 3-pointer that effectively sealed Houston’s fate. The second-year point guard finished with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, while showing off the form that earned him an All-Star berth in just his second season.
“The guy is just a great player,” said Kyle Lowry. “He really hurt us tonight and made tough shots, especially down the stretch.
“It was a tough game. It was a tough back-to-back and we already had two guys out. With two more out then tonight it shortened our rotation and that kind of hurt us. Coach did a good job trying to keep us fresh but we just came up short. “
And 1s: Shane Battier underwent an MRI Monday morning in Chicago, which indicated an MCL sprain in his left knee. Battier is expected to miss a minimum of 10 days to two weeks after suffering the injury in the second quarter of Sunday’s game at New York… David Andersen was a late scratch due to a sore lower back.
Also on Monday, Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced that the team has promoted Sam Hinkie to Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.
“Sam excels regardless of how quickly his responsibilities increase,” said Morey. “We are fortunate to have him. He is on the cutting edge of basketball decision making and has been key to our ability to advance in the playoffs and remain competitive in the face of significant injuries this season.”
Hinkie, who is in his fifth full season with the Rockets, was named the youngest Vice President in the NBA in 2007. In his role, he works closely with Morey on the draft, free agency, trades and game strategy. He also leads the Rockets considerable analytic efforts, provides day-to-day management of basketball operations and manages the team’s salary cap. Hinkie also scouts potential Rockets by evaluating prospects in person across the collegiate and professional ranks, including the NBA, international basketball, and the minor leagues.
“Mr. Alexander continues to be an active investor in our approach to building a championship-caliber team, encouraging us to think even bigger and be even more aggressive,” said Hinkie. “Working every day in the trenches with Daryl, learning from a sure-fire Hall of Famer like Coach Adelman, and leading our staff is a privilege I don’t take lightly.”
Prior to his promotion to Vice President of Basketball Operations, Hinkie served two seasons as Special Assistant to the General Manager where he worked closely with former GM Carroll Dawson. Before joining the Rockets, Hinkie advised two NFL teams on draft strategies and ways to use statistical analysis to improve decision making. Hinkie previously worked for Bain & Company, a global strategy consulting firm. In addition, he has experience in private equity and venture capital where he led diligence teams and provided strategic direction for his firm’s investment companies.
Hinkie serves on the Advisory Board of KIPP, an innovative charter school focused on disadvantaged children in urban communities. Hinkie graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oklahoma and was named one of the top-60 undergraduate students in the nation by USA Today. He also holds an MBA from Stanford, graduating with highest honors as an Arjay Miller Scholar.
QUOTES
Rick Adelman
We’re not a selfish team but we played very selfish in the third quarter. We didn’t help each other out, we forced shots and things started snowballing. After that, we just started missing every shot we took. But at the start of the third quarter we really got impatient and allowed them to take control of the game.
(Aaron get frustrated?): It seemed like it. I thought he was looking too much to try to score. You’ve got to let it come to you a little bit. Like I said, we just got totally out of sync. We made a nice run in the fourth quarter after everything that had happened. But when you get down like that it’s really hard and Rose played a great game – I mean, he made every shot to keep up at bay.
(Losing Jordan and Jared): It’s huge. We lost four guys in a game and a half. We’re not a deep team to begin with. Jared’s been playing well defensively, Jordan’s been doing a nice job and I had to go small at that point, and usually when we go small we have Shane and that wasn’t there. So we were just trying to find a way to get back in the game. Like I said, we did get there – we got to within (three) but Rose kept making jump shots.
Luis Scola
We didn’t come out at halftime really good. They took advantage, got ahead and made things more difficult for us. We weren’t moving the ball the way we have to or playing the offense. It was pretty much one-on-one the whole time which is not the way we want to play or the way it’s better for us. Hopefully its just a one quarter mistake but if we play that way we’re going to lose against everybody. Even if we just play that way for one quarter, we’re probably going to lose against anybody.
It was a pretty intense game. They just played better than us tonight. We did not come out well and execute in the second half. That was very true in the third quarter. We weren't moving the ball the way we have to. We tried to play one-on-one the whole time and that is not how we want to play. Hopefully it's just a one quarter lapse for us and we will play our game going forward.
Kyle Lowry
It was a tough game. It was a tough back-to-back and we already had two guys out. With two more out then tonight it shortened our rotation and that kind of hurt us. Coach did a good job trying to keep us fresh but we just came up short.
On Derrick Rose: The guy is just a great player. He really hurt us tonight and made tough shots and his pull-ups, especially down the stretch, hurt us.
Vinny Del Negro- Chicago coach:
On the run in the 4th quarter with your defense:
“That is what I always talk about. It is about making stops. We held them to a good percentage. Our intensity on defense was better in the 2nd half. We made plays when we had to, we made some big shots. We have to knock down our free throws a little better. Joakim Noah playing the last 6 minutes of the 4th quarter really gave us a boost. It was just a good team effort. Derrick hit some big shots, Kirk had a solid performance and Flip came in and helped us. Like I've said all along, we are going to win with defense. We held them to a good number tonight so that is a real positive.”
On the flop-a-looza: “There were too many to make any sense of it. I have to do a better job staying in the game, but sometimes you have to get your team going and let them know the importance of this stuff. I thought I got tossed pretty quick. We got the win, that's the most important thing. I have confidence in my staff and I know the players. Kirk is another coach on the floor. I felt comfortable. We just needed to get a fair shake at times.”
On Derrick getting more comfortable down the stretch: “He has to pick his spots. I thought tonight defensively, Derrick was very good. He locked into Aaron Brooks who is a very difficult cover. Brooks is very quick with the ball and he did get open a couple of times at the end, but overall I thought Derrick did a very nice job. Derrick was very in tune with what we were doing as a team. Kirk did a fantastic job on Kevin Martin. He also is a very tough cover. All those things make huge differences, including getting Joakim in. He was very active in the 1st half. He still needs to get his timing down but his length and energy and rebounding gets us out in the open court ande then the rest of the guys have to go to work.”
On Derrick Rose shooting the 3: “He's been working on it for a while. I don't want him to fall in love with the 3 just yet. When he is open and feels good about it, I want him to feel confident and knock those down. I know he's put the time in and how hard he's worked on it. But, the point guard has to go thru a progression and the evolution of what is a good 3 and what is a bad 3- how am I shooting it, should I attack. There is a cycle of events that the point guard has to go thru and right now Derrick is letting his game do the talking. As he matures, he will get more control of the game. He will start controlling the game more like he did tonight with his defense. Then he will control the game offensively by knowing who is open, but that all takes time. He had done a fantastic job growing in those areas and I think you will see consistent growth throughout for Derrick.”
Derrick Rose:
Did you make a commitment to take over the game in the 4th quarter?: “Yes, I have to. I have to give it all I got. Tomorrow we don't play so why not give it your all.”
On his defense on Aaron Brooks: “I was trying to play aggressive the whole game. I know I have the height advantage. I just tried to play aggressive and make him take tough shots.”
Joakim Noah:
On his reception upon entering the game: “It feels good to get love from the fans. Right now, it's just all about winning games. Our focus is pretty good right now. We realize what's at stake. We're just trying to stay focused and make the playoffs.”
On his increased minutes: “I think they're going to keep adding to my minutes. The first game they told me 5 minutes in the 1st half, 5 minutes in the 2nd half. Today I played 6 minutes and 6 minutes. I think for the next game they're just going to keep adding to that, little by little. I'm not pushing it too much. I need to get my conditioning right, but it feels good to be out there.”
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