PrintRockets Keep Rolling Against Blazers
Ariza's career-night lifts Houston to 111-107 win
Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer
Houston - One night into the NBA season, Hall of Famer/TNT analyst/wise guy Charles Barkley emphatically labeled the Houston Rockets the “worst team in the West.” And though it’s still probably far too early to declare that comment fact or farce, one wonders if the Chuckster is already backpedaling after watching the Rockets win their second game in a row, this time in exceedingly impressive fashion against a very good Portland Trailblazers squad.
Leading the way were Trevor Ariza and Aaron Brooks, who helped lift Houston to a 111-107 victory, despite monster nights from Portland’s own dynamic duo of Brandon Roy (42 points) and LaMarcus Aldridge (27 points).
Of course, it’s not the Rockets’ way to respond to slights real or perceived with words – they typically do their talking on the court. And from that perspective, Ariza and Brooks veritably bellowed in Barkley’s – and any other doubter’s for that matter – direction with their play during Saturday night’s home opener. Just one game after coming up a single point short of tying his career-high of 26 points in a single contest, Ariza obliterated that mark by scoring 33 against the Blazers. Brooks wreaked havoc throughout as well, carving up the Blazers’ defense with 28 points and 8 assists, before finding time after the game to send a playful tweak Barkley’s way.
“It’s extremely early, we’re just admired that 'Karl' would think so much of us to say that,” he said with a laugh and a smile. Yes, it seems that if the game is mislabeling teams and people, Brooks is only too happy to play along.
All jokes aside, The Rockets deserved to spend the remnants of their Halloween basking in such a sweet victory before a sold-out Toyota Center crowd. Fans were treated to a three-point shooting clinic as Houston drained 12 of its 24 shots from beyond the arc. Carl Landry gave the Rockets a boost off the bench and Chuck Hayes provided more of his signature stellar defense. But the unquestioned star of the show was Ariza, who seems to be making both a smooth transition to his new home and a bevy of believers in his all-around game.
“I’m still learning about Trevor,” admitted Shane Battier. “I knew he was talented but he’s showing things he didn’t have a chance to show in LA. So from that standpoint, yeah, I’m surprised. He’s a good basketball player. I see things in practice everyday where I say, ‘This guy’s pretty good,’ and we need him to be aggressive and when he has a shot, shoot it.”
That’s precisely what Ariza has been doing from the moment he donned a Rockets’ uniform. In the process, he’s shown that his incredible long-range shooting in last year’s postseason was no fluke; through three games this year the sixth-year swingman has connected on 11 of his 21 three-point attempts, placing his success rate at a jaw-dropping 52.4 percent.
“Coming here, I just knew that I would be able to expand my game,” said the soft-spoken Ariza, when asked if this was the type of performance he expected to turn in upon deciding to make Houston his free agent destination. “I didn’t know what to expect, I just knew that I could get better and get better faster than staying in LA.
“It feels good but it feels even better to win. I know it was an important game for us. They ( Portland) are one of the better teams in the West, with a lot of talent, too. It was big for us to win at home tonight.”
To be sure, respect for Ariza and the Rockets must be earned over time and both parties realize the surest way to engender such recognition is to keep on winning. Do that and the critics will come around eventually. And strange as it may sound, perhaps Barkley and company even deserve a break of sorts; for how can they be expected to know what to make of the Rockets when the team’s own players and coaches are currently in the process of figuring that out as well?
“We don’t know who we are but our opponents don’t know who we are either, so that’s the good news,” said a laughing Battier. “We’re trying to win a few games along the way. All the nuances of our offense and defense will come over time.
“But we have guys who don’t make a lot of excuses – they play to win, regardless of the situation. I don’t know if people take that for granted or what but it’s rare in sports. This is the third year we’ve faced pretty significant adversity and not once have we made an excuse. We just plug in the next guy and play harder. It’s been pretty impressive and it’s as impressive as a three-year span that I’ve (experienced) in terms of team attitude.”
Imagine that: a team defying expectations by banding together and forming a cohesive, resilient unit seemingly greater than the sum of its parts. Then again, that's been the Rockets' calling card for years now.
Doubt, decry and dismiss them at your own peril.
That means you, too, Chuck.
QUOTES
RICK ADELMAN
It was just a great won for us. That’s a very good team we played and our guys really responded after the first time we played them. We did a much better nigh offensively and held on at the end for the win. I’m really happy with how we competed.
(on Ariza): It’s the same thing I keep saying: he’s just got to keep playing and figure out where he’s going to get his points. One thing that helped him tonight, especially in the first half, we continued to push the ball and continued to have movement. That opened up areas for him. I thought the third quarter they started going inside and pounding us inside, and it slowed us down and we never really got that same rhythm back. It’s just a matter of him finding his way. Every night’s going to be different and I think the more success he has the better he’s going to be.
(Carl Landry): I thought he was really active tonight. I thought he competed in the low-post better. But, again, he really benefited from the ball movement and us attacking the basket. After we attacked, he was getting the ball in a good situation to finish. I also thought he was much more aggressive. He made a couple moves where he went into the guy and spun, got into the middle and went to the basket – that’s what he has to do. He’s got the quickness and is explosive enough to make that happen. In the other games, he’s trying to shoot over the guy and not using his quickness. But, again, our tempo was good tonight and that benefited a lot of our guys.
I think we did a much better job of penetrating and finding people. You can’t just come down and penetrate. Aaron has a tendency to do that. There’s four people in there. You’ve got to move the ball first and then he has a gap or something he can get to. Trevor did that better tonight. He took it to the basket after we passed the ball three or four times and now their big guys aren’t quite in position, they don’t see it coming and we can get to the basket.
AARON BROOKS
We did a good job moving the ball. Portland really killed us in rebounding last game and, by committee, we did a good job rebounding today.
I think we all just wanted to get to the paint. We ran a lot of ball screens this time and we were just trying to get into the paint and kick out to open shooters. Our intensity was there. We played hard, executed our offense and didn’t force shots. If we keep playing like this we’ll have success.
It’s extremely early, we’re just admired that Carl would think so much of us to say that (laughs). It doesn’t matter. We’re going to keep on playing basketball and keep trying to win games. This is a team that takes it one game at a time and that’s what our focus is.
We have to move the ball. We have to play together as a team. That’s our strength. We don’t have superstars or All-Stars on this team. We have to move the ball to play as a team, play the original game of basketball in a way. That’s what we have to do to win games.
TREVOR ARIZA
(On playing his style of basketball) “It feels good. It feels even better to win. I know it was an important game for us. They ( Portland) are one of the better teams in the West with a lot of talent, too. It was bigger for us to win at home tonight.”
(On the faster pace game) “If that’s what it takes for us to win then that is how we need to play. No matter how tired we are, no matter what the situation is or what the odds are. If we want to win, we have to play that way every night.”
(on those who doubt the Rockets): Everybody has an opinion. Like I said, we don’t feel that way. We think we’re going to win more than that. It doesn’t bother anybody.
(on his hot start): I was open a lot, I got a few easy baskets and when you get easy baskets, it’s make the basket start to look real, real big.
(on having the ball in his hands late): As a kid you always dream that you’re going to be the one, the player who takes the big shots. I don’t mind it at all.
(is this what he expected when deciding to come to Houston): Coming here, I just knew that I would be able to expand my game. I didn’t know what to expect, I just knew that I could get better and get better faster than staying in LA.
SHANE BATTIER
(On the win) “Our defense was a little better. They ( Portland) shot a pretty high percentage against us, a little higher than we would have liked, but we made the plays when we had to in the 4th quarter.”
(On the Rockets success with Brooks & Landry together) “We have the luxury of playing amazingly quick with both Aaron (Brooks) and Carl (Landry) in the lineup together. It’s a tough match up. We may not be very big, we’re not a big team anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. Let’s just play fast. That is really going to be a good combo for us this year.”
We’re trying to figure out who we are, too. We don’t know who we are but our opponents don’t know who we are either, so that’s the good news. We’re trying to win a few games along the way. All the nuances of our offense and defense will come over time. But what we have to do is develop a culture of playing hard, not making excuses, playing together and, if we can do that, winning and losing takes care of itself.
(on Trevor’s performance): I’m still learning about Trevor. I knew him from the Lakers and I knew he was talented but he’s showing things he didn’t have a chance to show in LA. So from that standpoint, yeah, I’m surprised. He’s a good basketball player. I see things in practice everyday where I say, ‘This guy’s pretty good,’ and we need him to be aggressive and when he has a shot, shoot it.
(this team’s resilience): That’s a testament to the guys in this locker room. We have guys who don’t make a lot of excuses – they play to win, regardless of the situation. I don’t know if people take that for granted or what but it’s rare in sports. This is the third year we’ve faced pretty significant adversity and not once have we made an excuse. We just plug in the next guy and play harder. It’s been pretty impressive and it’s as impressive as a three-year span that I’ve (experienced) just in terms of team attitude. Usually the attitude can last for a year and then it crumbles the next time you face adversity but we’ve always had a good attitude here in this locker room
CARL LANDRY
(On his scoring 16 points) “I was active. I moved without the ball. I tried to be aggressive. I was trying to move and set screens. My teammates found me when the opportunity was given to me.”
(On the Rockets new look) “We’ve got a pretty young team and we’ve got a bunch of new faces on this team so the scouting report is not that big. We’ve got guys that are hungry who are going out there every night and fighting hard to get us in the “w” column.”
TRAIL BLAZERS COACH NATE MCMILLAN
(On the game) “Right from the start we were in trouble giving up 33 points in the first quarter. Our transition game is important and we never controlled the ball. Houston got to the basket and made their shots.
(On his teams play) “We have to play with more of a sense of urgency. As a unit we have to be better on the defensive end and to take pride in our defense and make stops.
(On defending the rockets) “Ariza and Brooks did whatever they wanted, they controlled the ball and made their shots. Brooks has so much speed with any opening, he beats you. With his speed you’re going to get caught off guard. We couldn’t trap him with his speed.
BRANDON ROY
(On Portland's Defense) our defense was not very good, right now we're not giving much effort on the defensive end and that’s where it starts. It doesn't seem like our effort is there. I see a team that’s stinking too much right now.”
(on Houston's execution) “ Houston worked really well, they cut well and executed really well and shot the ball the ball well from three point range”
LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE
(on the game) “It was a tough loss. We didn't get stops and they made their baskets. We have to figure it out and we're going to have to give more effort and stop guys from making plays.
(on the Rockets) “Brooks is so fast and he creates so many mismatches on the court. I think at one time or another in the game I guarded everybody on the court. They played with more confidence at home. They made more shots and were more aggressive and won the game.”
NOTES
Tonight’s attendance of 18,100 is an opening-night sellout. Houston also sold out its final four regular season games in 2008-09 and all six playoff games hosted at Toyota Center last season, which marks 11 straight sellouts for the Rockets.
Houston took a 111-107 victory vs. Portland to pick up its first win at home when scoring 100 or more points. Overall, the Rockets stand at 85-7 (.924) all-time in games when they hit the century mark at Toyota Center.
The Rockets continued their winning streak when wearing their traditional road-red jerseys at home. Houston was also 2-0 last season when wearing red (82-71 win on 10/29/08 vs. Memphis and 85-81 win on 12/31/08 vs. Milwaukee).
Houston connected on 40-of-79 (.506) from the field and 12-of-24 (.500) from downtown tonight. The Rockets twice shot .500 from both the field and 3-point range in the same game this past preseason (.560 FG and .565 3FG on 10/15/09 at Toronto; .514 FG and .550 3FG on 10/19/09 vs. Oklahoma City). Houston also entered this game off a 12-of-26 (.462) performance from 3-point range at Golden State (10/28/09).
Trevor Ariza finished with a career-high 33 points (11-17 FG) tonight, including a career-best five 3-point field goals made (5-8 3FG). Ariza’s previous career high was 26 points vs. Dallas (3/15/09). He actually started off the night with a 16-point first quarter (6-6 FG, 2-2 3FG) and 21-point first half (8-10 FG, 3-4 3FG). Ariza also recorded a team-high 25 points (9-21 FG) at Golden State (10/28/09), including high previous high of four 3-pointers made (4-9 3FG). Ariza already has two 20-point performances in 2009-10 after entering this year with just four over his first five seasons in the NBA. His most in one season prior to joining the Rockets was two 20-point games in 2006-07.
Aaron Brooks added 28 points (10-16 FG, 4-6 3FG) and eight assists. Brooks now owns 12 career 20-point performances in the regular season.
Carl Landry had 16 points (7-11 FG) off the bench. Landry, who also had 10 points at Golden State (10/28/09), stood as the only Houston player to reach double digits in scoring in at least seven games this past preseason.
Brandon Roy has now posted two of his three career 40-point games (including playoffs) against the Rockets following with his 42 points (12-20 FG) tonight, which included a career-high-tying five 3-point field goals made (5-7 3FG). He was also a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line tonight. In the 2009 NBA Playoffs, Roy also scored 42 points (15-27 FG, 2-3 3FG, 10-12 FT) against the Rockets in Game Two at Portland (4/21/09).
LaMarcus Aldridge registered 27 points (13-16 FG) and four rebounds tonight. Aldridge also reached 20 points in each of his two regular season visits to Toyota Center last season (21 on 2/24/09 and 22 points on 4/5/09).
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