Rockets’ 22 3-pointers dismantle Spurs, 126-99 in Game 1

James Harden got everybody involved and finished with 14 assists on top of his 20 points, and Ryan Anderson and Trevor Ariza (who combined to shoot a combined 6-of-40 from three in the first round) nailed four and five triples, respectively, on 10 attempts each.

Now, with a much easier matchup in Ryan Anderson, Aldridge has the flawless opportunity to repeat his stellar performance from previous year. We weren’t really making a lot of 3s. We’ve been in these situations before where we’ve won by a lot, lost by a lot. But one foot is out the door, and the other foot seems stuck in cement some of the time as teams beat him to pucks that last season he would have swallowed up and got moving in the other direction.

Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James hit 13-of-23 shots from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free throw line while Tristan Thompson contributed 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who James warned will be better in game two.

But the fact of the matter is that the Spurs are going to need a great deal more out of Aldridge if they’re going to avoid simply being run off the court by the jackrabbit Rockets.

It’s especially promising for the Rockets’ identity that they’ve continued to put up shots even though they haven’t been falling.

“I don’t think we executed in a very wise manner”, Popovich said.

The Rockets’ first quarters was something that they needed to fix to stand a chance against the Spurs. Once they had offensive rhythm they were rolling. “It doesn’t work if you don’t have good players and we all know that as coaches”.

First up, we’ve got the Harden-led Rockets meeting Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs. The Rockets’ defence was active and were constantly rotating to shooters, whilst double-teaming Kawhi Leonard on screens.

The Rockets did not make more than 11 three-pointers in any of the five games against Oklahoma City in the first round.

“They’ll have a reaction”, D’Antoni said of the Spurs. The Rockets were up 69-39 at halftime and extended their lead in the second half. “You’ve just got to be aggressive and take those shots”. They’re not going to shy away from a big loss. The Spurs are the NBA’s best defensive team, allowing just 100.9 points per 100 possessions. But San Antonio has to regain the higher ground in the matchups its favored in, because Houston is too good to trade matchups with.

It goes to show that he’s fine and we hope that this trend continues this series. We saw him and the rest of San Antonio’s old farts die off previous year against OKC.

The Rockets’ goal in Game 2 and the rest of the series will be playing to the lofty benchmark they set Monday and duplicating their performance on the road against a Spurs team with the league’s second-best record in the regular season.

The San Antonio Spurs will have the potential for great team defense for as long as Gregg Popovich is head coach. Leonard has scored in double figures in 27 straight playoff games. Patty Mills has made at least two 3-pointers in 24 postseason games, second most in franchise history to Manu Ginobili’s 62.

San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor is not backing down from the friendly wager she made with Houston’s mayor earlier this week. I have been watching the National Basketball Association for over 30 years and have had the National Basketball Association package for more than 15 years.

“I was trying to rush”, Aldridge said. I have seen this script a couple thousand times before in the National Basketball Association. “Tonight I was in a rush”. If Westbrook had not been exhausted in the fourth quarter, OKC may have won that game.

Houston reserve center Nene was ejected at the end of the third quarter after a verbal altercation with San Antonio’s Dewayne Dedmon.

“We know it’s going to be tough, an extremely tough series”, Harden said. “So, I was standing up for my teammates and that’s what it was”.