The Rockets defeated the Green Army 128-101, and the winner was actually decided in three quarters.
The Greens had won three consecutive games before, during which they ended the Cavaliers' three-game winning streak and the 76ers' four-game winning streak. Their morale was high and they were by no means a weakling. The Rockets defeated the Green Army, was it strength or accident?
Jaylen Brown averaged 27.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. In this campaign, he only scored 12 points and 5 assists on 6-of-14 shooting.
The defenders placed in front of him by the Rockets were Amen, Durant, Ethan, and Smith. Brown only had a punishing effect in the roll call against Shepard, and it was true that he could not take advantage of the Rockets' top forward group defense.
Not only did Brown perform poorly, White only scored 5 points and 2 assists on 2 of 11 shots. The temporary leader and second-in-command were both inaccurate at the same time, and the Rockets were full of defensive aggression: the team blocked 11 shots. The Green Army was in a dilemma. The front lines were unable to chew on the outside, and they had to eat hot pot when they broke in. After all, the Rockets' forward and internal resources were too exaggerated.
In this campaign, the Rockets made 19 of 29 three-pointers, with a three-point shooting rate of 65.5%. A detail that is easily overlooked is that the Rockets currently rank first in the league in three-point shooting percentage at 45.4% per game. We have also seen the performance of the game: it is not eating dumplings during the New Year, but the individual threats of Durant, Shen Jing, and Amen attract double teams in the three-second zone, and shoot suddenly. Okogie, Ethan, and Smith's wide-open three-pointers are so exciting!
Both the Rockets' offense and defense produced simple and brutal results. After five games, they got better and better. In the third quarter, they can be described as absolute strength.
The Green Army's starting lineup is far inferior to the Rockets on paper. The Rockets relied on their point-to-point matchup advantage to easily achieve the desired content of the game.
The Green Army’s starting lineup is Cota + Minot + Brown + White + Pritchard. Among them, Cota, Minot, and Pritchard were all substitute players from last season as starters. Since the Green Army chose to dismantle the team to save money during the offseason, they selected members of last season's second lineup into the starting lineup, and last season's third lineup became the second lineup to make improvements to maintain competitiveness.
Both Shenjing VS Cota and Durant VS Brown have the right to clear the matchup. Shenjing beat Cota 2+1 in singles, and Durant scored 4 of 4 in a single quarter. The Rockets’ absolute advantage at the 5th and 3rd positions forced the Green Army to shrink to the paint area—by partially piling up people, flanking Shenjing and Durant, and testing the Rockets’ weak side corner three-pointers.
The Rockets played a wonderful team game. Shen Jing, Durant, and Amen rushed into the formation to attract a flank attack. The team transferred the ball and ran away. Okogie, who was ambushing on the outside, scored three-pointers in a row. Amen and Okogie scored in the middle and then assisted each other with three-pointers from the corner. This became the most exciting offensive scene for the Rockets to break the Green Army's defense in the first quarter.
That is to say, the Green Army did not have many ways to take advantage of Shenjing and Durant's one-on-one matchup, and Amen could not stop it after starting. Mazzula had no choice but to shrink the three-point shot that tested the Rockets. The Rockets' starting group performed perfectly. When Okogie and Amen could hit three-pointers, the Rockets' theoretical five-out potential and offensive firepower were unleashed to the greatest extent.
Rocket League's top offensive efficiency is indeed something. It attacks strong points, attracts flanking attacks, and Jigsaw players shoot open three-pointers, showing a clear offensive logic.
The Green Army's starting offense has a pick-and-roll effect due to the presence of big center Kota. The transition to a five-out small ball formation is the current killing weapon of this lineup.
The Green Army put Brown + Pritchard + Garza + Hauser + Simmons in the transition period. Five players on the field have three-point range. Brown, Pritchard, and Simmons can hold the ball at three points - the five-out line is wide open. Compared with Cota's dragging space when he is on the court, Brown's single-point shooting in the five-out lineup creates a better matchup punishment effect.
Since ace Tatum is still recuperating from injury and has been absent for a long time, Mazzula has also put a lot of thought into the rotation: starting Brown + White will lead the team, and White will rest first; in the transition period, Brown + Simmons will lead the team, and White will replace Brown; when Brown rests, Simmons + White will lead the team.
Always maintain dual ball handlers on the field, and combine the three ball handlers Brown, White, and Simmons in pairs. This is the best way for the Green Army's lineup to maintain their strength on the field. Dual ball handlers + practical puzzles helped them win three consecutive victories before, and even defeated the Cavaliers with three consecutive wins, ending the 76ers' four-game winning streak. The Green Army's heritage and resilience are obvious to all.
The Rockets have ample defensive resources to face the Green Army's three best ball-handling cores. Amen, Durant, Ethan, Smith, and Okogie can all switch to guard the Green Army's arrowheads. Durant's one-on-one defense of Simmons' single mid-range shot is too cruel. The Rockets' top defensive resources really make Brown, Simmons, and White very uncomfortable.
In addition to the three eldest brothers of the Green Army, the abilities of puzzle players such as Minot, Cota, Hauser, Boucher, Garza, Sherman, Gonzalez, and Walsh are really limited. The Green Army worked hard enough, but most of the 13-man rotation were backup players, and they were completely defeated by the Rockets in less than three quarters.
The Rockets are not only stronger than Durant, but also have a mature system with superstars, which is even more powerful.
The Rockets ranked fourth in the league in defensive efficiency last season. The suffocating defense of the twin towers + goalkeeper combination was a major feature of their past, but they were constipated offensively in positional warfare. Last year, they were a team that was stronger on defense than on offense.
This season, although the Rockets sent away Dillon during the offseason, they retained the twin towers + goalkeeper combination, and also introduced Capela and two 3D big lock electric fans. Okogie, Smith and Durant are all high-quality defenders. That is to say, the entire defensive base of the Rockets has not been damaged due to personnel changes. The defensive cards are richer than before. Defense is still the foundation and label of this Rockets.
Durant's joining brought more stable outside firepower to the Rockets. The scarce key ball ability made up for the Rockets' last season's playoffs. He also has defensive and organizational skills. The upper limit of this team with Durant as the core is obviously higher than last season..
Different from the Suns and Nets where Durant worked in the past, the Rockets have richer inside configuration and defensive resources, and have a better and more balanced system to reduce the burden on Durant. Durant can play more easily - his current ball usage rate is 27.1%, which is even lower than the 28.1% in his rookie season. Playing without the ball is not only efficient but also labor-saving.
The Rockets are not only stronger than Durant, Shen Jing, Smith, Ethan, and Amen are all increasing their goals, and they all have growth potential. The four young people will continue to improve the team's strength over time; blue-collar players such as Okogie, Adams, and Capela are working hard. When electric fans come back in the future, this Rockets will get better and better.
Although it has only been five games, the offensive and defensive content presented by the Rockets really provides the home team fans with the courage to imagine the future!