Harden & Wall Experiment Was A Success In Their Debut As HOU Beat SA (112-98)

Harden & Wall Experiment Was A Success In Their Debut As HOU Beat SA (112-98)

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by | Dec 16, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

James Harden had his first practice yesterday and followed it up with his first game tonight. Harden looked like he didn’t miss a step on the court at all. People wanted to see how he would mesh with Wall and Cousins all offseason. Well, tonight we got the chance to see that as James Harden was able to play off the ball a lot but still was able to make an impact in the passing game. Harden didn’t really look for his shot tonight as much even though he finished the game with 12 points on 3/10 shooting. James Harden came right in and did everything that you expected a true professional would do. He was very vocal with his teammates and he was also able to cook people with the ISO/Stepback jumpers. The leadership was there for James Harden and he showed that if this squad is healthy while being committed this team can be scary. Harden played like he was in midseason form tonight against the Spurs as they had no answer for him inside or out. Overall for James Harden, this was a great outing and it showed that he still is locked in no matter the situation and he will adjust to his surroundings. The John Wall to James Harden connection looked really good especially on a couple of plays where Wall was able to suck the defense in so James would be wide open. This could be a special connection if both lock-in and continue to push each other.

 

 

Speaking of John Wall he was able to put on another show tonight but this time in front of the Houston media. Wall was able to put up 15 points with 3 assists on the night. The stats are cool and all but the one thing that stood out was the quickness. John Wall looks like he never lost his first step or his ability to actually get to the rim with ease. John Wall looks very good out there and he’s improved on his jumper as well over the offseason. It looks like Wall is locked in and he’s ready to prove to people that he still has what it takes to be the best point guard in the NBA. Tonight the Spurs were trying to stop John Wall and it didn’t go as planned. The Spurs had Murray on him and also Mills which definitely didn’t slow Wall down. It looks like he’s back and the only thing that can stop him is himself with his health because he’s got that fire back.

 

 

John Wall’s running mate from college DeMarcus Cousins had his best rebounding game as a Rocket as he finished with 11 rebounds on the night. It was good to see Cousins, Wall, and Harden on the floor together as Cousins was able to flourish in his role. We saw a little bit of everything from Boogie from a full-court steal and dish all the way to hitting 3 pointers. Cousins was able to create more space for Harden and Wall because the bigs had to get out to the 3 point line to respect his jumper. It was great to see Cousins playing at a high level as he was in there banging bodies with LaMarcus Aldridge. This Rockets team will be a great sight to see all season and if everyone is committed it will be epic. The Rockets might have taken a hit as Chris Clemons was hurt on a non-contact play and we will be hoping/praying for the best.

 

 

The San Antonio Spurs were playing like it was the preseason as the game went on tonight. The game was tight until the 2nd half as the Spurs were able to sit their starters for the remainder of the game. One of the bright spots for the Spurs tonight was Lonnie Walker IV as he was able to score 17 points in 26 minutes against the Rockets. Walker has shown a lot of promise and he’s trying to make a big jump this season. The other bright star that everyone in SA should be excited about is Dejounte Murray as he was able to finish with 13 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. This Spurs team will always be a near contender because of the coaching of Pop and with the veterans DeRozan and Aldridge. The Rockets will be playing the Spurs again on Thursday so we will see if the starters for the Spurs play a lot more minutes.

 

 

Dec 16, 2020 No Comments
Houston Rockets Fall To (1-1) Without Harden, Tucker, & Wood In The Preseason

Houston Rockets Fall To (1-1) Without Harden, Tucker, & Wood In The Preseason

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by | Dec 14, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

The Houston Rockets looked to pick up where they left off against the Chicago Bulls on Friday. In tonight’s game, the Bulls came out a lot more aggressive and were able to defend the 3 pointers a lot better. Houston has been playing in the preseason without James Harden, PJ Tucker, and Christian Wood as they should join the game tomorrow. One player that did show up for the Rockets tonight was John Wall who’s been as explosive as you can be coming off an Achilles injury as he did. Wall was able to get to the rack any time he wanted against the Bulls defense. John Wall still has that explosive first step and he also showed some range with his 3 point shot tonight too. Wall might be coming off a serious foot injury but his court vision wasn’t injured as he found his teammates. People forget when Wall was last in the NBA his name was at the top of the assist leader board every year. Tonight against the Bulls he was able to find DeMarcus Cousins in open space and was able to create opportunities for the Rockets. He finished with 21 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds on the night. John Wall still showed some rust but the minutes he was given made the best of it on both ends of the floor. Even though the Rockets dropped this one both Wall and Cousins showed that with a full complement of minutes this team can be special to watch with the full cast.

 

 

DeMarcus Cousins had a great night as well in the limited minutes he had tonight finishing with 10 points and 6 rebounds. You can see the chemistry between himself and John Wall on full display so far in preseason. One of the bright spots for Cousins has been his 3 points shooting as he’s now 5/8 in two games for 62.5% already. Cousins has adjusted his game towards this Rockets 3 point shooting squad to fit perfectly. When healthy DeMarcus Cousins is one of the best centers in the NBA and he can beat you inside and outside as he will be a great weapon for Stephen Silas to use throughout the season. The Rockets were able to get some help from the bench as well but it wasn’t enough to get the job done tonight. Two of the players that stood out from the bench were Ben Mclemore and David Nwaba who combined for 21 points tonight. Both of them gave the Rockets a huge boost and will be huge to their rotation once Houston gets into the regular season. This Rockets team has a lot of players that can step up on any given night and with the addition of James Harden and the rest of the players they can be scary with the right timing and chemistry to gel together.

 

 

The Bulls were able to show a lot of fight tonight in this game as Zach LaVine came out aggressive like it was game 50 in the season. Tonight LaVine finished with 23 points and was able to get his shot anywhere on the floor. The Rockets has Gordon and Nwaba on LaVine but it didn’t matter as the star was able to carve them up easily. LaVine was able to get dunks and showcased his range in this game as his gameplay helped elevate the Bulls’ play as a whole. Alongside LaVine tonight Coby White made the best of his chances and dropped 20 points to prove that he can be able to go toe to toe with someone like John Wall. It was great to see White hitting some jumpers and talking smack as he was able to showcase his talent tonight. This Bulls team came out firing on all cylinders and was able to really clamp down on the Rockets in the 4th quarter. This Bulls team is young but they will be exciting to watch as they fight for that 6,7,8 spot in the Eastern Conference this season. The Bulls have a bright future with players like White, Williams, and Carter on the roster and will be making some noise. Tonight their length got the best of Houston as they had a lot of second-chance points and were able to finish this two-game series with a split.

 

Dec 14, 2020 No Comments
Rockets Start Off The Preseason (1-0) With Big Games From Wall, Cousins, & Gordon

Rockets Start Off The Preseason (1-0) With Big Games From Wall, Cousins, & Gordon

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by | Dec 12, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

The Houston Rockets came into this game against the Chicago Bulls with a lot of unknowns. They came into the game with no James Harden as the team hopes that he joins them next week. Also, Houston was without PJ Tucker and Christain Wood tonight with minor injuries.  One thing that was well known after this game is that Stephen Silas has a great offensive mind and he will use his team’s strengths to exploit the opponent’s weaknesses. The Rockets were limited with their roster tonight in Chicago but made the best of the situation and looked like a team that had played for a year or so already. Silas was able to put on a great coaching display in his first game as the Rockets head coach. Tonight Silas was able to use a lot of pick and pop and was still able to use the same pedigree with the Rockets 3 point shooting. If this Rockets team can stay healthy and with the additions of the players that weren’t there tonight this could be a special year in Houston.

 

 

Tonight was the debut in Houston for John Wall and he looked like the John Wall that we last saw in 2018. The quickness was there and the explosiveness was on full display. John Wall was able to go coast to coast multiple times and was able to get his teammates involved. Wall improved his jumper and was able to get his offense going really early in this contest. The Bulls had no answer for John Wall tonight as he was able to blow by anyone that was guarding him in the open space or on a one on one. Wall finished the game with 13 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds in limited minutes tonight. When Wall is playing like this he’s one of the best guards in the NBA and he showed tonight that he still has it as he played in-game action for the first time in years. John Wall is buying into the Silas way and showed that he can run the show at the highest level.

 

 

It was a special tonight as John Wall was able to play with his college teammates DeMarcus Cousins. Wall & Cousins look like the chemistry on the court never left as Wall would be able to draw the defenders to the paint as Cousins would knock down multiple 3 pointers. DeMarcus Cousins finished with 14 points and 5 rebounds on the night but looked really good and was able to run the floor with the quickness. It was good to see Boogie out there on the floor as he was able to hit the 3 point shot, defend in the paint, rebound, and even took some charges. The Rockets had the mismatches as the Bulls had no answer for Wall or Cousins tonight at all. If the Rockets can stay healthy this season they can be scary as both Wall & Cousins came into this game/season with a chip on their shoulders. Another bright spot for the Rockets was Eric Gordon who looked like he was still shooting in the bubble as he was on fire all night. Gordon was hitting some deep 3 pointers and he was able to get to the rim when he wanted with ease. Tonight Gordon hit a 3 pointer from 40ft deep and it was a known fact he was ready and looked ready for the regular season. The Rockets put up — 3 pointers on the night and they look to keep the same identity as they did with D’Antoni last season. This was a huge step in the right direction for Stephen Silas and the Houston Rockets as they try to get their whole team together on the young season. Tonight showed that this team has the potential to be special if everyone’s willing to buy-in.

 

 

The Chicago Bulls looked really young tonight and this is all new for them with Billy Donovan coming in. Overall the Bulls will need to continue to grow as they have some players that have promise in LaVine, White, and Porter. If the Bulls can defend better on the perimeter and be disciplined in the paint they can make a push for the 8th seed in the East. Coby White & Zach LaVine finished with a combined 27 points and they will be two of the guys that can lead this team all season. The Bulls didn’t have much from the jump on the defensive end especially giving up 24 3 point makes to the Rockets but they will be playing them again next game.

Dec 12, 2020 No Comments
Rockets Trade Russell Westbrook For John Wall & 2023 1st Round Pick

Rockets Trade Russell Westbrook For John Wall & 2023 1st Round Pick

NBA

by | Dec 3, 2020 | NBA

 

This NBA offseason has been crazy with all the new additions to teams via free agency/trade. One of the biggest names that have been in the trade talks has been Russell Westbrook who averaged 27.2 PPG, 7.9 REB, and 7.0 AST last season in Houston. The Rockets went with the small ball last season with Westbrook getting a lot more comfortable in the offense once Capella was moved to Atlanta. There was a lot of promise in his first season with his close friend James Harden as they showed great chemistry on and off the court. The Rockets weren’t able to get out of the second round of the NBA Playoffs in the bubble as they lost to the Lakers. Not long after the loss to the Lakers the Rockets were left looking for a new head coach and they moved on from Daryl Morey. The Rockets ownership stated that they want to compete for a championship with James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

 

 

The Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta made it clear that Houston has their eyes on a championship and that started with the hire of Stephen Silas. The new head coach Stephen Silas comes with 20 years of coaching experience in the NBA and he recently was coaching Luka in Dallas. There is no word on if James Harden or Russell Westbrook had any say on the hire but it was well-received around the NBA as Stephen Silas has been deserving for years. It was reported on November 11th by @ShamsCharania that Russell Westbrook wanted out of Houston. Once the word was out that Westbrook wanted to out of Houston the trade scenarios came flooding in. Many teams from the Knicks, Hornets, Cavaliers, Magic and the Wizards were in the mix for the former MVP. A lot of the trades that were coming out for Westbrook were highly disrespectful for someone of his talent but it was reported that the market for Westbrook wasn’t good. One trade that wasn’t disrespectful was the swap of John Wall and Russell Westbrook which was first reported as a possibility on November 17th. After John Wall heard about the rumors he was reported to want out of Washington.

 

 

 

 

Both Westbrook & Wall have similar games and both are explosive to the basket. Also, both Wall and Westbrook are NBA All-Stars while being great leaders/floor generals. The biggest difference with this trade is the fact that John Wall is coming off a ruptured left Achilles which is a very tough injury to come back from but John Wall is also younger than Westbrook. So now we fast forward to December 2nd as both teams resumed talks this afternoon where the once rumor became a reality. The Houston Rockets traded Russell Westbrook for John Wall as it became official. The Wizards are getting an MVP in Westbrook to pair up with Bradley Beal and the Rockets are getting a pissed off John Wall who’s ready to prove he’s still one of the best in the NBA. John Wall will be joining the Rockets after the news of one of his best friends DeMarcus Cousins just signed with them reuniting the two Wildcats in H-Town. This could be really special for the Rockets if both Cousins and Wall are healthy to pair with a lethal James Harden who’s ready for a championship like yesterday. John Wall is a pass-first guard who’s improved on his offense over the years and we will be looking for Cousins and Harden on a nightly basis now. The last season that John Wall played he was averaging 20.7 PPG and 8.7 AST and he will look to improve on those to prove the Wizards and his doubters wrong after this trade.

 

 

Check out some of John Walls open run this offseason as he’s preparing for the 2020-2021 season below

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow Me on Twitter @TravisSingleton & Instagram @SneakerReporter

Dec 3, 2020 No Comments
Dort’s Historic Performance Not Enough As OKC Drops Game 7 To HOU (104-102)

Dort’s Historic Performance Not Enough As OKC Drops Game 7 To HOU (104-102)

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by | Sep 3, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

The Thunder and Rockets put on a show tonight in Game 7. This game was as close as it could get and down to the wire just how it’s supposed to be with a 4th and 5th seed. All series long the Rockets were leaving Lugentz Dort open and challenging him to beat them. Well, tonight the undrafted rookie made the Rockets pay big time as he finished with a career-high 30 points. Tonight Dort was shooting with confidence and he was able to attack the rim when given the chance. Tonight Lugentz Dort shot 10/21 from the field but made the best of the 3 point opportunities as he shot 6/12 for 50%. He’s the youngest player since LeBron James to score that many points in a playoff game. The Thunder took a chance on Lugentz Dort and that chance proved to pay off big time. The Thunder signed Dort to a four-year deal worth $5.4 million dollars but Dort proved that you can’t put a number on heart/energy. Tonight was all about the play of Lugentz Dort and the way he stepped up in the biggest spotlight moment. Not too many people can score 30 points in a game while holding James Harden to 17 points on the night. All series long Dort was making it tough on Harden and after tonight he’s gained a lot more fans and respect around the NBA.

 

 

The Thunder had 5 players in double figures on the night and it was tough down the stretch getting good looks. OKC’s usually the clutch team down the stretch but they were only able to score 6 points in the final minutes of the game. Chris Paul finished with a triple-double of 19 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds on the night. CP3 was able to get to his spots but the ball just didn’t go in for him tonight like in previous games. Even when he’s struggling from the field Paul was able to put his team in a position to win. CP3 showed everyone that doubted him that he’s still in great shape and that he’s still as elite as ever. Chris Paul willed this team throughout the year and the last couple of plays didn’t go as OKC wanted but sometimes these moments are a great lesson. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 19 points as he was able to bounce back in this game tonight. SGA had a huge 3 pointer late in the game that put OKC up by 1 with less than a minute. SGA was aggressive tonight and attacked the paint while hitting his jumpers. All this showed was that OKC has a bright star on their hands and someone that’s not scared of the big moments. Shai came back to the NBA restart ready to go locked in but OKC just fell short this time. This was only his second season in the NBA and he put the league on notice moving forward that he’s a rising star and has so much promise.

 

 

Danilo Gallinari and Dennis Schröder played okay but if they would have added a little bit throughout the game OKC could have won. Both of them combined for 16 points on the night and weren’t playing up to the caliber they usually play at. Credit the Rockets for all the switching that they did on the defensive end. Both Gallinari and Schröder came into Game 7 averaging a combined 35 ppg so if they added a little bit more to their performance tonight things could be different. Tonight Steven Adams added 10 points and 9 rebounds as the biggest guy in this series and played very good on the rebounds all series. The Thunder had great role players and both those guys did a great job on the season and stepped up when no one even thought they could. So many people counted this OKC team out but they had 6th Man of the Year and Coach of the Year candidates. This team had a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs and they exceeded all expectations.

 

The Houston Rockets will be heading to the second round to play the LA Lakers who are well-rested waiting for them. Before they could do that the OKC Thunder gave them all they could handle in Game 7. Tonight James Harden didn’t have it going as he finished with 17 points and wasn’t able to get anything going on the offensive end. It was Harden’s defense that showed up big time as he was able to block Lugentz Dort on a 3 point attempt that sealed the game for Houston. Harden struggled but got a combined 61 points from his teammates tonight that showed up in the biggest moments(Westbrook, Covington, Gordon). Those three played lights out tonight and made some big shots down the stretch to help the Rockets get to the next round. Westbrook was able to hit on his midrange tonight and was able to attack when he wanted with smaller defenders on him. Overall the Rockets proved for this round that the small ball worked and it also could have saved Mike D’Antoni’s job as well. The Rockets will be playing the Lakers after this hard-fought series against OKC.

 

Sep 3, 2020 No Comments