Quick Analysis of Rockets/Spurs Game 4
by Jeb Kush
The Rockets led early because of James Harden’s superior decision making and creativity. All night he created plays that neither his teammates nor his coaches could have drawn up as consistently and as effectively as Harden could. Also, after learning of the passing of his grandfather Patrick Beverly played like his usual cocky self, making plays left and right, swarming the ball, and chirping either the players or the crowd any time he drained a three. The Spurs put up a decent effort during the first half, but their age showed down the stretch during the second half as their lack of stamina showed and Gasol and Aldridge were unable to use their size effectively. It didn’t help that Harden played as good as Beverly if not better, frequently toying with the man guarding him for ten seconds before draining a three from two feet behind the arc. Also, there is no way that hit on Beverly’s knee hurt nearly as badly as he let on, and both teams flopped all night. Just another reason why the NBA is getting softer every year. Anyways, Aldridge was another big man for the Spurs who was unable to use his size effectively most of the night, and you could tell the loss of Tony Parker really hurt the team overall. Then, the Rockets were just draining threes all night long, which is an almost unbeatable strategy if you can sustain it as we have seen at times with the Warriors. The Rockets continued to hit threes and built a 20 point lead in the 4th while the Spurs’ shots clanged off the rim. If Beverly and Harden continue to play like they are playing then the Rockets have an actual chance of beating the Cavaliers and winning the NBA Championship
