3-pointers: A reminder of James Harden’s greatness and glimpse of team’s grit

Takeaways from the Rockets 128-126 overtime loss to the Trail Blazers:

The Rockets lost. But they seemed to have won something, too.

After all the controversies and annoyances, the rumors and reports, questions and no answers, after more relentless turmoil than seemed possible, they made it all, at least for one wild night, all about basketball.

The Rockets faced long odds with nearly as much stacked against them as had been tormenting them since last season ended, and they showed qualities that seemed more valuable than soft shooting touch or hard defense.

Led by James Harden, the center of attention, as if nothing had changed, the severely shorthanded Rockets played with grit and determination that defied the circumstances.

They lost because they could not stop C.J. McCollum and did not have enough firepower to outscore him and the Trail Blazers. But with a seven-man rotation, with nearly half the rotation stuck in Houston, and with Harden, the center of all the controversy that had swirled through December, not free to fly to Portland until Saturday, they fought and refused to concede to any of it.

“I love how we fought,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “Coming into this game with only nine guys, and really we only played seven – Brodric Thomas played nine minutes – for these guys to come in and play the minutes that they did against a quality team and be right there at the end, I’m proud of them. I proud of them.

“I’m proud of the way they fought. We obviously have some things we need to clean up. But overall, I’m so, so proud of this group and how they fought under these circumstances. For James to play 43 minutes and P.J. (Tucker) to play 42 and C (Christian) Wood to play 40, in the first game, when they haven’t been practicing, everything stacked against them, for them to show the character they did, means a lot to me.”

There is a great deal the Rockets will have to do better. There is a great deal they will need from the reinforcements coming in time for home opener, 2.0 on Thursday. But Silas had spent much of his first months as Rockets coach forced to be the spokesman for a coaching nightmare, some that comes with the territory eventually, much entirely unprecedented.

To repeatedly be able to speak about being “proud” was as far removed as he could get from that. Better yet, it might even speak to what could be. One game, and particularly one loss, does not reverse everything that had preceded it. But the Rockets demonstrated something to build upon.

It was the season opener. But it seemed a long time coming and maybe even worth the wait.

“We showed a lot of fight,” Harden said. “A lot of fight. We came out with great urgency. You could tell being the first game and playing basically eight players took a toll on us before the end of the game. Hopefully, we can finish this road trip strong, come home and have a full roster.

“We have a chance. We just have to get things clicking faster than later.”

1 – James Harden would have seemed by now to have exhausted his ability to amaze.

That is part of the problem, part of why he remains so polarizing even for his play, sparking such strong reactions for some for the issues that he had created.

Harden had done so much so often, put up numbers so remarkable and in some cases unmatched, that he had been taken for granted.

Then, he entered this season as the Rockets’ lightning rod for controversy, the gift that kept on giving to television debates and endless reports. He had even seemed to make things impossibly difficult for himself, missing a week of training camp while wanting a trade, getting popped for an NBA fine and four days in quarantine, flying to the season opener as far from Houston as the NBA has a team on the day of the game, and then having to carry his team with nearly half its rebuilt rotation back at home.

With all that on his shoulders, he came out and put up a game that reminds why he is worth the trouble, no small feat, but after all these years and all that has happened, still amazing.

“I’ve always kind of said throughout my career, there’s never an NBA game that there isn’t (times) you’re like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that just happened,’” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “He did like three or four times, the step-backs, the plays that he makes, the things that he does, even in the huddle, how smart he is, there’s a lot to him that’s really good. He showed it all.”

Harden, with just two preseason games and a few practices before he was sent to quarantine, finished with 44 points and matched his career high with 17 assists. He played 43 minutes and still scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. The game ended with his turnover when the Blazers swarmed and he tried to get a pass to P.J. Tucker on the baseline. But this was a performance to stack up with some of his finest.

“It was all right,” Harden said. “Too many turnovers. Other than that, first game, playing 40-something minutes, I feel like my conditioning could be better obviously, but it is pretty solid. I think we let it get away from us.”

This is why the Rockets were willing to accept all the tension that came with not honoring his preference to be traded. They would do it for the right deal. But they would only consider a deal to be right if it brings a massive haul of young talent and building blocks.

They have been steadfast in their demands despite the controversies because there has been faith that Harden is too driven, too competitive and even – despite this month’s issues – too professional to play in a way not worthy of his talent and aspirations.

The late arrival to camp and violation of the league’s health and safety protocols did not change what they had seen over the years. When the lights go on, in games or practices, Harden has reliably pushed himself to reach his own expectations.

“Nah, I didn’t surprise myself at all,” he said. “I know what I’m capable of.”

Lately, it has been easy for many to forget. He offered a vivid reminder.

2 – Christian Wood was outstanding. He will, in some ways, have to be better.

That is saying a lot, especially for a player starting a season opener for the first time in his five seasons, that had to play his way onto the Detroit Pistons roster a season ago. Wood is that important to the Rockets. He also might have that much ability.

His offensive skills are obvious. He showed most of them while scoring 31 points with 13 rebounds in his Rockets debut. He was able to drive to the rim, and on one possession, went coast-to-coast. He can catch every pick-and-roll pass James Harden sent his way. He finishes well with either hand. He missed his two 3-pointers, but that’s in his game, too.

Wood won’t have to play such heavy minutes when DeMarcus Cousins is back next week. But if Wood is going to play 32 to 36 minutes, he needs to grow into the role defensively. He has the attributes to do that. He might be slight for the biggest wide bodies. But he can make up for that in some ways by being more effective, more aggressive on switches.

That is a tough job, especially against the likes of C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard. And there were times Wood defended them perfectly only for Lillard and especially McCollum to knock down shots, anyway. Those possessions still might have shown what he can do and will need to do more often.

He showed so much on the offensive end with enough flashes defensively, that if he continues to grow as a defensive center, the Rockets can keep that scoring talent on the floor often enough to be difficult to stop. Wood already, one game into the season, made it clear why the Rockets wanted him so badly.

3 – The Rockets will need the help that will come when John Wall, Eric Gordon and DeMarcus Cousins join them next week and eventually, Ben McLemore returns, too. Their absence was conspicuous and could be more damaging in Denver on Monday.

They also got a glimpse of the potential of their bench. David Nwaba, Sterling Brown and Jae’Sean Tate brought effective, high energy production. It is one thing to play hard. They made their energy work. And they defended in ways that could keep them on the court when there is more firepower playing with them.

Brown knocked down a pair of 3s, but the Rockets will need more 3-point shooting.

That will be a long-term goal for Tate, who did not look like a rookie in any way while earning 37 minutes in his first game. Nwaba might need time to work his way back to where he had been as a catch-and-shoot option when he was hurt a year ago. But the Rockets have had a short bench in recent years. They should be able to go 10 deep next week, maybe even confidently play 11 when McLemore returns.

shorthanded as the Rockets were, they had newcomers playing and producing. Brodric Thomas, a rookie signed as an undrafted free agent out of Truman State, even made plays filling in as a backup point guard.

The Rockets are not a rebuilding team. The Western Conference is unforgiving of growing pains. But it has been a while since the Rockets had a group of young players contributing and getting better. They seemed to have that potential.