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What Is Wrong With The Houston Rockets?

By Mauricio Putz

Apr 24, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) shoots a three point basket against Dallas Mavericks guard Monta Ellis (11) and forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. The Rockets beat the Mavs 130-128. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) shoots a three point basket against Dallas Mavericks guard Monta Ellis (11) and forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. The Rockets beat the Mavs 130-128. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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For quite some time, it’s been said around the league that jump-shooting teams are unable to win an NBA championship. The fact that Steve Nash‘s and Mike D’Antoni‘s Phoenix Suns came the closest just reinforces the fact that the inconsistencies behind a jump-shooting offensive strategy never seem to hold on throughout the regular-season and playoffs.

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However, the Splash Brothers and the wildly successful Golden State Warriors have put the former premise to the test.

The Warriors — a team that embodies the definition of a jump-shooting team — had the best record throughout the regular season, 67-15, and have been praised

, along with LeBron James‘ Cleveland Cavaliers,

as the favorites to win the 2014-15 NBA championship.

On the other hand of the jump-shooting spectre, we have the Houston Rockets – a mildly overrated team that locked the Western Conference second seed by shooting, almost exclusively, either (a) high-percentage shots (i.e., shots in the paint); or, (b) high-scoring shots (i.e. three-pointers).

The Houston Rockets “Morey-Ball” offensive system gave them one of the five most efficient offenses in the league — 107.0 offensive rating (12th), 103.9 points per game (sixth), .512 effective field-goal percentage (seventh). Out of their 6,743 shots during the regular-season, only 14 percent of the Houston Rockets’ field-goal attempts came via the mid-range jump shot.

Forty-six percent were shots inside the paint. And 39 percent came from beyond the arc.

Thanks to that system, the Houston Rockets broke the single-season record for both, three-point shot attempts — 2,680 — and three-point shots made — 933. On a per-game basis, the Rockets made 11.3 three-point shots, roughly 33 percent of their points per game.

By attempting only 11.5 mid-range shots per game, and making only 35 percent of them, only 4 percent of their points per game came via the mid-range jumper.

But as of six games into the 2014-15 playoffs, the Houston Rockets seem to have drifted away from what made them one of the smartest offenses in recent memory.

Regular Season

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Playoffs

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To put things into perspective, through six playoff games the Rockets took 513 shots. That’s 7,011 shots per season. If 16 percent of them are mid-range jumpers, the Houston Rockets will attempt 13.68 mid-range jumpers per game, which is 2.3 more than they did during the season.*

Due to the low-efficiency of said shot, by making roughly 30-percent of those shots (4.1) the Rockets are wasting nine offensive possessions per game while missing out on roughly 8 more points per game.

Now, why exactly would the Rockets change what’s been working for them during one of the most succesful seasons in franchise history? It seems as if the Houston Rockets decided to take more mid-range jump shots while making less of them once the playoffs got started.

Of course, a 2 percent increase doesn’t seem much, but when you’re battling against the league’s top teams every other night, missing out on what that 2 percent increase represents, is a HUGE deal.

Now, as they head back to Los Angeles, with the series tied 1-1, it is imperative for the Houston Rockets to go back to their roots, or whatever it is that got them here in the playoffs if they want to get back home court advantage throughout the series.

Forget about matchups and forget about depth, great teams hoping for a championship don’t change what has got them thus far during the playoffs.

As a wise man once said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Next: Did Harden Get Snubbed For MVP?

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