After being known primarily as an up-tempo offensive team for over the last several years, the Houston Rockets have found themselves a new gear during the second half of the regular season, as the team with the best record in basketball is currently playing at a much slower pace.
Over the last five and a half seasons, the Houston Rockets have proven to be one of the game’s most relentless squads when it comes to pushing the tempo on offense, seeking to hoist up quick shots from anywhere on the floor against unsettled defenses.
Applying a high-octane attack to dismantle opposing teams in seven seconds or less, the franchise that has never finished lower than seventh in pace since the start of the James Harden era has now found a way to win games by surprisingly playing a slower brand of basketball.
Houston — which has won 19 out of its last 20 games by an average margin of 13.1 points per contest — is playing at the second-slowest pace in the league per NBA.com, averaging just 97.80 possessions per 48 minutes since the start of February. The Rockets have managed to drop five spots overall during that time span, as they currently sit outside the top 10 in pace for the first time since the 2011-12 regular season.
Last week, head coach Mike D’Antoni shared his thoughts about Clutch City’s newfound pace and play with Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
"“We’d like to play a little faster,” D’Antoni said. “We’ll talk about it. We need to get it up there. We’re turning into a defensive team and it’s really ticking me off.“I can’t speed them up. Every great player has his own speed. That’s how we play. We try to inch it up a little bit, but Chris Paul is going to play like Chris Paul. He’s a Hall of Fame player. Why change it? James is going to be James. There’ll be times where we push it and times when we don’t. You just get a feel for how you want to play and you do it.”"
Although D’Antoni would prefer to see his team take full advantage of opponents by playing at breakneck speeds, the man who helped to revolutionize the current pace of the game cannot attempt to grumble about the Rockets’ offense over the last month and a half, as Houston’s offense still ranks at the top of the league despite working at a gradual pace.
Since Feb. 1, the Rockets rank second overall in offensive rating, scoring 115.8 points per 100 possessions, and have been far more efficient compared to seasons past with the assistance of both Harden and Paul. Those two guards have taken superior care of the basketball, created countless scoring opportunities for teammates and terrorized defenders in the process.
Now, the dynamic backcourt duo has Houston searching to find the best shot possible instead of taking the first shot that is available, as the Rockets have transformed from a team that relied upon playing with pace to one establishing their own motion on offense.
"“We just sort of take what the game [brings,]” Paul said to reporters following the Rockets’ 110-99 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks last Wednesday.“We get a rebound, we want to push it. We obviously want to play fast, but we take what the game gives us. If they pick us up full court, we set the screens higher. We try to advance pass. It sounds crazy, but we don’t think about how we’re playing. We’re just like ‘win the game.'”"
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The Rockets will now look to capture their third consecutive win in the last four games, as they get ready to take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.