Fighting fan apathy as well as opponent
Several of the main sections were near-empty, with some rows featuring nothing but vacant red seats.
It was 25-12 Portland by the time the normal late arrivals strolled into the lower bowl, and all the empty red still overshadowed Rockets fans.
And when the NBA’s reigning MVP lost the Trail Blazers’ C.J. McCollum near the basket, a curse word shouted by a frustrated James Harden was transmitted to a silent Toyota Center via a hot mic.
It got better for the Rockets on Tuesday night.
Portland’s invisible bench gave away a 15-point lead. The Rockets eventually ran the court with a passion that has been missing far too often this season, winning 111-104 and improving to
12-14.
“Winning’s hard in the NBA. We almost forgot how hard you have to play,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “(Tuesday) we did it. … We played hard.”
But that early arena scene — bored, buzz-less, disinterested — said it all about the overall state of the NBA’s most disappointing early-season team.
The Rockets didn’t just win a franchise-record 65 games last season. They went 34-7 at home, which tied Toronto for the best mark in the NBA and propelled D’Antoni’s selfless squad to home-court advantage against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals.
As the empty rows slowly filled in Tuesday — emphasis on slowly — the Rockets were officially the second-worst team in the West. Equally as troubling: D’Antoni’s squad was 5-5 on its own court.
Chew on that one for a moment, roundball devotees.
The Rockets dropped just seven games on their hardwood all last season.
When the 26th game of 82 began Tuesday, D’Antoni’s squad was just two defeats away from matching that number, even though 30 regular-season home contests remain in the 2018-19 campaign.
For years, one of the most difficult and thankless tasks in Houston sports has been getting Rockets fans in their seats before two minutes remain in the first quarter. Throw in a civic gut punch of a start, and this team has only made it harder to believe.
Tuesday felt like another local faith test.
Are things finally getting better?
Is it OK to buy in yet? Rockets 100-83 with 6:48 left: That’s enough of a lead to relax, right?
“You’re at home and you get the crowd in,” Harden said. “You start making shots and other teams turn the ball over and take bad shots. It gets us going.”
Early Portland runs left the arena numb. P.J Tucker diving near Astros owner Jim Crane and All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman, resulting in a knocked-over drink and courtside delay, was followed by one of the evening’s largest ovations.
The Rockets also finished the first quarter on a 15-2 sprint and refused to go away. Harden kept attacking, trying to keep up with Portland’s two-man scoring show of Damian Lillard and McCollum.
Pregame, D’Antoni tried to wake up a team that had dropped seven of its last 10 contests, inserting Eric Gordon, former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, into the starting lineup. The Rockets flickered and teased, then caught fire.
Harden carried them through three quarters, totaling 25 points by the start of the fourth. Chris Paul entered the final period with three points on 1-of-6 shooting. But he finished with a triple-double (11 points, 10 assists, 11 rebounds) and his pride inspired his team.
“It really started with Chris,” D’Antoni said. “When he came back in there, he was ticked off, he was mad. He got into people and imposed his will. Everybody kind of took a cue from him.”
Nene gave 20 strong minutes. Danuel House Jr. (12 points, five boards) continued to prove he belongs in the league, answering a thrilling highflying miss with a fastbreak slam that finally woke up the arena. The good Gerald Green (13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, 3-of-3 on 3-pointers) pushed the Rockets over the top.
Portland had two stars and a bunch of not-very helpful guys.
The Rockets — who lost Clint Capela to foul trouble and new sixth man James Ennis III to a hamstring injury — looked like a team again, at least for one night.
“It felt good tonight,” D’Antoni said. “Tonight’s the way we should win. That’s the way we should play and, if we do that, we’ll get a lot of wins. If not, we won’t.”
When it hit 95-81, screams echoed and filled seats shook.
“We’ve got to continue to build off this,” Harden said.
The Rockets were again worth cheering for.
Keep it up and the early believers might return in time for 2019.