The Dream Shake

Photo by Jason Miller/ I’m tempted to keep this extra short because you really should be reading Xiane’s piece about how Mike D’Antoni has changed the NBA. It’s predictably great, and as always, Xiane says everything I want to say but does so in a much better way than I could. There is a game tonight, so let’s get to it. Once again, Houston is coming off a tough loss in a game they should have won. After the San Antonio game, they went to Toronto and picked up an impressive win over the Raptors. Tonight, they get a chance to put the Nemanja Bjelica game-winner behind them when...

Strange that such a genteel figure would be the target of such ire. | Photo by Mark Brown/ Pondering Mike D’Antoni, the Houston Rockets, and the NBA he wrought. Quick, tell me how do the Houston Rockets play offense? High pick and roll. Multiple shooters spread on the perimeter. Emphasis on ball movement around the 3pt arc, rather than player movement. Drives to the basket off the pick and roll leading to either a layup, or alley oop dunk from the rolling center. Iron clad emphasis on layups/dunks, three point shots, free throws for all but the best mid-range players. A simply...

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports According a report, the Rockets want a championship in order to retain D’Antoni. Just a few months after a lengthy, very dramatic contract dispute this offseason, Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni finds himself among rumors yet again. According to Sam Amick and John Hollinger of the The Athletic, a source close to the Rockets doesn’t give D’Antoni good odds to return to the team next season. Barring a Rockets championship that could spark a kumbaya healing of sorts and inspire [Rockets owner] Fertitta to open his wallet to meet that sort...

Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Nemanja Bjelica and the Kings send the Houston Rockets home with a heartbreaking loss at the buzzer.  In what could be his best game of the season so far, Russell Westbrook came one second away from recording his first game-winning basket as a Rocket. With the game tied at 118 apiece, Westbrook scored a layup to give the Houston Rockets a late two-point advantage with one second remaining in the fourth quarter. Following a timeout by Sacramento, a defensive breakdown on the inbound pass proved to be enough for Nemanja Bjelica to scored a game-winning...

Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via The Houston Rockets are set for a home match against the young and talented Sacramento Kings.  Houston Rockets (15-7) vs. Sacramento Kings (9-13), Dec. 9, 2019, 7:00 p.m. CDT Location: Toyota Center, Houston TX TV: AT&T Sports Southwest Radio: KBME 790 AM/KEYH 850 AM (Spanish)/KNTE 101.7 FM (Spanish)/Streaming on Rockets App Online: Rockets App Kings SB Nation Blog: Sactown Royalty Projected Starting Lineups Kings: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Danuel House, P.J. Tucker, Clint Capela Kings: Cory Joseph, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes,...

Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports Color me shocked. Well, there you have it. The NBA acknowledged that they made a mistake in the game between the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs on December 3, but they don’t plan to do anything about it. Here’s the full explanation by the NBA. Here’s the @NBA’s explanation on why it denied the #Rockets protest. pic.twitter.com/IcHI2ixdnC— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) December 9, 2019 We’ve been over the particulars of this case, both here and here, so I’m not going to get into everything, because you know how Rockets fans usually get...

Photos by Logan Riely/NBAE via After a rough start to the season, Ben McLemore has discovered his role with the Rockets. Ben McLemore’s latest stretch of games is a testament of how far the sharpshooting guard from Kansas has come since his days with the Sacramento Kings. During Houston’s six-point victory over the Phoenix Suns, McLemore scored 27 of the Rockets’ 38 bench points, while shooting 10-for-15 (66%) from the field, 5-for-9 (55%) from behind the arc. Two nights prior, he scored a game-high 28 points in a victory over the Raptors on a career-best 8-for-17 (47%) from...

Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via The Sacramento Kings came into the season with playoff aspirations. After finishing ninth in the Western Conference last season, they brought in a lot of pieces that were intriguing. Richaun Holmes, Trevor Ariza, and Cory Joseph would be the veterans that would come in and add to the core of De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III to push the Kings into the upper half of the West. It hasn’t worked out that way, mostly because Fox and Bagley have been injured. Bagley hasn’t played since October 23, but he’s due back imminently. Fox is still a few weeks...

Photo by Tim Warner/ A magical fourth quarter performance from The Beard. The Rockets are happy campers Saturday night after their 115-109 win over the Suns. It was a back and forth affair between Houston and Phoenix in a game with 10 ties and eight lead changes. The Suns began the game with the momentum, charging out to a 20-9 lead early thanks to a strong scoring effort from Devin Booker, who would end up with a game-high 35. The Rockets would claw back into the game in the second quarter, led by Russell Westbrook and Ben McLemore. The Rockets would win the second quarter 37-21 and...

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports The Rockets return home to face the Suns. Phoenix Suns (10-11) vs. Houston Rockets (14-7) , Dec. 7, 2019, 7:00 p.m. CDT Location: Toyota Center, Houston, TX TV: AT&T Sports Southwest Radio: KBME 790 AM/KEYH 850 AM (Spanish)/KNTE 101.7 FM (Spanish)/Streaming on Rockets App Online: Rockets App Suns SBNation Blog: Bright Side of The Sun Projected Starting Lineups Phoenix: Ricky Rubio, Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre Jr., Dario Saric, Frank Kaminsky Houston: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Danuel House Jr., P.J. Tucker, Clint Capela The Rockets look to continue...

Photo by Tim Warner/ The Houston Rockets are coming off their most impressive win of the season against the Toronto Raptors and face the upstart Phoenix Suns tonight in their return to the Toyota Center. The Suns started 5-2 with victories over the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers, but have since come back to Earth at 10-11. The Suns have gotten contributions from their young core as well as the few veterans they have. The team’s decision to lean into youth is the right move, and if they continue this way they can grow together into a perennial playoff power. Aron Baynes...

Photo by David Becker/NBAE via A quarter of the NBA season is already over, but it is still too early to determine how the Houston Rockets fared in the Chris Paul-Russell Westbrook deal. In a span of five days, the city of New Orleans experienced back-to-back heartbreaks from their former beloved franchise players, Anthony Davis and Chris Paul. With a little over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Paul, the original star of New Orleans basketball, put the nail in the coffin with a fadeaway jumper as time expired on the shot clock. The three-pointer gave the Thunder a late...

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports It was a good win for the Rockets. Coming into Toronto on Thursday and playing the 15-5 Raptors was not going to be an easy task for the Houston Rockets. They came into the game riding a three-game road losing streak and were just two days removed from that devastating loss against the San Antonio Spurs. Despite a tough second-half push from the Raptors, the Rockets are coming back to Houston with an impressive 119-109 win against the home team. Here’s are some takeaways from the win. A Perfect First Half For the Supporting Cast While the Rockets...

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports It was a weird win, but a win nonetheless. The Rockets are all smiles in Toronto after a 119-109 win at the Scotiabank Arena. Given the events from Tuesday’s loss to the Spurs, this was a much-needed jolt for the team to move them back in the right direction. The Rockets lead for the entire first half and built a lead as large as 16 in the second quarter. In the third quarter, the Raptors pieced together a 16-1 run spanning nearly four minutes and turned the game around. However, instead of falling deeper into the hole, the Rockets pulled themselves...

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports The Rockets take on the defending champs. Houston Rockets (13-7) vs. Toronto Raptors (15-5), Dec. 5, 2019, 6:30 p.m. CDT Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON, Canada TV: NBA TV Radio: KBME 790 AM/KEYH 850 AM (Spanish)/KNTE 101.7 FM (Spanish)/Streaming on Rockets App Online: Rockets App Raptors SBNation Blog: Projected Starting Lineups Houston: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Ben McLemore, P.J. Tucker, Clint Capela Toronto: Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, O.G. Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol The Rockets get a chance to bounce back from Tuesday’s loss...