The Art of Snapping A Slump

Rockets see opportunity within these tough times

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Houston - There’s probably no player in the NBA quite as quotable as Shane Battier. He’s the ultimate go-to guy when reporters need someone to sum up a situation with wit, candor and eloquence. There’s a reason, after all, why hoops analysts pegged him as a future politician even back in his college days; this despite the fact Battier has dismissed the prospect of a life on Capitol Hill multiple times.

Interesting, then, that the Rockets’ swingman would summon the spirit of Winston Churchill – perhaps the most quotable person of the 20th century – when asked about the key to overcoming adversity and snapping a slump.

“When going through hell, keep going,” Battier says, quoting the former British Prime Minister. “So that’s what we have to do: we have to keep going, keep working and have confidence in the plan. You can’t will it to all of a sudden come together. You do it through discipline and an adherence to the plan.”

The plan to which Battier refers has nothing to do with top secret intelligence or any other confidential stratagem. The Rockets simply have to return to the fundamentals upon which this team has been founded. They must embrace their underdog mentality, tap into their endless pool of resiliency and attack, attack, attack.

But perhaps nothing is more important for this club right now than rediscovering its defensive integrity. It’s not a coincidence that General Manager Daryl Morey has placed his team’s ‘D’ in the spotlight during the vast majority of his recent post-game tweets. He knows the Rockets are at a disadvantage of sorts in that area due to the absence of a true rim protector but he’s just as cognizant of the fact that it doesn’t excuse some of the mental breakdowns which have plagued Houston of late. The cold, hard truth: if the Rockets hope to qualify for the playoffs in the uber-competitive Western Conference, the team is going to have to find a way to move up the defensive rankings, where Houston currently sits 18th overall in defensive efficiency, conceding more than 104 points per 100 possessions.

“This is as tough as the Western Conference has been from 1 to 12 in a long time,” says Battier. “Usually at this point, some teams are out of it and there are very few teams that are out of it right now. The middle class of the Western Conference is much larger this year and we’re in that middle class trying to scrap together a few wins.”

Which areas can the Rockets’ defense improve upon the most? It starts near the rim, where Houston allows opponents to connect on 63 percent of their shots – 6th worst in the league. Of course, that’s not terribly surprising given the Rockets’ aforementioned lack of interior height. Since last-minute growth spurts are probably out of the question, what the club must do instead is focus on cutting off penetration in order to keep opposing players out of the lane altogether. That’s not a newsflash, of course – every team in the NBA aspires to do this – but for the Rockets it is perhaps more vital than most.

Something else to consider: effective penetration leads to collapsing defenses which, in turn, leaves clubs susceptible to allowing wide-open looks from beyond the arc. The Rockets currently allow opponents to hit 35.6 percent of their three-point shots, good for 19th in the league. In other words, there’s room for improvement there, too.

Finally, the Rockets rank 13th in the NBA when it comes to forcing turnovers. That’s not bad at all and, actually, quite an improvement over years past. However, if the Rockets could use their advantages in speed and quickness to move into the top-10 in this category it would only serve to help them trigger the transition game which so often becomes a huge part of this team’s success.

“When we play the way we’re capable of playing, when we play hard and play together, and we share the ball, attack and stay aggressive, we’ve shown that we can play with anybody,” Battier says. “When we don’t do those things, we’ve shown we can be beat by anybody. So the ability is there - I’m not questioning the ability.

“I think we’re a little more frustrated than we’ve been in the past but that’s because we want it so badly. But you can’t force it. You have to work through it and maintain your confidence in the plan. This league is pretty fickle, so once you get that winning feeling back, things go a lot smoother.”

Or as Churchill was fond of saying, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” For the young Rockets, their current slump presents a chance for growth. And what they do with this opportunity will go a long way in determining their fate come April and beyond.

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