HOUSTON — The final minutes of Amen Thompson’s warmup before the Houston Rockets’ emphatic 109-94 Game 2 win over the Golden State Warriors were interrupted.
Thompson had already watched several clips with lead assistant Ben Sullivan of him defending Steph Curry, mistakes from Game 1 where brief lapses in concentration turned into points. He understood what he needed to do better in Game 2. But Sullivan used a visual demonstration to augment the point he was attempting to drive home, making sure the whole roster would need to be in unison on this.
Sullivan stood up, motioning toward the court where Thompson had just finished working up a sweat. As Thompson walked over to join his coach on the left wing, Sullivan brought Thompson’s forearm against his own, showing him how close he needed to be to Curry at all times on the perimeter. No matter which direction Sullivan turned, Thompson’s arm needed to be right beside his. Attached.
The importance of defending Curry, the NBA’s greatest shooter, was a critical subplot to the overarching theme of Game 2. The Rockets were fighting for their playoff lives. It wasn’t just that Houston couldn’t allow Curry to torch it for 31 points like he did 72 hours earlier. This was the biggest game of the Rockets’ young careers. Lose Game 2 and full control of the series to the experienced Warriors and they might never get it back.
Neutralizing a generational talent like Curry requires a job by committee. There is no such thing as a “Curry stopper;” his cache is too deep. After taking a punch in Game 1, Houston needed to counter, quickly. So on Wednesday, the Rockets, who were up against it, would have to fight.
Luckily for them, this is who they are. Over the past 82 games, Houston built a no-nonsense ideology. Brick by brick. There are too many instances to pick from. Maybe it was Steven Adams versus Phoenix, or Thompson versus Miami, or Dillon Brooks versus the world. The Rockets want dust-ups. They savor scuffles. This is a team that treats technical fouls like gold stars in elementary school. The more, the merrier. So in Game 2, when the playoff hostility descended upon Toyota Center — 48 minutes of shoving, pushing and a fraction short of an all-out brawl — Houston smiled.
“That’s who we are,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “That’s our identity for the most part. At the start of the playoffs, we don’t have to flip a switch, try to get tougher or more aggressive. That’s what we built everything on, and it carries over into the playoffs. We understand that if they let both teams play, it’s in our favor for the most part. Golden State is physical as well, you just have to play through it. You can’t expect it on one end and cry about it at the other. If it gets chippy, that works in our favor. It gets us amped up.”
And as it pertains to constructing a scheme for Curry, the Rockets simply mirrored their approach to life. There’s a certain amount of physicality allowed in the playoffs that’s not given in the regular season, which plays in Houston’s favor. In the postseason, Houston is tied for the third-fewest total fouls, a stark contrast from its regular-season form, when it led the league in technical fouls and ejections.
The Rockets let it be known from the opening tip that Curry wouldn’t motion and relocate them in the same manner as he’s toyed with hundreds of opposing defenses over the years. In the possession below, Curry tries to dislodge from his defender on three separate occasions, running off multiple screens to no avail.
Keeping the ball out of Curry’s hands forced players like Jimmy Butler to attempt to create offense with his team already deep into the shot clock. In such situations, Houston liked its chances.
Late in the first quarter, Butler took a hard fall after a collision with Thompson and left with a pelvic contusion. Without the attention and respect that Butler typically warrants on the floor, Golden State resembled an older, less lethal version of itself — Curry surrounded by several role players. Houston’s mantra of “Anyone but Curry” suddenly became magnified, and the Warriors looked more like a mortal opponent and not a psychological roadblock. Curry would finish with 20 points on 15 shots, a win in Houston’s book.
“We got aggressive with him, went after him and tried to make someone else beat us,” Udoka said. “It worked for us.”
“Be aggressive, pressure the ball,” Jalen Green said. “All the coaches were telling us that they were a little too comfortable the first game and able to execute their plays and stuff, so just wanted to give them a little more pressure.”
When the Rockets couldn’t keep the ball out of Curry’s hands, they were instructed to play up to touch, be physical and forceful. Ironically, it was Jalen Green, who led all players with 38 points, who set the tone defensively. (It’s arguably more important that Green had a strong defensive showing in a crucial postseason game than his much-needed offense.) This season, Green has taken additional steps in his development as a defender, becoming more aware of his surroundings and understanding better how to leverage his athleticism. One underrated aspect of his team defense is his hand quickness, standing at 6-foot-4 with a 6-8 wingspan.
Green finished with three steals and was directly responsible for two forced Curry turnovers. The future Hall of Famer recorded as many total turnovers (six) as he did made field goals. And the Rockets seemingly fed off Green’s energy. On multiple occasions, he forced jump balls on Curry, diving for loose balls and being an irritant as often as possible.
“I think that kind of ignited him,” Udoka said. “Was aggressive on both sides and we need that from him. Switching onto (Steph) Curry, he was aggressive. He bounced back on both ends — aggressive offensively, physical defensively. That’s what you’re going to need against these guys.”
“Just to be up to touch,” Jalen Green said of defending Curry. “Not letting him have freedom. Put a body on him. Steph (Curry) is one of the best at moving around and running off screens, just staying mobile. We wanted to make it hard for him, and I think we did a good job of that.”
This series is only two games in, but it’s clear that physicality — and the level both teams bring to the table — could determine the outcome of this series, Butler’s health an obvious aside. Through Games 1 and 2, the Rockets are a plus-30 in the rebounding battle and a plus-38 in points in the paint. For all the snarl and swagger players like Draymond Green possess, it’s hard to duplicate what Houston has. On numerous occasions in Game 2, Curry, Draymond Green and Warriors coach Steve Kerr sought the officials’ attention to alert them of the Rockets’ physical play. And even though Houston had to navigate through early foul trouble — Thompson’s three fouls in the first quarter kept him glued to the bench, and Brooks and Alperen Şengün finished with four apiece — a clear message was sent to Curry and the Warriors.
“I don’t mind it,” Udoka said of his team’s chippiness. “It’s what we built our identity on. Everybody’s bought into it, and it makes us who we are. Our guys thrive on that.”
(Photo of the Rockets’ Fred VanVleet, Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green and the Warriors’ Steph Curry: Troy Taormina/ Imagn Images)