More HoopsHype Rumors
March 28, 2024 | 12:01 pm EDT Update
Enough hugs to go around, high fives, and even a smile from head coach Ime Udoka. The Rockets — players, coaches, team staffers and even the front office and ownership — all convened in the adjacent visitor’s space to revel in the victory. Udoka brought up the most important play of the evening — the drive from Jalen Green which led to a kick-out pass to a Smith corner triple with 21 seconds remaining in regulation. It was a sequence that displayed all of the ingredients Houston had been cooking with during this 10-game run: pace from Amen Thompson, decision-making from Green and trust in Smith even though he had yet to hit an outside shot all night. “It was lit,” Green said postgame. “Everybody was happy, celebrating, screaming. We fought for that one, worked hard. That’s how we should react after a game. We gonna celebrate our wins.”
“I didn’t have the pain of the last three years with all the losing,” Udoka added. “It means a lot to them, obviously, myself as well. Ten in a row is 10 in a row, regardless of if Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) is out or whatever the case may be. It’s hard to do in the NBA. Guys are proud of that effort, well deserved. The last three years — 17, 19, 22 wins — that’s the reaction you’re going to get when you put 10 together in a row.”
But even if they don’t, this season should be seen through the lens of success. They’re a franchise that has toiled at the bottom of most statistical categories for years and is now a top 10 unit on both sides of the ball this month with the best net rating in the NBA, per Cleaning the Glass. This team has learned to compete for 48 minutes at a time, understanding the importance of establishing a defensive identity while realizing the difficulties of offensive consistency. They’re not afraid to mix it up, much to the delight of Udoka (and Brooks) but at its core, the Rockets are ready to dig in their heels for whatever comes their way, a mentality that will carry them in the future. “It’s amazing,” Brooks told The Athletic of Houston’s new approach. “That’s all I wanted to do. It took time, which we knew. Having that aggressiveness on the offensive and defensive end is what we need to win games.”