It’s going to be tough to write 300+ words about Sunday night’s season finale between the playoff bound Houston Rockets and the obviously tanking Memphis Grizzlies. I may have to rely on a few random famous Ron Burgundy warm up quotes such as, “How now brown cow.” With the Rockets being locked in as the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, it was decided after the loss to the Timberwolves that in that scenario the teams key players would be resting. Once it became a certainty that the fifth seed is where
they will reside, Sundays game officially became meaningless.
Perhaps meaningless for the standings and for casual Rockets fans, but for those like us TDS faithful there were some things to watch for and some things we wanted to see. Starting with the fact that Tari Eason was not on that list of “key players” that would need to be rested in this game and found himself where he usually wants to be, the starting lineup. Reed Sheppard, Josh Okogie, Jae’Sean Tate and Clint Capela joined him there.
For those who wanted to see Tari play well heading into the playoffs after a rough outing for him against the T-Wolves, Tari didn’t disappoint. He scored 20 points in 23 minutes on 8-of-17 shooting and even got to finish the game on the bench in street clothes. “The Human Torch was denied a bank loan.” Reed Sheppard scored 19 points on 18 shots. Not his most efficient night, but he got some valuable minutes at point guard headed into the postseason and can boast 3 assists and zero turnovers in the game. Jae’Sean Tate continued to be what he always has been, a pro. 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal on 6-of-9 shooting and the hustle you’d expect in a playoff game although to most it was views as meaningless.
The man of the hour was throwback Clint Capela. In just 22 minutes played, Capela scored 23 points, 13 rebounds and shot 81.8 percent from the floor and 50 percent from the three-point arc, as he knocked down the first three-pointer of his career. Clint Capela was considered a bit of overkill at the center position when he was signed in the offseason, but with the season ending injury to Steven Adams, Capela figures to be a key role player heading into the playoffs.
The Rockets finish the season with 52 wins and 30 losses for the second consecutive year. Some will say it’s a disappointment after an offseason that saw the Rockets add arguably, the greatest scorer of all-time. In someways that sentiment is understandable, however one would have a hard time arguing that the regular season record was always going to come secondary to the amount of success this team has in the playoffs. If the Rockets are able to find themselves in the Western semi-finals or Western Conference finals, then the fact that the regular season record was stagnant won’t matter.
It’s been a fun season regardless and even though the injury bug hit them hard, they are very fortunate to be headed into the post season with their top players healthy. The team has more playoff experience than the squad from last year had, and they will need it as they head to Los Angeles on Saturday for Game 1 of the first round series. As always, you know TDS is going to be here covering the playoffs from all angles. Can’t wait to cover the games and enjoy the discussions with all you TDS faithful. Until then… Stay classy Houston!
