That the Rockets lose to the Suns is really no surprise, of course. On paper, but also given the recent results, the defeat of the Texans seemed already written even before the meeting. However, the troops of Stephen Silas resisted against the men of Monty Williams, remaining in contact with Chris Paul and his teammates.
The proof: with less than five minutes remaining, there was only a six-point lead for the Arizona players. It was at this moment that the 2021 finalists took a time-out to prepare for this last corner of the match, and it was very well negotiated with an 11-2.
“The Experience”summarizes Stephen Silas at Houston Chronicleto analyze this “money time”. “They’ve been at the top, they’ve played the Finals, they’ve been together a long time. Our offensive execution can be better, our composure in those moments of the last quarter is also important. »
Clearly, the very young Rockets fell on more experienced than them. These last minutes have perfectly shown the mastery, the habit of Phoenix players for these decisive moments, while the Texans still have a long way to go in this area. Even if this performance remains encouraging.
“We are growing. The match was close for three quarters and it is a team that is aiming for the title. They did the right things at the end of the game,” says Jae’Sean Tate. “They’ve been playing together for a long time,” recalls Kevin Porter Jr. “They were like us for a while, now they are there. The experience and their experience allowed us to dominate. We are young, and sometimes we are static. »
The Rockets’ frustration can therefore also give way to a promise. Knowing how to manage “money time” can be learned and taking lessons from a team like Phoenix is never a bad thing.
“To find yourself in this position, to be three or four points away in the last three minutes, is good. The more we are in these moments, the better we will be. Tate announces. “We can learn from this” continues Stephen Silas. “With experience and a common experience, we can imagine what we could look like in a while. The Suns have had dark years, look where they are now. That’s what I want my group to know. »
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| Jalen Green | 6 | 33.7 | 39.1 | 37.0 | 85.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 20.7 |
| Kevin Porter, Jr. | 6 | 34.6 | 41.9 | 36.7 | 82.8 | 2.2 | 4.2 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 20.5 |
| Alperen Sengun | 4 | 24.4 | 55.8 | 37.5 | 58.8 | 4.5 | 5.8 | 10.3 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 15.3 |
| Eric Gordon | 5 | 31.9 | 48.1 | 37.0 | 81.3 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 15.0 |
| Jabari Smith II | 6 | 32.2 | 34.2 | 35.7 | 87.5 | 1.3 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 4.2 | 13.8 |
| Kj Martin | 6 | 25.5 | 38.3 | 27.8 | 75.0 | 1.2 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 8.8 |
| Jae’sean Tate | 2 | 19.0 | 46.2 | 25.0 | 75.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 5.5 | 8.0 |
| Tari Eason | 6 | 18.4 | 38.6 | 41.7 | 80.0 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 7.2 |
| Bruno Fernando | 2 | 18.4 | 83.3 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 5.5 |
| Daishen Nix | 4 | 15.2 | 46.2 | 37.5 | 75.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 4.5 |
| Garrison Mathews | 6 | 13.5 | 29.4 | 29.4 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 3.5 |
| Usman Garuba | 4 | 12.3 | 62.5 | 100.0 | 25.0 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 4.3 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 3.0 |
| Trevor Hudgins | 1 | 3.8 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Josh Christopher | 5 | 7.5 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 2.6 |
| Boban Marjanovic | 3 | 3.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 |
