Houston is hungover. After eleven victories in a row, the Rockets had the hope of snatching a place in “play-in”, although unexpected at the beginning of March. But with four defeats in a row, especially the last two, hopes are almost dead.
The match against the Warriors on Thursday evening was the last chance. The defeat therefore put a big blow on the heads of Ime Udoka's players, compared to “Rabbits in car headlights”.
It would take a miracle
There remained one last opportunity to bounce back with the Heat's reception on Friday night. But the Texans narrowly missed, from near and far, to win, notably with a missed last quarter.
“We didn't have the energy or the legs to play at a high level. We had nothing. The defense was not consistent. We didn't produce our best effort.” regrets Fred VanVleet. “I think the guys gave what they could give”adds the Houston coach.
Even if the Warriors also lost at the same time, the Rockets' chances of snatching tenth place in the Western Conference are now very, very slim, if not non-existent.
The Texas franchise is four wins behind and only has five games to catch up. We would therefore have to finish the season with five victories in a row and hope that Golden State misses out on major losses. But how can we imagine it when Steve Kerr and his gang will come across weak teams: twice Utah and also Portland…
Don't waste March's victories
The Houston players are aware of it, the last days will be less intense than the month of March or the first moments of April. There is less at stake as well as a big feeling of disappointment. Hence the hangover effect.
“Basically, we have to remain professional. The goal is to finish the season strong,” announces Jeff Green. “We have five meetings to do that. No matter the circumstances, we still have matches to play. It's about pride and building on good habits. We want to win, to finish well. We have the opportunity to do it. »
The speech is therefore positive even if the observation is unfortunate. It would be a shame to spoil the promises of eleven victories in a row (including nine without Alperen Sengun) with a slow end to the season and a long series of setbacks.
“We have to find a way to keep our goals and our standards despite the circumstances. The elders know: you must not let go of the rope. We must continue to fight. We have things to improve for this group, with our own objectives,” confirms VanVleet. “We have to finish on a good note, playing correctly and not going back to what went wrong during the season or in recent years,” specifies Ime Udoka. “We have to continue to build, to play well, to be consistent. »
