The Houston Rockets dominated the San Antonio Spurs in game 1 of their second-round series. Hitting 22 three-pointers, Trevor Ariza scoring 23 points, and Clint Capela getting a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds, the Rockets have their eyes now set on Game 2.
Keys for San Antonio
The biggest key for San Antonio is their aggression on the perimeter. They have to force Houston off the three point line and make guys like Ryan Anderson, and Trevor Ariza put the ball on the floor. They may give up some baskets inside, but it is crucial for them if they run them off the arc.
After that, they need to make some substitutions defensively. First off, Dewayne Dedmon needs to be in the game more. He's an athletic center who can defend well. The Spurs need to experiment with Dedmon and have him play the five, and Kawhi Leonard plays the four.
This affects the game in a way that may help to limit the Rockets on offense. We saw from game one that the Rockets can blow by the Spurs in pace and space, pick and roll game. The Spurs have too many immobile bigs that cannot do anything to slow down Houston. With Kawhi at the four and Dedmon at the five, you'll get a lot of pick and roll actions that have them to switch onto Harden and offer their best chance of survival.
Keys for Houston
Staying aggressive is the main key for the Rockets. They just came off one of their biggest wins in their season, and they have to keep that foot on the gas pedal. Obviously, they won't be that red hot from three likely at all the rest of the series, but if the Rockets get up that many threes again it won't matter.
They are all about extra possessions and getting those open looks from three.
Secondly, if San Antonio does go a bit of the smaller route like most expect, the Rockets need to attack the offensive glass. If it's just Dedmon out there, they may be able to tip the ball back and get extra possessions. This will help their overall scoring giving them more looks at the basket and total looks than the Spurs will get.
Defensively it's all about making Kawhi pass it off. Let the role players try to be the hero but do not let Kawhi go off. If he gets 40, then the Rockets could be in real trouble.
This is a game two where we either see some good changes by San Antonio or the same vibe from game number 1. The Rockets completely exposed San Antonio in game one but Coach Pop is a legend at making adjustments. It will be interesting to see how this chess match is played out.
