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In light of turbulent times, the Rockets, perhaps for the first time, appear to have achieved lift-off. Houston's 115-103 win over the monumental Pacers felt, even if it was only a stepping stone.
This season 's Rockets have hardly resembled last season' s squads, with claims made by their 5-7 records. Through the early slate of the campaign, Houston has struggled in some areas of inflation, while some of its weaknesses have only been substantiated. Some of the blame has been curiously heaped upon Anthony Carmelo, whose role is in question ahead of Sunday's game. It was reported by the New York Times'Marc Stein that Anthony, ruled out Sunday with an illness against the Pacers, had been told his time with Houston was closing. The news prompted general manager Daryl Morey.
The possibility of Anthony's premature departure furrowed eyebrows across the league. Per ESPN's Tim McMahon, Houston players think Anthony will not play another game in a Rockets uniform. His presence, however, was not the sole cause for Houston's cumulative early woes.
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Where could you have been more closely related to the Rockets' early struggles of Sunday resonated with the performance of their stars, James Harden and Chris Paul. Entering Sunday, neither had played at the level of the NBA MVP Award winner and the latter a max deal. But with questions surrounding the state of the fruition at such an early juncture in the season, Houston found itself again from the tip.
The Rockets blitzed the Pacers from behind the arc, cumulative shooting 42.6% from three. Houston exploded for 44 points during the second quarter alone. The Rockets by Sunday, December 11, 2012 The Houston Rockets, Houston, United States.
Harden was at the center of it all, appearing as confident as he has all season. He dropped a season-high 40 points (on 9-20 shooting), along with nine assists and seven rebounds. Paul was efficient, pouring in 26 points (on 8-13 shooting). Their movement opened things up for P.J. Tucker, who scored 12 points, all from behind the arc, and Clint Capela, who went 8-for-9 and scored 18 points.
The output Houston managed to get to grips with the end of Sunday, before it appeared to give way to its recent spell of inconsistent offense exasperated by a tired defense. In some ways, the effort was reminiscent of the team that last postseason cam a game of dethroning the Warriors, and while they're not back to being that same team, the Rockets had enough to get by on Sunday. The question remains whether they are going to be able to do that, or they are going to be able to do that.
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