Not seeing the Rockets in another NBA Finals is a bummer, but the matchup of the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs is a good one, and not just for fans.
Most professional sports are copycat leagues. They watch to see what other successful teams have done and attempt to replicate that success. It doesn’t always work for some obvious reasons. They only made one Steph Curry and they aren’t making another Victor Wembanyama anytime soon.
Still, there are trends in all sports that are worth watching and Ime Udoka and his Rockets squad should be paying attention.
**Resilience Under Pressure**
The Rockets were one of the worst clutch performing teams in the NBA this season. So much of that came down to not being able to calm down and focus in stressful situations. In many ways, it felt like no one was in charge late in games. Some of that could be attributed to the absence of Fred VanVleet, but certainly not all of it.
The Spurs won in seven games against the defending champs and the Knicks, particularly thanks to Jalen Brunson, have yet to lose a game (as of writing this) in the playoffs, including a one-point victory in this series. Coming up big and being steady when everything is on the line is magnified in important games and the Rockets have to figure out how to handle that.
**The Little Things**
Turnovers. Free throws. Communication. The Knicks and Spurs are great in all three categories and it shows. They don’t make loads of mental mistakes and do the simple things. It sounds easy, but the pressure and fatigue are even more brutal in the playoffs than the regular season. The Rockets are so prone to gaffes with some of their best players struggling to hit freebies, and missed communication all over the place.
Some of that will come with time, and an offseason with Kevin Durant and the return of injured players will certainly help. But focus is individual and all of the Rockets need to add that mental toughness to their must-improve lists this summer.
**Defense Wins Championships (Still)**
This may be the one place where the Rockets should be OK when/if they ever get to the big stage of the Finals. Udoka has forged them into one of the best defensive squads in the NBA. But, maintaining that tenacity on the defensive end of the floor through every play is something they must do better. And it wouldn’t hurt to find a way to minimize the deficiencies some of their players have on that end of the court.
**Your Star Needs to Shine**
More than any other sport, basketball is about its best players being the best they can be on the biggest stage, while the other team does everything in its power to keep that from happening. Players become legends in the postseason based on how they step up. Brunson has gone from a very solid player to one of the best in the game and he has not slipped even the slightest in these playoffs.
First, of course, the Rockets have to figure out who their best player is and keep him healthy. But, when the time comes, he will have to do what so many others before him have done and rise to the occasion.