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Houston Rockets: Mike D’Antoni calls last night ‘best win of the year’

By Brian K. Patterson

PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets reacts during the first half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 16, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Rockets defeated the Suns 142-116. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets reacts during the first half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 16, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Rockets defeated the Suns 142-116. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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The Houston Rockets continue to trudge on as arguably the best team in the NBA, currently boasting a 13-game win streak.  This is despite the challenging injuries this team has sustained throughout, they’ve found a way to stay relevant and keep padding the “W” side of the column.  Last night, Mike D’Antoni had strong thoughts about team performance last night against the Utah Jazz.  Take a look.

The Houston Rockets went into last night’s match up with the Utah Jazz being without Eric Gordon who has been ill for a bit now, Ryan Anderson (left-hip flexor soreness), Clint Capela (Illness) and Brendan Wright (right knee soreness).  That’s a big chunk of not only points but on the defensive front as well.

With the Utah Jazz touting talent among the likes of Rookie of the Year candidate Donovan Mitchell and the endless wingspan of Rudy Gobert, Mike D’Antoni was tasked with the difficulty of trying to figure out of how to win this game and being able to overcome the immense amount of weapons their opponent has.

The Jazz, currently fighting hard for playoff spot by winning a bunch a games in short span wasn’t going to let the Houston Rockets off easily and that certainly was the case.  With a game that only had four ties and just five lead changes, it wasn’t game of quickly shifting momentum.  Once a team got it, they kept it and that certainly would be representative of the Jazz, who led by as much as 15 points.

Here’s what D’Antoni told the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen about the team’s performance last night:

We all know D’Antoni loves to play with the words in his quotes that contain a ton of hyperbole but his case is plausible.  With two big men down and Gobert being the monolith of a rebounding, blocking scoring machine, the task appeared daunting.

But you know what?  D’Antoni went small with his lineup, put Luc Mbah a Moute at center and was able to effectively put a stop to what was going in the paint.  Feigen also cited some tape that Luc watched in regard to possessions against Nikola Jokic the night before against the Nuggets and how to effectively curtail when a big man like Gobert puts the ball on the floor.

That and the combined gritty play of P.J. Tucker, Gerald Green and Trevor Ariza on the defensive end, caused the team to effectively neutralize the Jazz just enough to eke out a 96-85 win.  The Jazz started missing shots that they could’ve made because of the immense amount of pressure those guys were able to put on them.

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Resiliency is what championship-caliber teams possess and no matter what the challenges are, those teams always find a way.

And for that, the current streak lives on so ON TO THE NEXT!

Go Rockets.

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