Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni finds plenty of positives from first round Defense better; offense worked for quality shots

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To Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni's way of positive thinking, if the glass is not half full, find a smaller glass.

It's waiting in the second round of the playoffs.

The Rockets were not their best in dispatching the Thunder in five games. But they won anyway. They did not do some of the things they typically do best particularly well, but they did other things masterfully. Nearly every game was a struggle, but the Rockets came within one last-second 3-pointer of a sweep.

"I'd wish we'd make a shot every once in a while," D'Antoni said. "If we mixed a few more of those in, it would be nice. Other than that, I do love the defensive intensity. The character has been there all year. They took that up another notch in attention to detail.

"Offensively, we've gotten good shots. We averaged about the same in four games. The last game, we came down a little bit. I think the shots are there. Now, it's just a matter of converting them."

Too many misfires

Rockets guard James Harden, left, and forward Trevor Ariza, right, converge on Thunder forward Taj Gibson in Game 5. Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni was pleased with the team's improved performance on defense against the Thunder. less Rockets guard James Harden, left, and forward Trevor Ariza, right, converge on Thunder forward Taj Gibson in Game 5. Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni was pleased with the team's improved performance on defense ... more Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photographer Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni finds plenty of positives from first round 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

D'Antoni would have liked the Rockets to have shot better. But if they were going to struggle in one area and excel in another, he could not have ordered better than if choosing from a menu. Shooting can come and go. The defense had to arrive for the post-season and did in time to get the Rockets through the rough spots and on to the Western Conference semifinals.

"I'd take the way we won it rather than shooting well because shooting well isn't going to last all the time," D'Antoni said. "You have to have the other part. In the future, we'll have to do both. The defense has to be where it was, but we have to have the offense a little bit.

"The question mark was can we defend at a high level for a long time. I think we proved that we did. We just have to do it constantly."

The Rockets made 28.4 percent of their 3-pointers, the worst 3-point shooting in the playoffs. After setting NBA records for 3-pointers made and taken, their average of 9.6 per game was nearly five shy of their regular-season average and eighth in the first round.

"The intensity went up," D'Antoni said. "People ran you off 3s a little harder. But the shots we looked at were the ones we wanted. We had a bunch of wide-open shots. We just didn't convert. I'm pretty happy with the way the offense and defense performed in that series."

Harden's assists down

James Harden averaged 33.2 points, but with the 3-point shooting around him off, he averaged seven assists, 4.2 shy of his regular-season average. He made 41.1 percent of his shots, 24 percent of his 3s. But with his 3-point touch off - he made just 24 percent of his 3s in the series - he found ways to score, especially by driving into the defense and getting to the line.

"He averaged 33 points," D'Antoni said. "I don't know how many points he's supposed to average."

Still, a few days off could be well-timed. The Rockets will return to Toyota Center on Friday after two days off the floor and three practice days before beginning their second-round series.

It will be the longest break of the season since the All-Star break. In the two games that followed the break, they averaged 135.5 points. In the first game of the playoff series against the Thunder, they scored 118 points and won by 31. The Rockets went 10-4 in the regular season when they had two or more days off between games.

"The biggest thing is we wanted to get their legs back and make sure they were physically and mentally ready to go," D'Antoni said. "Working with the trainers (Jason Biles and Keith Jones) and the strength and conditioning coach (Javair Gillett), they thought two days off was the best way to get them back to 100 percent. That was the first thought and that was great.

"The second thought was, we got a few things to work out. We don't want to change it up too much. Not a lot that we're going to change up. We're going to try to do it better and be sharp."

Look on bright side

With a five-game first round followed by five days before the second round, he could not complain. With the usual look toward the bright side, he probably would not have anyway.