The 10-man rotation, starring the Rockets’ need to pull it together
A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.
C: The Hook. After a dispiriting Game 4 rollover that has them one loss away from elimination, Tom Ziller wonders whether the Houston Rockets, as presently constructed, lack precisely the sort of intangible leadership that a heavy emphasis on advanced statistical analysis can sometimes overlook.
PF: Sports on Earth. Or maybe, as Michael Pina details, it’s just that the Rockets’ transition and pick-and-roll defense has been so stunningly bad as to make Houston’s No. 6 regular-season ranking in points allowed per possession seem like a mirage.
SF: NBA.com. Fran Blinebury on the lack of fight the Rockets have shown, with a special emphasis on Howard’s apparent tendency to disconnect when things go south: “He still is, in many ways, the ultimate frontrunner, an engaging personality with a mega-watt smile when the sun shines and one who becomes dark and cloudy at the first drops of rain.”
SG: The Triangle. Zach Lowe on the Washington Wizards’ efforts to go from good to great, and whether they have done or can do enough to make Kevin Durant believe he needs to come home.
PG: The Classical. Chris Thompson, after Game 3’s win and before Game 4’s loss, on how winning without John Wall offered tangible evidence that this latest “maybe we’re good?” chapter in the Wizards’ story actually happened and actually mattered:”[…] even if the Hawks pull out this series, those that struggled to believe in the Wizards will know that this was real, and have some comforting sense of what could have been.”
6th: Truth About It. And yet, the Wizards will rue the defensive lapses and wasted opportunities that let Atlanta get comfortable and build a lead early in Game 4, writes Troy Haliburton.
7th: Sacramento Bee. Ailene Voisin talks with Vivek Ranadivé about what he’s learned during his time owning the Sacramento Kings, the mistakes he’s made, and the importance of building consensus in his front office.
8th: Hardwood Paroxysm. Chris Manning celebrates the unique physicality of Zach Randolph.
9th: Blazer’s Edge. Evans Clinchy considers Wesley Matthews’ recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon, what it means for his prospects in unrestricted free agency and what that means for his chances of staying with the Portland Trail Blazers.
10th: SportsDayDFW.com. Dirk Nowitzki doesn’t plan to retire this summer. Neat!
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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