Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni seems close to getting fed up about all the small-ball questions. He seemingly gets them in what feels like any given opportunity — even after this approach proved successful yet again in Houston's 112-97 Game 1 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
When this particular subject was raised again during D'Antoni's post-game presser, the veteran coach responded with a rather snarky response:
Mike D’Antoni, asked about his teams lack of size: “All our guys can touch the rim.”
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) September 5, 2020
Much has been made of Houston's lack of height entering the playoffs, but so far, it has been going well for them. It wasn't a complete shock that the Rockets took Game 1 of the series against the heavily-favored Lakers, but the way by which they had their way against LA — on both ends of the floor — is what's quite impressive. It was the Lakers that looked outmatched in the series opener.
This key victory is an absolute nod to D'Antoni and his revolutionary micro-ball style of play. The Lakers failed to take advantage of the height disparity between themselves and the Rockets in Game 1, which speaks volumes of just how effective Houston's unconventional approach is.
P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington — Houston's two primary makeshift “bigs” — deserve extra credit for their respective performances in Game 1. Both guys executed their game plan excellently, as they served as Houston's anchors on the defensive end. As a unit, the Rockets succeeded in containing both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who were both MIA in the fourth period for LA.
Despite playing tremendously in the series opener, the Rockets will need to be even better against a Lakers side that will be out for revenge. Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday night.
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