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Rockets’ disastrous season ends as expected

OAKLAND, Calif. – Picking on the Houston Rockets for some “fake hustle” – the kind that was on display when Dwight Howard chose to stay on the floor for 45 minutes, all the way until the end of a woefully uncompetitive game – is way too easy.

Deriding them for resembling a dysfunctional, divided team simply fulfilling contractual obligations in a 33-point, season-ending loss to an opponent that remains focused on forever – even without its best player – feels like wasted energy.

And, guffawing over Jason Terry’s transparent attempt to light that proverbial fire under his listless teammates with a hilarious Game 5 guarantee is almost pitiable because the man behind the boast – the one who famously got a tattoo of the Larry O’Brien Trophy on his arm before winning a title with Dallas in 2011 – admitted after the game to flailing miserably as his plan backfired.

“I'm the super-motivator. Whatever I’ve got to do. Tattoos, you name it,” Terry said Wednesday night after the Rockets predictably, mercifully, said goodbye to their miserable season, and most likely each other, with a 114-81 loss to the defending champion Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. “It just didn't hit home with this group.”

Little seemed to hit home with this group. From general manager Daryl Morey firing Kevin McHale – the man who led the franchise to the Western Conference finals last season – after a mere 11 games, to players holding several heated, locker-room meetings and dinners to hash out their differences, to salvaging some respectability by scrambling to make the playoffs and scrambling to win one game, only to find more embarrassment. At least the Rockets were consistent with the disappointment.

“This season from the beginning was just … it wasn’t going our way. Had too many distractions. It’s just been like a bumpy road this whole, entire season,” James Harden said. “Just a tough year, a tough year and I think every player, every great player goes through it.”

Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who made the best of so many inherited problems, frequently tried to implore his players to embrace what was in front of them. Bickerstaff also credited the Warriors for playing with “a purpose” – something the Rockets never found.

The contrast in togetherness, joy and commitment was so jarring in the last game of what amounts to a gentleman’s sweep. Stephen Curry gleefully and genuinely celebrated his teammates on the bench, lifting them with animated hugs and twirling as if he hadn’t just sprained his right knee three nights before. Curry, the soon-to-be two-time MVP, missed the final six quarters of the series and the Rockets were outscored by 60 points.

“It's important to seize every opportunity you're given,” Bickerstaff said afterward. “The opportunity of taking full advantage of every situation you're in. These years in the NBA are priceless, and these years in the NBA aren't guaranteed for anybody, so when you're in these moments, you have to take full advantage of these moments, and unfortunately, we didn't do enough of that this year.”

The Rockets couldn’t wait for this season to be over. But the months ahead pose an even greater challenge for a franchise that made a baffling regression with essentially the same team whose season ended in the same building last season, but with much optimism. “It didn’t go the way we wanted it to go. We had a lot of ups and downs,” Howard said, “but I’m pretty sure all of us are going to take some time to reflect on what we can do to better ourselves.”

At the center of Houston’s implosion was a star partnership between Howard and Harden that simply stopped working in its third season. “I think those two have to be put in a system where they have to learn to play together,” Terry said. “I just think they’re two different styles. They just couldn’t coexist to have success this year. … Chemistry was a big issue for us all year long. We just didn’t have it.”

Harden is a ball-dominant guard who pounds and probes while determining whether to pass, drive or shoot. Howard, despite being one of the biggest players on the floor, was often ignored and felt underutilized in the offense. Neither has a confrontational personality, so the friction was more a thick cloud of tension. As one Rockets player told The Vertical, “They don’t hate each other, they just can’t play together.”

The Rockets placed Howard on the trading block at the February deadline, offering a hint of their plans to move in a different direction from a mostly unremarkable pairing. Howard has a $24 million player option and could become a free agent this offseason, with the hope of finding more offensive touches and happiness on his third team since forcing his way out of Orlando four years ago.

In his likely last game in a Rockets uniform, Howard played an astounding 45 minutes, claiming that he chose to stay on the floor with garbage-time backups until the bitter end because “I just wanted to stay in and play as hard as I can for as long as I can.”

Bickerstaff added, “He didn't want to lay down and bail out of the fight, so he stayed in the fight.” But the fight had been called long before – on the game and the season – so Howard setting meaningless screens and shooting an errant 3-pointer in the final seconds felt like a hollow show.

When the subject of his future came up Wednesday, Howard declined one inquiry and later dismissed another similar question by turning away in silence. Howard has diminished greatly because of injuries to his back and knees, lacking the explosion and second-jump bounce that made him a slam-dunk champion. Harden offered a tepid plea for Howard to stay in Houston. “I mean, ultimately it’s his decision, but you know, obviously, we love big fella here,” Harden said. “And you know, I guess he’ll go back with his family and he’ll figure it out.”

As for Harden, he remains one of the league’s elite individual talents, an offensive weapon with flair and finesse who has few peers. Harden can be aloof, indifferent and flaky at times but his leadership took a hit as his effort on defense regressed and he only seemed capable of keeping himself motivated. Morey found his star when he raided Oklahoma City’s cupboard of MVP-caliber talent nearly four years ago, but now the question remains: What is the ideal team with which to surround Harden? Or better yet, is he still the piece to build around? And can the Rockets find the right coach to bring out more than he’s already shown?

On a deflating night that encapsulated the season, Harden did provide the most encouraging moment when he stated, “You know, I’ve got to be better.”

Harden also implored the organization to make some adjustments but couldn’t predict how much he expects the team to change. “We’ll see,” Harden said. “We got to get better individually, upgrade our roster. We’ve got to improve. Guys got to improve, work on things that you’re not really good at or you struggle with and come back really confident for next year.”

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