The second round of the NBA Playoffs are underway and the Suns are not playing in them, so we do the next best thing, and just cheer on our Wildcats, and there are three on the Houston Rockets!
We thought it would be fun to find out what our fellow Fansided House of Houston Editors Brian Petterson and Yoni Pollak knew about our former Arizona Wildcats and now Houston Rockets, Jason “The Jet” Terry, Nick Johnson, and Matt Brase.
We interviewed them and found out just how much they did know about our Cats!
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After the last game, won by an Austin Rivers and J.J. Redick led Clippers team, the Clippers lead the Rockets 2 games to 1, game four is at 5:30 p.m. PDT Sunday at Staples Center.
In my opinion, Houston needs to step it up on both ends of the court. They cannot let all the flopping and non-foul calls not get to them. Also, if they had just developed Nick Johnson during the season, maybe he would have had the skills and confidence like he did during the NBA Summer League to help the team win more games.
All in all, I feel like Rockets gave up, and it’s not cool when the referees get so much wrong that the players just plain give up. What Joey Crawford one of the refs? Were any of them Pac-12 Refs?
Let’s get into the interview, we asked these two Houston Rocket fans, experts, sportswriters about their team and our Wildcats….
Apr 2, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Nick Johnson (3) shoots over Dallas Mavericks forward Charlie Villanueva (3) during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Rockets defeated the Mavericks 108-101. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
ZZ: What do you think happened in game three in Los Angeles? Houston kind of looked like it gave up a little. I saw a ton of Clipper flopping, not called; did this contribute at all to the loss?
Brian: There are some points of the game where I feel there’s no sense of direction and that’s on Kevin McHale, our head coach. We freelance way too much and over-utilize James Harden in isolation plays. It’s only a matter of time before teams pick up on our offensive strategy, if you can even refer to it as that.
The problem with this team is that they think they can play hard for anything less than 48 minutes and try to come from behind and win. The Clips are too talented and we’ll get overrun every time. Although I think that’s a small factor, I don’t think the Clippers flopping entirely contributed to the loss. The Mavs were just as bad and we were able to get through that series with only one loss.
ZZ: Former Arizona Wildcat Nick Johnson had fantastic Summer League performances, and Wildcats fans are used to seeing Nick bring a team back when they’re down, were you expecting him to play more in his rookie year?
Brian: His playing time was about what I expected for this season as a rookie. Although I was extremely impressed with his level of play in the Summer Leagues, training camp and with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he’s still has some developing to do in terms of knowing when to score and doing it with finesse.
He needed this season to be an apprentice under experienced guards such as Patrick Beverley, Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni. The latter two have been around a long time and can teach Nick a lot about the game from their perspective.
I do long for McHale to insert Nick at times when Terry & Prigioni are not getting it done on defense. It seems difficult for those guys to stay in front of their defensive assignments oftentimes. I think he could be a spark of the bench. But McHale’s rotational style includes him to not to go with rookies in his regular rotation because of the inexperience.
Arizona Wildcats
Yoni: Coming into the year I did expect Johnson to play more but that changed once the Rockets acquired Corey Brewer. At PG they had Patrick Beverley, along with Isaiah Canaan and Jason Terry, so Johnson wasn’t going to get time there.
Once Beverley went down and Canaan was traded, Johnson moved to #3 behind JET and Pablo Prigioni (acquired at deadline). Johnson was used sparingly when both veteran guards couldn’t keep up on defense and he played well defensively but struggled offensively. I don’t think he’ll see time this postseason but I’ve been pretty impressed with him in his limited time with the Rockets.
ZZ: How has our famous Wildcat Jason “The Jet” Terry enriched the Houston Rockets? What has he brought to the team?
Brian: Truthfully, he has exceeded my expectations on how he’d perform for this season. With some bad experiences at his previous two stops – the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings, I thought he’d give us 15-20 minutes a game. Fast forward to the season and the Jet’s playing starter minutes because of Beverley’s health being up-and-down for the duration.
He still has that special shooter’s touch that is as sweet as sugar and he has been big for us all season. He has always been there when a big shot would be needed. I’m not sure of his fate with the Houston Rockets after this season with his contract expiring but I hope we can bring him back in the same type of role. But thinking like how general manager Daryl Morey does, the price better be right.
Apr 18, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jason Terry (31) before game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Yoni: His veteran leadership has been really helpful in the Rockets locker room. He also gave the Rockets good minutes off the bench early on this year. Now, he’s the Rockets starter and his three-point shooting is key to the Rockets success. However, if he’s missing, then he’s struggled to give the Rockets good minutes since he’s not much of a capable defender these days. Still, Terry has given the Rockets GREAT minutes this year, something that was totally unexpected coming into the season.
ZZ: Wildcat fans are sure that when Jason Terry hits a three, he throws the “Wildcats Hand Sign” (form a C with your thumb and pointer finger, and a W with your other fingers), but others think it’s just a sign of “three”. He doesn’t close his thumb and forefinger, what do you two think?
Brian: Very keen eyes guys! I think it’s simply him displaying his individuality by blending those two variables into one. I like when he does that but I’m even more enthused when he outstretches his arms after making a big play in the motion of a jet taking off! It never gets old to me and it goes in sync perfectly with his character. After all, his nickname is the Jet!
ZZ: Were Houston fans aware that the Arizona Wildcats “A Players Program” retired Jason Terry’s jersey this year? He had all 5 of his daughters with him, did the Rockets mention or pay homage to that tribute at all?
Brian: Yes, I was aware. To my recollection, it did get media coverage locally because they retired James Harden’s number as well right around the All-Star Break. The Houston Chronicle did a blog post in their Ultimate Rockets section about the ceremony.
I do believe – but not sure — that there was a video piece done by ROOT Sports Southwest, our regional sports affiliate, within their in-house, weekly show titled “Rockets All-Access.” I recall they did run some brief montages between time-outs on the video screen during home games at Toyota Center as well.
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ZZ: Who do you think wins game four? What is the key to the Rockets winning the next game? The series?
Brian: I honestly think that we can win Game 4. The key for the Rockets is simply play 48 minutes of tenacious, unrelenting basketball. This turning off & on like a faucet-type approach is not conducive to the Rockets success in this series. Harden must take this game over, keep the pedal to floor and not let up.
It will need to be a collaborative effort from the role players – basically anybody not named Harden or Howard – to ensure victory. Josh Smith and Corey Brewer have to give it just a little more to help us over the hump. They’ve done a tremendous job in their respective roles this season but we will need them now more than ever.
Apr 28, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jason Terry (31) drives to the basket during the second quarter as Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea (5) defends in game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Yoni: I’ll go with a homer pick, and choose the Rockets. It’s a virtual must-win to try and regain home court in this series. The Rockets need to simply get James Harden rolling and keep feeding Dwight in the post. He may not score every time but it should open up shooters to hopefully knock down shots.
ZZ: Are you aware of the fact that Lute Olson’s grandson and also a former Arizona Wildcat is one of the Houston Rockets player development coaches? How has he contributed to the organization?
Brian: Matt Brase has contributed heavily to the organization; he has a strong track record of player development and doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty in doing so tirelessly. He started out as an assistant coach with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, our D-League affiliate and has worked his way up the ladder.
He is now the Director of Player Development for the Rockets. The fact that he’s an apple that didn’t fall too far from the Olson tree works in his favor. He and Nick Johnson go way back to the days when Brase used to hold basketball camps for middle-schoolers in the Tucson area to which Nick was a participant. The sky will continue to be the limit for Brase as he is a rising star just beginning his ascent in the organization.
Thank you Brian and Yoni, we hope to return the favor someday, we really learned a lot and you both know your stuff!
BEARDOWN!
Next: What? Jason McIntyre thinks Arizona is not even one of the top 25 teams next year?