"Fuck, what kind of defense was that?!"
Watching TV at home, Draymond Green couldn't help but curse. The Rockets had let Harrell dunk with ease right from the opening possession, leaving him deeply disappointed.
This was the first time Green had watched a game at home this season that had nothing to do with him. He wanted to witness the Grizzlies' record-setting 25-game winning streak to start the season get broken, not watch the Grizzlies steamroll weak opponents!
He had thought the Rockets would make the Grizzlies feel some pain, but instead, the Grizzlies had landed the first heavy blow on the Rockets.
But in truth, the Rockets had wanted to strike first as well. They just couldn't help it—Anderson looked like an old clunker in front of Harrell, unable to get moving at all.
The moment Harrell took off, he left Anderson behind.
It wasn't that the Rockets weren't trying; the gap was simply too large!
Green had thought Harrell was still that reckless rookie from last season's Western Conference Finals, the guy who couldn't do anything right. But he was long past that.
This season, Harrell ranked among the league's best in finishing after pick-and-rolls.
His offensive game was far superior to that of rougher players like Capela.
Although Harrell possessed explosive athleticism and relied mostly on finishing spoon-fed looks, he actually had skill.
After cutting to the rim, he didn't merely rely on brute force. This season, Harrell had even been focusing on training his ball-handling offense and post-up game.
Those were things pure rim-running finishers simply didn't possess.
Once he cut inside, Harrell could score in all kinds of situations.
Joerger knew about Ryan Anderson's weaknesses—his slow mobility and poor rim protection—so he prescribed the right medicine.
Rather than having Jokic wrestle Anderson inch by inch