MINNEAPOLIS — When Damian Lillard drilled the 3-pointer to beat Houston in Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs last season, the Rockets left Portland knowing that they had to do one thing if they were going to become legitimate contenders in the powerful Western Conference.
They had to become a better defensive team.
Assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff took on the task, and the changes he has implemented have been a smashing success early this season. The Rockets are second in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions, third in field-goal percentage defense and third in points allowed per game, helping them to a 16-4 record that is the second-best start in the league.
"Last year at the end of the playoffs, we sat down and went over a lot of stuff," coach Kevin McHale said. "We just had to get better defensively. We had to get more disruptive. JB Bickerstaff has done a great job."
Even more impressive is that the Rockets have been so successful while playing almost half of their games without their two best defensive players — Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley. Howard has only played 10 games and Beverley eight because of injuries, but new swingman Trevor Ariza and veteran Jason Terry have been instrumental in instilling a new focus and attention to detail on that side of the floor.
Bickerstaff, one of the rising young assistants in the game, said he watched video of Howard's dominant days in Orlando and consulted with other coaches including his father, Bernie, and Mike Brown, a respected defensive strategist, to come up with a plan to address the Rockets' issues on defense.
"The last play in Portland was kind of a microcosm of our entire season," Bickerstaff said. "There was miscommunication and it ended with a wide open look for Damian that cost us.
"The biggest thing is the guys have bought in and are committed on that end of the floor," he said. "Now you hear guys in tight games saying, 'We're one of the best defensive teams in the league. Let's get a stop. This is what we do.'"
