The Rockets' apparent success was exposed as a sham.
They were in no position to go toe-to-toe with the Pacers. The Pacers had only lost to the San Antonio Spurs because Su Xi was having a bit too much fun bricking shots. The Rockets couldn't offer that same challenge. Their defensive players were utter garbage, and Su Xi had no interest in padding his stats against them.
Time to play a more tactical game, then.
The moment they did, the Rockets were done for.
In the first quarter, the Rockets scored 21 points to the Pacers' 33.
The Rockets managed 23 in the second quarter, but the Pacers' score had already ballooned to 68 by halftime.
By halftime, the gap had widened to 24 points.
What was the point of even playing?
Tracy McGrady had a rough night, harassed relentlessly by Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson. In the first half, the Rockets' offense relied entirely on McGrady's scoring.
