National Basketball Association

Why is Houston struggling so badly on defense?

Published May. 12, 2015 11:34 a.m. ET

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The Houston Rockets entered the postseason with the sixth-best defense in the NBA, and they did so without three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard in the lineup for most of the year.

But they've collapsed in the playoffs, where the only three teams with worse defensive ratings were swept in the opening round. Why is this? Sports on Earth's Michael Pina takes a look right here:

"Injuries aside, the Rockets just don't look like the team they were all year long. Their rotations are delayed or completely ineffective, particularly against L.A.'s basic high screen-and-roll. According to Synergy, Houston is allowing 1.17 points per possession against roll men and 0.87 against ball handlers in the playoffs, good for second and fifth worst among all teams, respectively."

Credit is due to the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers, two teams that know how to put the ball in the basket, but the Rockets simply aren't playing like the same team that formed a cement wall on the perimeter throughout the regular season.

This needs to change in Game 5, or Houston's season will end much sooner than the team expected.

(h/t: Sports on Earth)

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports