Alperen Sengun needed a few minutes to find the tempo. Once he got it, the Houston Rockets star guided his side to a vital Game 5 win over the LA Lakers in the NBA Playoffs. Emmet Ryan on how Sengun showed poise and maturity at the right time.
The Houston Rockets have kept the dream alive, at least for now. As you’ve no doubt seen or heard mentioned countless times by now; no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA Playoffs.
Alperen Sengun didn’t play like a man worried about survival. Despite a disjointed start, he played with a relaxed confidence for the bulk of this outing. That was enough to bring the series back to Houston.
A far from ideal opening
Alperen Sengun was a touch off early in this game. His offensive focus simply wasn’t there. Sengun seemed primarily concerned with his efforts to lock down the LA Lakers’ DeAndre Ayton. It was a rocky ride to say the least, with Ayton clearly having the advantage in the first quarter.
The problems for Sengun were compounded by some bad decisions offensively. Granted, this was a challenge across the board for the Houston Rockets and not just Alpi. It was just rotten to watch at times and you’d be forgiven for Rockets fans losing hope early.
Through the first three games of this series, it would have been tough to see Houston recovering mentally. Game 4 however showed a shift in mindset. The need to survive fuelled something but, more than that, the overall self-belief in being able to handle adversity has improved.
BallinEurope is ramping up its YouTube game this season. Subscribe to our channel now for player exclusives, analysis videos, and much more.
A true facilitator
The term facilitator in basketball often ends up being shorthand for someone who racks up assists. Alperen Sengun reminded us, once he found the rhythm, that there’s a lot more to it than that on Wednesday night. He found ways to work in second and third options by truly stringing things together.
It wasn’t just about the pass for the shot but rather thinking two or three passes ahead to conduct the offensive half court for the Houston Rockets. That was also reflected in his defensive play where he worked to make the switches around him flow more naturally.
There was a knock-on effect on his own direct play. With all of the pieces in tune, there was more room for Sengun to pick his spot and attack. It was a level of comfort that hardly screamed of a survival game in the NBA Playoffs. Yet the LA Lakers were largely powerless to prevent it.
BallinEurope has a book, a real life actual book called I Like it Loud, and you can buy it on Amazon now. It’s here as a book and here in Kindle form.
Orchestrating a miracle?
The two standout plays for Alperen Sengun came early in the third quarter. The challenge he was bringing the LA Lakers kept on compounding and they ramped up the coverage. Sengun first found Tari Eason for an easy assist after drawing a double team. A few minutes later, under triple coverage, he fed Reed Sheppard for a score.
This was a controlled and unpanicked performance, even in the closing stages when the Lakers mounted a rally. Houston Rockets fans have to ask why it can’t always be like this. With a healthy Kevin Durant, this type of conductor style Sengun should make the Rockets a nightmare but we didn’t see that in the regular season.
As it is, Durant is still out but the Rockets survive in the NBA Playoffs. There will be an enormous amount of expectation when the series returns to Houston for Game 6. It will be the third straight elimination game for this side. They are halfway to history but they need to keep in tune.
Leave a Reply