The Houston Rockets were first on the docket as the Las Vegas Summer League kicked off on Thursday afternoon at UNLV. The Rockets have made a habit of being one of the best teams in the LVSL and they didn't disappoint in their first game of this year's event. Taking on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, Houston needed some big free throws from James White in the closing seconds to ice the 73-69 win.
"It definitely feels good to get the first win," White told HOOPSWORLD after the game. "We have some new guys and guys who didn't get to play, so we were just working on our chemistry today and as the game moved on we got better. I'm looking forward to winning more games."
White led a balanced Rockets attack with 14 points, hitting 7-8 from the line, while collecting five rebounds. Balance is what the Rockets coaches are preaching, and six players had at least eight points in the win.
"I think we did a good job of running the offense, for the most part," said White. "We're not like robots out there. We have a continuity offense where guys are supposed to cut and move constantly. We have the guys out there who can make the right plays and we're all very unselfish, and that was the key to winning today."
White, of course, has a NBADL slam dunk championship and a San Antonio Spurs championship ring under his belt, as well as his share of games in the LVSL. Still, he feels he needs to prove he can compete at the NBA level.
"I'm just looking to continue to improve and show how much better I've gotten over the years. I've never played well here, for some reason. I never play well in Vegas. This year I want to be able to show that I have improved and am a better player than I've been in the past."
"I think we need to see general improvement," Rockets GM Daryl Morey told HOOPSWORLD about White's summer league plan. "A lot of the summer league players are good players and we like his ability to score and we also believe he can be a pretty good lock-down defender over time, so we want to see that improve here, as well."
The Rockets, of course, have a tough road ahead. White was on the bench watching when Yao Ming was injured and the gaping hole his absence will leave hangs even over the summer league team.
"It's going to be tough, because any time you lose a guy like Yao Ming who's an All-Star and gives you so much on the offensive end, it's going to hurt. At the same time, we also played well when we didn't have Yao," said White. "We played more up-tempo and we have guys who play well in that style, especially with Trevor Ariza coming in. Then there are guys like me and Joey (Dorsey) who can run the floor. We have a team that can really push the ball and we're going to have to play that way to have any success."
The departure of Ron Artest also creates a potential opportunity for White, who's hoping to move up in the rotation next season.
"It's definitely a golden opportunity for me if the team goes young and rebuilds for next season. It always helps if you can move up in the rotation a little bit. I'm just going to go in and try to show what I can do. I'm ready to do whatever I need to do to help this team win."
He's off to a great start here, leading his team to a win in their first game of the Las Vegas Summer League.
Finally: Summer League Games Online!
You asked for it . . .you BEGGED for it . . .and now you can have it. Twenty-one NBA teams will compete in the annual Las Vegas Summer League, and while you watch your favorite team play you'll get a chance to hear commentary from the coaches, GM's and other decision-makers for each team talk about roster moves! Sign up here to catch all the action live - or on demand - from Las Vegas!
