Eric Gordon did not dance. He did not shimmy. He barely, kind of pumped a fist, fighting back even a smile. He had banked in a running 50-footer and acted as impassively as if Blake Griffin fired another fastball to his shoulder blades.
The Rockets had treated the game much in the same way. There were a few celebrations along the way. James Harden, having made his return after missing seven games with a strained hamstring, high-stepped around the floor after Gordon's bomb. But as ragged as the Rockets were to open the game, and as rusty as Harden clearly was, they acted as if it was expected all along when they pulled away.