HOUSTON — It was only Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series with the Los Angeles Clippers, but it was impossible for the Houston Rockets to avoid the sense that the situation was getting dire for them on Wednesday night. James Harden had just picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter, and Coach Kevin McHale weighed his options.
The Rockets had lost Game 1 and were now trailing the Clippers by 11 points in Game 2, with little margin for error. But McHale said he could tell that Harden was too excitable, that he was in danger of picking up another quick foul.