In Flight Ep. 2: How We Win | All Access Rockets First Month of Season

In Flight Ep. 2: How We Win | All Access Rockets First Month of Season

The Rockets beat the Bucks in Milwaukee. And this was a gritty comeback
that wasn’t handed to them. They earned this win. The NBA is back Good to see you. Have a great year. How are things in Houston? Amazing. As great an atmosphere as there is… Opening Night here in Oklahoma City. Into the second overtime we go. 20 lead changes, 11 ties. What a classic Opening Night. And now Houston tries to take the lead. Sengun to the basket… Sengun scores! Durant guarding SGA. He turns, he pumps, got fouled by Durant with 2.3 to go. The Thunder lead by one. Houston will have one last chance. Jabari Smith… this time for the win… no good! I think the most important thing about team chemistry is knowing
that it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s something that has to be built,
something that has to be grown through wins, losses, through obstacles,
through tough times. Houston is now 0-2 to start the season. When you lose, when you don’t play good
like it weighs on you. And it should being a competitor. Oor biggest thing is just staying with it. We know we get clicking on all cylinders it’s going to be scary, for sure. Rockets will run the bounce ahead
to Durant. This Rockets team as the season has progressed,
the ball movement is getting better and better. It’s chemistry. Oh how about that sequence
at both ends of the floor! Who has the number one offense
in the entire NBA? The Houston freaking Rockets
proving that if you’re big enough and you’re mean enough, and you have Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun,
you can build an elite offense. Rockets clicking on all cylinders. That’s fun basketball. Impressive win tonight by the Rockets. Best offense in the league and continue
that way. I feel like I’m watching like a scientific experiment. We throw out some lineups
that are just not traditional. It kind of is like a science experiment. Sometimes it’s gonna blow up, sometimes it’s gonna work. When you play physical, when you play strong
and you have that grit to it, it kind of works. And the Rockets will win four in a row. Four wins in a row for this Rockets team.
What do you like the most about what you all are building? What I like the most? Winning. With Fred getting injured, everybody
has to step up in different ways. And, I think it’s just on us to just figure out how to mesh it. Good, good, good, good, good. So bring it in, bring it in, bring it in. Build that consistency, build
that camaraderie and just put it together. Play with pace. Doesn’t matter what we’re running if we don’t play with pace. Here we go. Get them open. Get them open Alpi! There you go. Good. If they’re full denial, you got a back cut. Got it back cut there. If not, set up. Get open. Get yourself open. It’s cool incorporating new guys, but it’s also easy when you’re incorporating guys
that care about winning. and do the things that fit the culture
that we built, you know what I’m saying? So when you’re adding guys like Josh adding guys like Kevin
who care so much about winning, are such good competitors… Good hands, play it. Keep playing. It’s not a hard fit. Ime has been great. You know him being a defensive-minded
coach, me being a defensive player Him being Nigerian, me being Nigerian. I find playing defense
very like fun to me. Boy this kid is something special defensively. Josh Okogie certainly has heart. He’s got the motor. The absolute “I will outwork anybody on the floor” attitude. There’s that guy JO “Non-stop.” “Non-stop” Josh. My nickname “Non-stop” came eighth grade. I had a gym teacher. He came to watch one of my games and the next day when he seen me, he was like “Bro, like it was so fun watching you play. You’re like non-stop
and you just keep going just like this. Just like this.” Blocked by Okogie. Wow. And punching it home. Playing here kinda emulates, you know, that nickname as well and helps me fit right in. Welcome to Memphis for the start of a three-game road trip. The Rockets are looking to extend their winning streak to five. Poked away by Okogie! Wrestling with Jaren Jackson Jr. Beat him to the ball
and then beat him to the rim. He is so good. Just bringing what Houston needs. That’s why Coach Udoka’s starting him. The energy. The physicality. Smith swings it to Okogie. He’s wide open. Another three for him and another game for him a double figures. Okogie is making them pay. Okogie with the hot hand. They leave him again! His third three. And another impressive performance for Ime Udoka’s Rockets tonight as they take it 124-109. Josh, how were you able to find your rhythm and keep it all night? My teammates, coaching staff. You know they tell me to keep shooting. They believe in myself, I believe in myself. So just keep shooting. During the season, it’s definitely an emotional rollercoaster. You know you win, you’re happy. You lose a couple, now you sad. But just to keep things light, that helps us, you know, kind of get stabilized and find that middle ground throughout the season. I think what makes good team chemistry is just getting to know about people and being interested in your teammates on and off the court. Your loyalty and commitment since the day you stepped foot on campus. like the saying goes, you are the last of a dying breed. Three, two, one… Oh, yeah. It was a great moment for me. Made me feel very loved. Very appreciated. I want to thank my coaches and teammates for coming to support me. Y’all don’t even know how much this means to me just to see y’all here in Tyrone, Georgia, watching me get my jersey retired. So I want to say thank y’all.
Just to see that is just a blessing. I don’t got no more words. Y’all got me cryin’ man, I’m done. Appreciate y’all, love y’all. I didn’t expect the whole team to be there. They know if they was getting their jersey retired in their home, home city, home state, I would be there too. Do you remember me? Yeah I remember you. Do you remember me? Yeah! All the students at the school. Everybody there was super excited. So it’s a moment that’ll never be forgotten in my school’s history. It just shows the love the teammates got for me, love I got for them. I appreciate them for that. A fantastic matchup in the middle.
Wembanyama and Sengun. A little bully ball from Sengun. Wembanyama fades… and hits! And the Rockets will come up short here in San Antonio. Their win streak ends at five. This afternoon from the Fiserv Forum here in downtown Milwaukee, the 5-3 Rockets look to get back on track as they face the 6-3 Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks game, I know we ended up being down like 14. Everything too easy for the Bucks right now. It was kinda like an uphill battle in the
second half and we just stay with it. Rockets trying to mount the comeback. Reed gave us a huge spark. Just the defense, the energy. Picked by Sheppard, finds Tari Eason who slams it down! Exactly what you like to see. Poked away by Sheppard again! Amazing hands. Runs to the corner, takes the shot. Hits the shot! That’s amazing stuff from Reed Sheppard. Defense turning into offense. We kind of fed off of that. Flying around playing together. We knew it would be a big road win. Here we go. One-on-one Durant and Giannis. Back to Smith shooting for the lead. He makes it! And the Rockets get the lead back! First lead since late first quarter. Mano a mano Durant and Turner. Rises up, shoots and scores. Eighty seconds to go. Rockets were down 14. Up by a deuce. Can the Rockets do it? Slip. Slip pass into Sengun. Turned back by Giannis. Still at it. Flipped it in! How about the patience from Sengun and the trust from Durant. What a fourth quarter for the Rockets. It’s a four point Houston lead now. Now to Giannis, And then Sengun fouled him. Rockets could use at least one more miss. Gotta get this rebound. Which they do. Sengun behind the back shakes him. Loses Giannis again. Pirouettes on Turner… it goes down! Plus the foul! That’s incredible stuff from Alperen Sengun! This was a gritty comeback. How we stayed together in the fourth. That’s what I love about this team. Togetherness, brotherhood and winning. Reed was turning defense into offense today. What did you see from Reed? I mean, he was huge man. He was huge. He was the reason why we won this game. I think that changed the momentum for us. It was a good team win. The Rockets beat the Bucks and come home
with two wins on this three-game road trip. Even after the games like San Antonio,
it brings us closer together. You know, because we understand
we lose together, we win together. That shows you how important, you know,
going through adversity is for a team. So we use that to band us together, and it helps us win games like this tonight. First one got the city in the background. Just hit every detail man. Got the goatee look a little scruffy beard on the side. You know, good detail. Make sure you get one of these. Fans started lining up four hours before the doors opened. These guys really wanted that Kevin Durant bobblehead giveaway. The Rockets are now winners of eight of their last nine games. It’s been a battle tonight. Orlando has led for the overwhelming majority of this game. Time not your friend if you’re Houston. Durant on top. Durant pulling back shooting for the tie. And he gets it! Kevin Durant is cold! You got a tie game, now you got to get a stop. Orlando with a chance to win it. Bane comes in the paint… has it stuffed! And now it’s Houston’s opportunity to win this thing. Durant loses his footing! Falls down! Picked up by Black! Oh no! 1.7 to go. Misses it. Rockets still have an opportunity to send this thing to OT. You can go direct to Sengun, shimmy, throw a hook up. So what you’re telling me is that there’s still a chance. That’s it! Oh Sengun hit the hook shot at the horn! And the game is tied at 102! And we’ve got bonus basketball tonight! Pandemonium inside the building! Stays with the play. Sengun still has the ball. He’s working, goes behind the back to Adams! One minute to go in overtime. Still only at one-point game. This can ice it. Durant rises up, Durant scores! And the Rockets have won the game! Somehow, someway, the Rockets’ winning streak continues at four straight. Now nine wins in Houston’s
last ten games. Once we got a tie game,
we felt like it was our game. So everybody came in and contributed. Man, it was some big minutes, big plays. Alpi with the big hook shot
to go into overtime man, so… KD like doesn’t even care what he scores. He just want to win the game. I can still take took those shots, but I trust KD a lot right now. You know our team, our chemistry, it’s gonna get better and better. There’s just so many things that go into the work. Chemistry… it’s not something that just, you put people together and it clicks. We know we got the talent in-house, but it’s just on us to build that consistency, build that camaraderie, and just put it together. We can be as good as we want to be. I wouldn’t put a ceiling on this team. I think we’re destined for great things,
and we continue to work at it each and every day.

Welcome to In Flight, a season-long all-access docuseries taking you behind the scenes with the Houston Rockets. 🚀

In Episode 2, relive the first month of the Rockets season as players develop chemistry with new additions to the team. Watch behind the scenes of the huge wins, exclusive interviews, and mic’d up content.

🎥 Subscribe now and catch every episode of In Flight as the Rockets take off!

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