PROTECT THE PAINT

Trevor Ariza of the Houston Rockets celebrated his ring ceremony with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday night.

He overcame a woeful shooting night (2 for 12 from the field) by contributing a solid all around game of 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks helping the Rockets defeat the Lakers 101 to 91.

Ariza got his ring and then did his thing. (Credit: yahoo.com)

Ariza and company have already been turning heads this season by playing far above what was to be expected of them. Without Yao and McGrady, Ariza has instantly seized the light as Houston’s go to guy.

Alongside Aaron Brooks, Houston has two young and reliable building blocks.

Brooks and Ariza are cornerstones of the new school Houston. (Credit: picapp.com)

Everyone already knew Ariza is a defensive stalwart, and although his shooting last night might make you think otherwise, he is blooming into a complete player.

He is off to a 40% FG shooting percentage, but over his career he is 46%, and as he becomes more accustomed to shooting in volume, he should catch back up to his normal rates.

Ariza got his ring, and beat his old team.

I tip my hat to the Houston brass. They got rid of the problematic Ron Artest while managing to add younger players to offset the loss of the league’s best center. In doing so, the Rockets are still capable of competing to win this year.

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