Rockets Must Learn to Keep Emotions in Check

The Houston Rockets are set to face the consequences after brawling with the Miami Heat late in their loss on Sunday.

The fighting felt like a domino effect of terror for the Rockets that saw Fred VanVleet, Ime Udoka, Ben Sullivan, Jalen Green and Amen Thompson ejected for various reasons.

It all began when VanVleet was called for a five-second violation on an inbounds pass that could have led to a play that would have put the Rockets back in the game. Instead, a call was made that led to VanVleet arguing with a referee who ejected him.

VanVleet came to the Rockets as a veteran presence, and his maturity should be seen as something to look up to for the team. However, getting ejected in that situation wasn't an example of that.

Emotions are part of the game, and VanVleet shouldn't be faulted for feeling his feelings, but it was part of the reason why the Rockets lost.

Udoka's subsequent outburst and Thompson's pulling of Tyler Herro didn't help the situation either.

It's clear that the team needs to look at itself in the mirror and find a way to continue bringing the intenstiy necessary to win whilst also channeling it in a way that doesn't hurt them in the long run.

The Rockets are back in action tomorrow when they take on the Dallas Mavericks.