Rockets up 2-0: Howard and Smith hook up to smash on Mavericks

Nobody in their right mind is laughing at Josh Smith now.

A bit of a joking point earlier in the season when the Detroit Pistons waived him, eating substantial salary over the next few seasons, Smith quietly found a groove with the Houston Rockets as the season progressed. Somehow, people slept on a former Defensive Player of the Year candidate assuming a reserve role on a roster that was already thought to be a title contender.

The Dallas Mavericks surely won't overlook Smith again, even if there's little they can do to stop him. Smith was a major factor in a 111-99 win Tuesday that gave the Rockets a 2-0 series lead, providing a two-way force, throwing six alley-oop passes to Dwight Howard and closing the game out with an emphatic nail in the coffin.

One of the main arguments for James Harden as MVP is that he's carried a thin team all year, but with Howard back, Smith fitting in and the rotation trimmed for the playoffs, this roster doesn't look half bad at all.

The Mavericks, on the other hand, look just about done. Dirk Nowitzki struggled to a 3-of-14 mark, Rajon Rondo was a complete afterthought - more on that below - the team shot 37.1 percent overall and they simply don't have the wing depth to make up for the absences of Devin Harris and Chandler Parsons - Richard Jefferson's dunking notwithstanding.

Turning Point

At 11:26 of the third quarter, Rondo picked up his fourth foul of the game. He wouldn't see the floor again, finishing the game with four points, two rebounds, an assist and a -11 rating.

The turning point wasn't so much Rondo's removal but the admission on the part of head coach Rick Carlisle that "Playoff Rondo," the version of the point guard many expected to turn up for the postseason after a moribund regular season, isn't walking through the door.

"I liked the way other guys were playing," Carlisle said, "so I elected not to put him back in." 

The Mavericks simply can't afford the spacing issues Rondo creates on offense, and the gains on the defensive end don't appear to be enough to warrant keeping him on the floor. The Mavericks have been outscored by 36 points in the 37 minutes Rondo has played in the series and have outscored the Rockets by 14 in the series' other 59 minutes.

Much as Smith was impressive (15 points, eight rebounds and a career playoff-high nine assists) and Harden was Harden (24 points, five rebounds, six assists), it was Howard who stood out, dominating at both ends of the floor.

The revived 7-footer finished with 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, hit 8-of-11 from the line, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished two dimes. He added two blocked shots, giving him seven on the series, and the Rockets have outscored the Mavs by 34 points in Howard's 50 minutes in the series.

Far more interesting than his role in this series, which feels decided, is how Howard changes the picture for the Rockets in future rounds. If Howard plays as good as he's looked of late - and the playoffs don't include exhausting back-to-backs - then Houston is suddenly a far bigger threat against the Los Angeles Clippers or San Antonio Spurs in the second round.

Want to see some terrific team chemistry and an even better pocket pass? Okay, here you go:

Howard was all over the defensive end of the floor, first kicking off a first-half block party, and later erasing this J.J. Barea offering:

Howard was getting it done at the offensive end, too:

This was the norm, not the exception:

Game 1: Houston 118, Dallas 108 (Houston leads 1-0)
Game 2: Houston 111, Dallas 99 (Houston leads 2-0)
Game 3: Friday, April 24, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 4: Sunday, April 26, 7 p.m. ET (TNT)
*Game 5: Tuesday, April 28, TBD
*Game 6: Thursday, April 30, TBD
*Game 7: Saturday, May 2, TBD

*If necessary

Alternate Series at a Glance