Eric Gordon has been, as the kids say, “cheeks” lately. Cheeks is a reference to butt cheeks, I have learned. So when we say “Eric Gordon is cheeks” that means he plays like he’s just a butt that somehow can move and think. It doesn’t make sense to me but not much does these days.
How “cheeks” has Gordon been? Well, this is his first twenty-point game since he scored fifty back in late January (remember that?). And it’s not like he hasn’t been shooting enough shots to make it to twenty points. His volume of attempts is just as healthy as ever. It’s just that he can’t make any shots. Some of this slump can be attributed to his persistent injury issues, but most of it can be attributed to the fact that his butt cheeks are getting in the way. No, wait, I messed that up. I keep forgetting we’re talking about metaphorical cheeks here. I think.
His first game in The Bubb, Gordon had 13 points on 15 shots, went 1-of-9 from three, and had six turnovers to go along with zero assists. I’m sure Rockets fans were getting anxious after that one, thinking that Gordon was going to single-handedly tank their chances against the Thunder by being a bricklayer through the entire series. Those fears have been pushed aside for now as Gordon had a good game tonight (good for him is shooting above 40% from the field), but I’ll have my popcorn at the ready if Gordon starts playing poorly again and instigates a worldwide Rockets fan meltdown.