He Talks the Talk, Makes Shot : Rockets: Maxwell sinks a three-pointer in the last minute to shoot down the Clippers in Game 5.

Carl Herrera of the Houston Rockets looks at teammate Vernon Maxwell this way:

“When you can do things, you should go ahead and talk. He knows he can do things. So he talks.”

Simple enough logic. Also, in light of Saturday’s Clipper-Rocket playoff game, dead-on.

Having taken on the Clippers and guard Ron Harper verbally before the game, Maxwell backed up his talk by making the three-point shot that was the key to the Rockets’ 84-80 victory at the Summit.

After the Clippers had beaten the Rockets on Wednesday to even the best-of-five series, 2-2, Maxwell told reporters that Houston would “kick the Clippers’ butts” in the fifth game. He also noted that he would personally “get after Ron Harper’s butt.”

Fighting words. Brave words, too, considering Maxwell’s platform.

Normally the Rockets’ starter at shooting guard, he had played only six minutes in the series (all in the second half of Game 4) because of a wrist injury.

But Maxwell wound up looking good Saturday when his three-pointer gave Houston a two-point lead with 56 seconds remaining.

With the Clippers’ Lester Conner caught among the bodies close to the basket, Maxwell worked himself open on the right side, where Rocket point guard Kenny Smith fed him the ball.

“All net,” Smith said. “That’s what I thought. He had his balance, his feet under him. I gave it to him toward his right hand, and, when he gets it there, he’s about automatic.”

For most of the afternoon, Maxwell was something less than automatic.

Before he attempted the decisive three-pointer, he had made only three of 14 shots.

He played with a small pad taped to his left wrist, broken April 17, the injury limiting his ability to handle the ball.

“My ballhandling is shaky right now,” he said later. “I can’t do much with my left hand. I’ve got to let Kenny, Scotty (Brooks) and Winston (Garland) handle the ball as much as they can.”

Nonetheless, with the ball in his hands and the game on the line, Maxwell didn’t hesitate.

“The only thing I could do is sling it up there,” he said. “Guess it was my day.”

It was the sort of thing the Rockets have come to expect from the nervy guard they simply call “Max.”

Although he played sparingly last Wednesday, Maxwell mounted his soap box after the game to say he expected to play at least 20 minutes in Game 5 and would make the Clippers’ Harper pay for talking so much during Game 4.

Maxwell played 32 minutes Saturday.

As for his comments about Harper, he smiled and said: “I was trying to psych myself up, approach (Harper) like he’s (Michael) Jordan, but I couldn’t do it.”

Said Smith of Maxwell’s talking: “He’s one of the best. It pumps me up to hear him talk. He gets me going. He gets you into your game mentally.”

The point guard paused.

“Fortunately for us,” he added, “we have some guys, once they do talk, they can back it up.”