Rockets blazing
T the start of the season, the Golden State Warriors were the hands-down favorite to win another title. All the other teams were just pretenders at best. But after a extending their winning streak to a league-best 17 games, the Houston Rockets look poised to give the Warriors and other Western Conference teams a run for their money.
Regular season records are not the best indicators of playoff performance but it’s a good gauge. One just needs to look at the 73-9 (win-loss) 2016 Warriors who had the best record in league history only to fall to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Currently, the Rockets have the best record in the Western Conference (5113) and have been running roughshod over top-tier teams during their win streak. These include waylaying the San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, Cavaliers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Leading the charge is guard James Harden who I think will finally bring home his first Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Harden is leading the league in scoring (31 points per game) and is among the leaders in assists and steals with nearly 9 and 2 per game, respectively. Harden is just so difficult to stop on offense since he can blow by you, take the long three, or get the contact and go to the free throw line. He is simply unstoppable one on one.
Despite the knock on him, statistics show that Harden is actually a good isolation and pick-and-roll defender.
Of course, Harden finally has the supporting cast to take his Rockets over the top. Hall- of- Fame point guard Chris Paul is still very effective despite being in his early 30’s. He is still providing good defense, isolation offense, and effective passing.
The Paul and Harden combination has been the main reason why the Rockets boast of the best offensive rating in league history producing 115.7 points per 100 possessions.
Aside from the two, the Rockets have a complete line-up that can go toe-totoe against any team. They have a lot of shooters (Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon), they have a rim protector and rebounder (Clint Capela), and they have perimeter defenders (Trevor Ariza, Luc Mbah a Moute). Plus they have a brain thrust composed of general manager Daryl Morey, who built this team with his analytics, and coach Mark D’Antoni, who is really the architect behind the up-tempo offenses that rely on three-pointers and smaller line-ups.
Truly, the Rockets have it all and they are playing loose, as evidenced by the ease they are beating their opponents. Only a major injury or two will stop this team from the Western Conference Finals, and a match-up with their nemesis Golden State.
This is the Rocket’s time and this is their best opportunity to finally bring home a crown more than 20 years after the franchise’s last title.