'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Houston Rockets are the top team in the Western Conference with a record of 22-4. They are currently on an 11-game win streak and are one of the best, if not the best team, in the NBA right now.
Daryl Morey has done a fine job this off-season of putting together this roster with the addition of some new pieces over the summer. The team has found a perfect balance between offense and defense and are starting to really find a rhythm.
With Chris Paul and James Harden adjusting perfectly to their new roles, can Harden and Paul take this team to the finish line?
Here are 5 reasons why the Houston Rockets might be the NBA champs this season :
#5 Roster
The Houston Rockets altered their roster to somehow make it deeper and even better compared to last season without losing much of their core and adding an All-Star point guard in the process.
Chris Paul and James Harden have proved in this active winning streak that they can co-exist together and can function at their optimum while getting a fair share of the ball in their hands.
Trevor Ariza is tried and tested in the Playoffs affecting the game on both ends of the floor. Ryan Anderson at the power forward position is a great streaky three-point shooter. Although he is a bit of a defensive liability, his ability to rebound the ball and shoot the ball makes it up for his flaws on the other end of the floor.
Clint Capela has solidified his place as the starting center for the Rockets and has only improved from their on out. He has taken his game to a whole new dimension on both ends of the floor this season and can be a real difference maker in the playoffs. Nene is the perfect backup center who provides valuable minutes of the bench.
Then you have the winner of the three-point contest last year in Eric Gordan, who is their spark off the bench and two great wing defenders in PJ Tucker and Luc Mbah A Moute, who have become an integral part of the rotation.
Although they have amongst the deepest rosters in the NBA, it will be interesting to see how D'Antoni uses that bench during playoff time as he is known for not going too deep into his bench come Playoff time.
#4 Improved Defense
Mike D’Antoni's teams are known for not playing defense and they rely on outscoring opponents instead of trying to contain them. But, championships are not won by playing only on one end of the floor and therefore this season the Rockets have found the perfect balance between defense and offense.
This is the best team that D'Antoni has coached in terms of their defense. In the current 11-game winning streak, they have the best defensive rating with 100.5 as well as the best offensive rating with 117.5.
The addition of PJ Tucker and Luc Mbah A Moute has added defensive versatility to their roster. Now the Rockets have three wing defenders that can defend multiple positions and switch without giving up any considerable size or speed. The lineup of Capela, Tucker, Luc, Ariza, and Paul have the ability to suffocate teams with great offensive talent like the Golden State Warriors. If Harden is put into this lineup, they can get the perfect balance of defense and offense.
Not to mention that they will now have enough bodies to throw at individuals like Kevin Durant and LeBron James to limit their scoring in the playoffs while the D Antonio system works its magic on the other end.
#3 Chris Paul
Harden was amongst the leaders in turnovers last season. The simple reason being that he had to carry a load of both scoring and distributing the ball which took a lot out of him. But now with the addition of Chris Paul, who is one of the best handlers of the ball in the game right now, Harden has the liberty to move around and concern himself to just scoring or just distributing. Harden is still second in assists in the league this season and that is because Harden is not pressured to come up with a play every single possession.
In the 12 games that Paul has played, the Rockets are 12-0. Rockets lead the league last year in three-point attempts, but the conversion rate was very less. Now with the inclusion of Paul into the lineup, the Rockets still lead the league in three-point attempts, but the conversion rate has improved drastically.
Paul has been playing most of the minutes with the bench players and thus has been provided with the responsibility of orchestrating the offense when Harden is sitting on the bench. Although he is 32 years old, Paul can still play defense and get his own shot whenever the team needs it.
#2 James Harden
James Harden has had one of the best stretches we have seen any individual have in the NBA as he has produced MVP stats year after year after year, and he only seems to be improving this year. During this 3-year stretch, Harden had been the runner-up to Steph Curry in 2015 and to Russell Westbrook last year. This year hasn't been any different as he has been putting up unbelievable stats night after night.
He leads the league with 31.6 points and 9.4 assists per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from beyond the arc. Apart from his increase in points per game from last season, he has improved his three-point shooting from 34.7% to 40.2% and reduced his turnovers per game from 5.7 to 4.3.
Harden is the motor behind the Rockets offense. Because of Harden’s insane ability to get to the rack at will, he is able to create multiple open shots for the teammates over the course of the game and no doubt can get his own shot at almost every possession.
Surprisingly, he has started putting effort on the defensive end of the floor and it has reflected in the games he has played thus far. After the disappointment of last year's game 6 against the San Antonio Spurs, Harden will be looking to redeem himself and make a mark in the Playoffs this time around.
#1 Competition
After playing 3 straight Finals in a trot, fatigue is bound to become a factor for the Warriors. As exceptional as this Warriors team is, reaching a 4th straight final is going to be a difficult task even for them as no team has been able to achieve that in NBA history. Not to mention the fact that Rockets have a formula for defeating the Warriors which has worked before.
Even though LeBron James has made 7 straight finals appearances and is still the best player in the world, we have seen him lose multiple times when he just doesn’t have enough help around him. This could well be the case this year. It is yet to be seen how much the team will improve after the return of Isaiah Thomas, but if the Rockets are somehow able to defeat the Warriors in a possible Western Conference Finals, they should favor themselves to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals.
The Boston Celtic’s roster although very talented and versatile is young and inexperienced. Apart from Kyrie Irving, nobody has any Finals experience. Granted that the Rockets have themselves never been on the biggest stage of the game, but given an option, the Rockets are deeper and experienced and are well equipped to defeat the Celtics.
Guess the Lakers players!
