NBA Playoffs: 3 reasons why Houston Rockets are only a first-round elimination team

#2 Houston's lack of a bona fide center will result in matchup problems

PJ Tucker is the makeshift center for Houston right now

Houston would likely be heading into the playoffs as a fifth seed who are without a traditional center. That does not sound like the description of would-be NBA champions.

For now, D'Antonio is putting his trust in 6'5" PJ Tucker to take care of the center spot and guard bigs like Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis when the bell rings. Although PJ has defended centers for 13.3% of his defensive matchup time this year so far, the playoffs are projected to pose a whole different set of hurdles.

The Western Conference leaders in the Los Angeles Lakers host legit tall and talented bigs in JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis and LeBron James. The Rockets just haven't fortified their rear end enough to make it big in the postseason, when adversity hits.

It would be a ridiculous exaggeration to use their recent wins as justified arguments for playoff success. Their current defensive rating (110.0) is not even top 10 in the league; the offensive-minded Rockets would be gunning to outscore teams as they have in the past, which would be considerably tougher in the playoffs.