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4. Houston Rockets- 10 Games (55-27 to 65-17)
Even the biggest detractors of the Golden State Warriors would agree that they are one of the greatest all-time NBA teams. Since the Oakland franchise acquired Kevin Durant, they have been 32-6 in the playoffs. Half of those losses came to the Houston Rockets this season. In fact, the Rockets were one Chris Paul hamstring injury and a historically bad shooting performance away from defeating the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
While last season’s Rockets were definitely a great team, they were handily defeated by the San Antonio Spurs and would likely have met a similar fate against the Warriors. The biggest difference between last season and this season for the Rockets has obviously been the addition of Chris Paul. While he is no longer the same player he was in his prime, Paul still has the ability to be an elite point guard for 30-32 minutes every night. That production was vital for the Rockets’ offense, which had the highest offensive rating this season.
Another reason for that latter number was likely MVP James Harden, who became even better this season. The Houston guard was an incredibly efficient scorer, averaging 30.4 points with a true shooting percentage of 61.9% (both improvements on the previous season). The final aspect of Houston’s improvement was its acquisition of PJ Tucker and Luc Mbah o Moute, who provided three-point shooting marksmanship and defensive excellence.
The former allowed Coach Mike D’Antoni to run his signature offense while the latter (along with Paul’s intensity) transformed Houston from an average defensive team to one of the league’s best. The Rockets will need to get even better if they are to defeat the Warriors next season. Acquiring LeBron James (a possibility) couldn’t hurt.
