The Houston Rockets have become one of the NBA’s best teams, and certainly, it’s most entertaining. They are led by head coach Mike D’Antoni who is known for his electrifying offenses and “seven-second” shot clocks for his teams when they have the ball. They have made the playoffs every year since 2013, and have been to the Western Conference Finals twice during that span- 2015 and 2018. What did they do this offseason to get over the hump?
Thanks to the Alec Burks and Nik Stauskas trade, the Rockets were without their 2019 first-round draft choice. They made two small moves in free agency, adding shooting guard Ben McLemore and power forward Anthony Bennett. Their big move of the offseason was the trade that sent point guard Chris Paul to the Thunder for point guard Russell Westbrook. The trade took both players by surprise. The Rockets roster is very talented as of this moment. Shooting guard James Harden leads the way with an astonishing 37.1 points per game to go along with 7.5 assists per game. Russell Westbrook is averaging 25.1 points per game to go along with 7.8 rebounds per game and 7.2 assists per game. Center Clint Capella is averaging 14.4 points per game to go along with 14.4 rebounds per game. Ben McLemore is averaging a solid 10.3 points per game off the bench.
The Rockets have a deep roster, but is it good enough to beat the Lakers? Time will tell.
Their division championship this season was the first time since 2004 and the second time since 1998 that someone other than the Spurs or Mavericks won a division that those two teams were in. In addition, the Rockets have won the Western Conference four times- 1981, 1986, 1994, and 1995. The Rockets have also won two championships, 1994, and 1995. That Houston Rockets team of the mid 1990's is considered to be one of the best in NBA history. Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Robert Horry, Kenny Smith, and Sam Cassell were all integral parts of those teams.
The Rockets went through some rebuilding recently following the retirement of Yao Ming, certainly one of the most popular players the NBA has ever seen, and are one their way up now. James Harden has blossomed since coming to Houston in a trade from Oklahoma City. Dwight Howard elected to sign with Houston in the 2013 offseason.
New Faces Make an Impact for Rockets
The Rockets also have an array of young talent coming off the bench as well such as defensive stalwart Terrance Jones. The Rockets finished the 2014-2015 regular season with a record of 56-26. good for the second seed in the Western Conference. The Rockets are expected to defeat the Mavericks in the first round, and will await the winner of the Clippers-Spurs series in round two.
The Houston Rockets entered the 2015 playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference. They began their playoff run against the seventh seeded Dallas Mavericks, who were going backwards as the season came to a close. The Rockets were expected to win this one easily, and they did, in five games, 4-1. The Rockets advanced to the second round where they met the 3rd seeded Los Angeles Clippers. This one was billed as going either way, and it went the full seven, with the Rockets prevailing 4 games to 3.
The Rockets then went on to the Western Conference Finals where they met the Golden State Warriors, the number one seed overall and owners of the league's best record in 2014-15. The Rockets were unable to overcome the odds and fell in five games to Golden State, who defeated Cleveland in the NBA Finals. So far this offseason, the Rockets have drafted Wisconsin Forward Sam Dekker, re-signed Corey Brewer, and signed Jason Terry as a free agent to improve their roster.
The Houston Rockets had a decent 2015-2016 season. The Rockets finished the season with a record of 41-41, good for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. They faced off against the top seed in the West, the Golden State Warriors, and lost in five games. In the draft, they would have had the 15th selection, but they made another one of those massive and complicated NBA trades involving draft choices and about 10 players that are impossible to explain in one sentence.
This off season, they decided their combination of Dwight Howard and James Harden wasn't going to work, so they let Howard walk, and he signed with the Atlanta Hawks. Meanwhile the Rockets chose re-sign James Harden to a four year, 118 million dollar contract extension.
So far this season, the moves have worked, as the Rockets currently sit with a record of 44-20, good for the three seed in the Western Conference, and many people say this is the team that could go into Oracle Arena, one of the toughest buildings in American sports at the moment to win a road game, and out-shoot the Warriors to steal one in a playoff series.
The Houston Rockets, with the highest profile offense in the league, entered the playoffs as the third seed in the Western Conference. After disposing of the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games in round one, the Rockets were bounced from the playoffs in round two by the San Antonio Spurs in six games. In the off season, the Rockets signed guard James Harden to a five-year contract extension worth 228 million dollars, the biggest in NBA history. The Rockets also grabbed one the biggest names in free agency, point guard Chris Paul, for five years and 107 million dollars. Many believe this loaded Rockets team can take the Golden State Warriors in a seven game series now.
The Houston Rockets began the season a year ago with sky-high expectations and met those expectations for the most part. They finished the regular season with 65 wins, which gave them the top overall seed in either conference. They dealt with their first two playoff opponents, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz, in five games a piece before meeting the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. A series that was all over the place ended with a Warriors win in game seven to advance.
Right now, there is not a more talented team in the NBA than the Houston Rockets top to bottom. Even so, they made some moves to try to bolster their roster. The Carmelo Anthony signing was a disaster, and he only played in a few games before leaving the team. He is still technically a member of the roster, but he hasn’t suited up since week two of the season. They are looking for a trade partner for him and should be able to find one as we move closer to the deadline. Speaking of trades, in August power forward Marquese Chriss and point guard Brandon Knight came to the Rockets in a four-player trade with the Suns. They join, as already stated before, a very talented roster. Shooting guard James Harden is on his way to winning the league’s MVP award this season. Harden is averaging almost 36 points per game to go along with 8.5 assists per game. Center Clint Capela averages 17.6 points per game and 12.6 rebounds per game. Shooting guard Eric Gordon gives them just over 16 points per game as well. Point Guard Chris Paul is healthy again and averaging 15.6 points per game and 8 assists per game.
Indeed the Rockets have a lot of talent, but can they turn into into a championship come June?