The Team the Warriors Should Fear Come Playoff Time

There have been a numerous amount of teams that have impressed this season with where they are in the standings. For example, teams such as the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Toronto Raptors have all exceeded expectations. Though these teams have shown to be capable of winning, none of them pose a real threat to the Golden State Warriors. There is only one team in the NBA that has a chance to knock off the Warriors this season and steamroll past any other team that comes in their path, and that team is the Houston Rockets.

Why the Rockets?

The Houston Rockets are currently placed 5th in the West with a record of 29-20. They recently just got their All-Star point guard Chris Paul back, as well as their star scorer off the bench in Eric Gordon.

While they are still without their big man Clint Capela, the reigning MVP James Harden has single-handedly carried this Rockets team by averaging an astonishing 36.3 points, 8.2 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game. He is currently on a historic run as he has now had 23 consecutive 30+ point games. While his numbers have jumped due to him having to score nearly every possession, these statistics are still truly incredible. These numbers have allowed the Rockets to stay in the playoff race in the West.

The Rockets have shown that they can still win games even without three of their key players. In fact, their last game against the Orlando Magic was the first time all season that the Rockets had Eric Gordon, James Harden, Chris Paul, and Brandon Knight playing together.

What to Expect From Houston Moving Forward

With CP3 starting to get back in the flow with the offense, and Eric Gordon starting to gel back with the team, the Rockets could easily jump from 5th seed to 2nd seed in the West. If this team could stay healthy come playoff time, they will give the Warriors a run for their money. Though it is never fun to see injuries, they couldn’t have happened at a better time for Houston, as nearly all of their players will have fresh legs coming into the postseason.

Let’s not forget that this Houston Rockets team was just one win away from advancing to the NBA finals, and defeating the Golden State Warriors just a season ago. They have already beaten the Warriors twice this season. With the number of threes this Rockets team shoots, they will always have a good chance to win every year. As all of their key players will start returning soon, this team can wreak havoc on the rest of the NBA.