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Is This The Tipping Point For The Houston Rockets?

By Mauricio Putz

May 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; (Editor
May 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; (Editor /
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Well, it’s finally over. After a hard-fought battle throughout the entire playoffs — including a spectacular 3-1 comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers — the happy-to-be-there Houston Rockets were ousted by the far superior Golden State Warriors.

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After dramatically failing to steal one of the first couple of games on the road, the second 3-1 hole of the playoffs was too much for the banged-up Rockets to handle.

With Klay Thompson out with an ear laceration and Stephen Curry (sort of) banged-up from Game 4’s scary fall, it was Harrison Barnes who eventually took over the game and delivered the Warriors their first Western Conference championship in four decades.

James Harden‘s playoff-record 13 turnovers were also one of the reasons why the Rockets lost what could’ve been a close and exciting Game 5.

After the game, to no one’s surprise, Basketball Twitter

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reacted appropriately as questions about the team’s future, and featured core, surfaced.

Can you win a title with James Harden and Dwight Howard as your go-to guys? Do they need another perennial superstar and/or star to lean on? Should general manager Daryl Morey help their offense develop a couple more weapons to rely on? Will they ever be able to overcome the jaw-dropping wave of talent within the Western Conference? Will Dwight Howard ever be back to his peak form?

The truth is, those shouldn’t be this season’s takeaways.

Throughout the season, as statistical mastermind Daryl Morey clearly intended, the Rockets turned a “dissapointing” offseason into one of the most prolific seasons in recent memory. They dominated the Western Conference thanks to James Harden’s jaw-dropping level of play.

Also, the Houston Rockets were able to put together one of the deepest rosters within the NBA. And even when injuries started threatening their depth, the Houston Rockets were still able to lock the second seed in the Western Conference and even made it two steps (read: rounds) further than they did last year.

They became the ninth squad in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit, and they did it against none other than one of the favourites to win the NBA title, the Los Angeles Clippers.

After a season of uncertainty, head coach Kevin McHale came through and proved to be the right coach for the team.

Trevor Ariza turned out to be somewhat of a success. Josh Smith and Corey Brewer proved to be worth the risk. Playoff Dwight Howard might have been the best player on the Rockets even after missing half the season. Terrence Jones had a breakout year.

And if it weren’t for Patrick Beverley‘s and Donatas Motiejunas‘ untimely* injuries, the Rockets would’ve had a solid shot at the NBA title.

Unfortunately, for the second season in a row, adversity overcame the unlucky Houston Rockets.

Every single great team or player in NBA history has had to go through their share of devils just before they reach peak greatness — Magic Johnson had Larry Bird; the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons had the Boston Celtics; Michael Jordan‘s Chicago Bulls had the Bad Boy Pistons; Derrick Rose‘s Chicago Bulls had his recurrent knee-injuries; LeBron James had Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics.

James Harden’s and Dwight Howard’s Houston Rockets have the rest of the Western Conference.

It is highly unlikely that next year’s Houston Rockets will look the same as they did during the 2014-15 season. Nevertheless, with James Harden, Dwight Howard and Daryl Morey at the helm, you can bet your top dollar that they’ll find their way back into the top of the Western Conference.

* There’s no such thing as a timely injury. However, when said injury comes a week before the playoffs, its impact grows exponentially.

Next: Rockets: Good Job, Good Effort

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