NBA: 5 Things To Take From Houston Rockets’ Win Over San Antonio Spurs

James Harden hit an off-balance jump shot with less than five seconds on the clock to give the Houston Rockets a vital 96-95 win over the Western Conference-leading San Antonio Spurs on March 24 to move within 1.5 games of the Golden State Warriors for the sixth seed in the conference.

James Harden has taken his game to the next level. Photo Credit: Angel Blue, Flickr.com

Here’s five things we can take from this game:

1. On their day, the Rockets can beat anyone and the future is bright.

The leading scorers in the NBA (106.4 points per game), the Rockets can catch fire at any moment and beat anyone on their day. Chandler Parsons and Carlos Delfino both sunk clutch 3-point shots in the fourth quarter and the fast tempo that coach Kevin McHale employs can trouble even the best of teams on any given night. They might not win a playoff series, but I don’t think they’ll get swept by anyone. The future is bright in Houston. With large amounts of cap room, a max free agent could propel the Rockets to the top of the Western Conference.

2. If you didn’t already know, James Harden is a star in this league.

Since his trade from Oklahoma City, Harden has scored the basketball brilliantly all season long. What some questioned was his ability to do so while winning games. Harden has proved this in Houston’s run towards the playoffs. He’s taken leadership of this team and it is so refreshing to see. Last year’s Sixth Man of The Year is now a star. Harden has formed a nice inside-outside partnership with Omer Asik, who also looks a fantastic capture.

3. Chandler Parsons is the most underpaid player in the NBA.

Chandler Parsons is earning $888,250 this season–$888,250. In a league where contracts are scrutinized to death, the Rockets have bagged themselves a steal here, as Parsons will become a mainstay on the wing for the next 10 or so years. A solid, athletic defender, Parsons stretches the floor with a brilliant 3-point shot and proved his value on Sunday with a 20-point haul.

4. Tony Parker is the best point guard in the world at this moment.

In his first game back from an ankle injury, Tony Parker looked a bystander for much of the game, yet when it came to the fourth quarter, there was only one man the Spurs looked to. Parker exploded for 10 points in a row late in the fourth and despite Houston’s win, the Spurs can take a lot from this game; Parker will carry them through most of the postseason. The Frenchman can dissect defenses and penetrate at will. He just looks on top of his game this season and for me, has done enough to warrant an All-NBA First Team selection.

5. The Western Conference playoffs are going to be awfully enjoyable.

Sunday’s game was a very fun game to watch. A lot of the attention at the moment is on the NCAA tournament, but the professional game is still the pinnacle of basketball and is better than the college game in terms of quality. The Western Conference is filled with fun teams (Golden State, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets) and wherever teams fall in the seedings is irrelevant: There will be entertaining games regardless, I just wish the same could be said for the East. A lot of the Western teams play up-tempo, high-scoring basketball and it will be interesting to see this translate into the playoffs.