The Houston Rockets will be playing playoff basketball this season. Here’s a look at the teams that would present favorable matchups and the teams that pose a threat in the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
The Houston Rockets sit comfortably in the third seed in the Western Conference playoff picture with a record of 40-18. Although there are still over two months of the regular season to be played, the playoff picture is shaping up in the Western Conference.
The Rockets have also seen enough of the teams in the playoff picture, and while regular season basketball can differ from playoff basketball, those results do shed light on which teams Houston struggles with and which teams they can handle comfortably.
Therefore, I decided to analyze which teams the Rockets would prefer to face in the first round and which teams would give them serious trouble.
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There are various reasons why certain teams pose matchup problems, from style of play and personnel to coaching and home-court advantage. When deciding which teams would present a favorable matchup versus which teams are potential threats, it’s also important to consider recent games between the two teams and possible trends that have developed over the past couple of seasons.
Of course, things could change if any of the teams make trades between now and the trade deadline, especially the Rockets, so that is something to always keep in mind.
Without further ado, here are the two teams that the Rockets should hope to play in the first round of the 2017 NBA playoffs.