Houston Rockets: 5 obstacles to contending in 2017-18

1. The Golden State Warriors

The final obstacle is one that every team in the league faces, especially those in the Western Conference. This obstacle is a simple one: The Warriors are a juggernaut perhaps never seen before. They boast four All-Stars and a collection of role players that fit together like a puzzle.

If Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson are struggling on a given night, then Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, etc. can pick up the slack. In the past three seasons, Golden state has won 67, 73 and 67 games respectively. They’re coming off a postseason in which they went 16-1 en route to their second title in the past three seasons.

In those past three seasons, the Rockets are 1-10 against the Warriors in the regular season, and 2-8 in the playoffs. Talk about having a team’s number.

Now, this season’s Rockets roster is undoubtedly the best group of players they’ve put together in the hopes of challenging Golden State. Houston now has several defenders to throw at Durant, Thompson, Green, etc. Chris Paul can put pressure on Steph Curry to defend, while Harden will always wear out a defense.

Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)

However, it remains extremely unlikely that any team will knock of the Warriors this season. They are even more comfortable together as a team while new challengers like Houston will have to spend time getting their new teammates acclimated.