With only eight games left to play on the 2017-18 regular season, the Houston Rockets have put themselves in solid position to capture the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Just two weeks ago, the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors appeared as though they would both finish the season interlocked in the race for the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference.
The two rivals — who were only separated by just a half game in the standings as of Mar. 9 — were once thought to be in the midst of a tight battle for the chance to earn home-court advantage in the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Now, things have completely changed.
In a year that has played out like an epic fairy tale for fans across Clutch City, the Rockets have finally found a way to gain the upper hand in their fight for conference supremacy against the Warriors this season, earning wins in nine out of their last 10 outings to extend their lead over Golden State to 5.5 games over the past week.
They’ve also managed to take advantage of added help in the process, as the defending champions have recently fallen prey to an unfortunate string of injury luck as of late.
Golden State’s recent string of injuries
Despite holding a 3.5-game lead over the Rockets in mid-January, the Warriors have managed to struggle a great deal following the loss of several players due to injuries in March.
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Since losing starting shooting guard Klay Thompson to a fractured thumb against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Mar. 11, Golden State has lost four out of its last seven games, and has taken the floor without the services of All-Stars Draymond Green (flu-like symptoms), Stephen Curry (sprained right ankle, Grade 2 MCL sprain) and Kevin Durant (fractured rib) during that time span.
Although Golden State is certainly more than capable of playing exceptionally well without their fearsome foursome down the stretch, the Warriors would virtually have to win out the rest of the way and receive significant help from key reserves to reclaim the 1-seed.
The team that posted the best regular season record in the league over the last three consecutive seasons appears to be a complete lock for the No. 2 seed this time around.
With Curry now possibly out until the second round of the postseason, the Warriors could seek to punt away their chances to claim the No. 1 seed in an effort to get ready for the upcoming challenge that awaits them in the playoffs.
The Rockets want the No. 1 seed
Throughout the season, the Rockets have made it quite evident that they wanted to finish the year atop of the Western Conference. The franchise currently standing atop of the league at 60-14 has gone on the record countless times over the last month and a half to express just how significant it would be for Houston to acquire home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
"“We want to get that number one seed,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said to reporters following Houston’s victory against the San Antonio Spurs on Mar. 12.“We think that’s important.”"
That statement was eerily identical to one echoed by Eric Gordon, when the Rockets were in the midst of an NBA-best 17-game winning streak earlier this month.
"“We’re a very talented team,” Gordon said in the wake of the Rockets’ win over the Boston Celtics on Mar. 3.“We definitely want to keep the winning streak alive, but most importantly we want to keep that number one seed.”"
It’s something the Rockets have been holding onto since the All-Star break onward, as Houston has posted an astounding 26-2 record since Jan. 26 while averaging over 110 points per game in that span.
They’ve also boasted the third-best defensive rating in the process, and beat teams by an average of 12.1 points per game over the course of their nine-game winning streak.
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Now, Houston is finally in peak position to earn the top seed for once and for all. It will only take three more Rockets wins or Warriors losses for the 2017-18 squad to become the first in franchise history to ever capture the No. 1 spot, which could possibly help place them one step closer toward their ultimate goal — an NBA championship.