The Houston Rockets came within a whisper of the 2018 NBA Finals. What can we take away from an exciting and successful 2017-18 NBA season?
The Houston Rockets entered the 2017 offseason with a mission: to construct a roster that could push the juggernaut Golden State Warriors. Chris Paul was brought in as the second star to sustain James Harden. Luc Mbah a Moute and P.J. Tucker were added to bolster a new switch-heavy defense. This roster was honed to knock off the Warriors.
It very nearly did, too, with a Chris Paul hamstring injury and third-quarter Golden State heroics needed to stop Houston from making it to the NBA Finals. This team proved it was good enough to win the title, but fell just short of actually getting there.
What it did prove was that teams do not have to sit on their hands and wait for the Warriors to die off organically. A team close to contention should push their chips into the center of the table and strive for greatness now. The Warriors are not invincible, and they can be pushed.
This Houston team achieved many great things this season: 65 wins, the top overall seed and the likely MVP. What are five takeaways from a season more successful than any could have anticipated?