After a wildly disappointing season in 2015-2016, the Houston Rockets are back with a vengeance, thanks in no small part to the way Mike D’Antoni has supercharged their offense. With James Harden running the point and scoring and breaking down opposing defenses at will, the rest of their personnel is shooting the three-ball at a record clip.
They added yet another weapon at the trade deadline when they acquired Lou Williams from the Lakers and now, more than ever, appear poised for a deep playoff run in the West. Defense, of course, has always been a concern with D’Antoni-led teams, but Rockets GM Daryl Morey personally feels pretty confident about their chances in a shootout with the Golden State Warriors.
.@dmorey:"We figured our chance to beat Golden State was to send them a barrage of 3-pointers.We've got guys that can put them n the basket"
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) February 24, 2017
While most experts might argue that anyone who wants to compete with the Warriors has be able to adequately defend them, Morey clearly believes Houston’s offense is potent enough to cause serious problems in a seven-game series. The only problem with that strategy is that the Warriors are still an elite defensive team, allowing just 101.5 points per 100 possessions, good for second in the NBA.
Still, the prospect of witnessing that immense volume of three-point shooting in a playoff series should be enough to give Charles Barkley an aneurysm, which will be very entertaining in its own right.
