The Houston Rockets have the NBA’s best record at 20-4, putting them percentage points ahead the Celtics (22-5) and Warriors (21-6). James Harden is the NBA’s leading MVP candidate, and since returning to the lineup, Chris Paul has made an impressive and seamless transition into the Rockets’ rotation.
Houston is near the top of the league in most offensive categories, which comes as little surprise, but they’ve also managed to be a top 5 defense in the NBA through 24 games. It’s an impressive start and, as it continues, one that makes it impossible not to begin considering them as a legitimate contender to the Warriors in the West.
That was the goal of adding Paul to Harden, giving them someone that could take the burden off of their star and keep them both fresh for when a postseason series rolls around. There will be some that insist on waiting to see them do something in the playoffs before buying in, but the growing sentiment around the league is that the Rockets are here to stay near the very top of the Western Conference.
On Saturday, Houston played in one of the best regular season games of the year so far in Portland in a 124-117 win that saw them make a furious fourth quarter comeback to negate a 35-point performance from Damian Lillard (who hit 9 three-pointers). Harden led the way with 48 points, including some dazzling isolation play late.
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/939723428889686017
Harden melted defenders with his handle and waltzed to the rim with relative ease down the stretch, as he and Paul took over. The Rockets’ final 38 points of the game were all either scored or assisted on by Harden or Paul. That performance by Houston’s dynamic backcourt left Blazers coach Terry Stotts stunned and without any answers after the game. All Stotts could do was tip his cap and proclaim the Rockets the best team in the NBA right now.
Terry Stotts: "They're the best team in the league right now. We took away their passing, took away their 3s and they best us with one-on-one play."
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) December 10, 2017
Their record backs up Stotts’ claim, but the Warriors’ presence will always make them the favorites until they get taken out. Being the best team in the league in December isn’t as important as being the best team come May and June, but this feels different than, say, last year’s Rockets’ team. This year’s squad is playing significantly better defense, as previously noted, bolstered by smart offseason acquisitions in P.J. Tucker, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Paul, who still can provide great pressure at the point of attack.
The main concern with the Rockets is what will they do if shots don’t fall. As of now, 41.7 percent of Houston’s offense comes by way of three-pointers, which is, by far, the most in league history (last year’s Rockets own that record at 37.5 percent). However, as Stotts notes, their abilities in 1-on-1 play, led by Harden but complemented by Paul, makes them unique in that they have the ability to dominate as a flowing, ball-movement heavy offense but also in isolation play.
The teams that have been best at balancing those two styles the past few years? That would be the Warriors and the Cavs. There’s still plenty of time for regression on defense, but it certainly seems like the Rockets at least have the right formula to be a legit contender this season and the league is recognizing that.
