Houston Rockets
By John Armstrong
Record: 56-26
First Round Opponent: Dallas Mavericks
Season Series: Rockets won 3-1
Wow, what a season for the Houston Rockets.
It’s no secret that James Harden has carried his new look Rockets team to an MVP-caliber season and that’s been the featured storyline for the franchise. Dwight Howard missed much of the season, Corey Brewer was acquired via trade, Josh Smith was picked up after being waived by Detroit, and both Donatas Motiejunas and Terrence Jones showed flashes of brilliance when they were healthy.
And yet, despite all that, Harden remained at the forefront of the Rockets’ success, which is why he’s my pick for MVP. But regular season aside, I expect Harden to overcome his playoff stigma and prove why he’s a legitimate MVP candidate, and hopefully winner, by showcasing that same dominance in the postseason. Fortunately for him, he’s gotten some of his weapons back, but he’s still without Motiejunas.
Howard has eased back into lineup, as has Jones and the Rockets have a quietly deep that loves to get out and run, and shoot. They’re going to bomb a lot of threes and that probably isn’t going to change. In order for them to be successful, they’ll need to attack defensively and own that side of the ball. Rebounding will be key too, and first round, they’ll be battling a Dallas Mavericks team that’s not a strong rebounding team.
Also, don’t forget the Chandler Parsons storyline from the beginning of the season, and how he felt disrespected by Houston. Is it not poetic justice that these two teams meet in the first round? I don’t really expect Dallas to have a chance, but neither did most people last year and they took the champs to seven. So Coach Rick Carlisle will get the absolute best out of his Dallas personnel and this will be a competitive series that actually could go a full seven games.
I’ve got Houston in six.
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