Sir Charles in Charge
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Are the Houston Rockets the new Golden State Warriors?

By Trey Flynn

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 17: The Houston Rockets stand together for the National Anthem before their game against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on October 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 17: The Houston Rockets stand together for the National Anthem before their game against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on October 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The Houston Rockets may be the only roadblock for the Golden State Warriors and their goal of going to a fourth straight NBA Finals

James Harden and his Houston Rockets can’t stay out of the news this 2017-18 NBA season; they are just too much fun.

Whether it was the speculative addition of future hall of fame point guard Chris Paul, a secret entrance into the Los Angeles Clippers locker-room ready for a brawl, James Harden leading the MVP race for the entirety of the season, and finally the Rockets may just be the ultimate playoff antagonist to the 2017 champion Golden State Warriors.

Houston has actually beaten the Warriors two out of the three regular season matchups this year.

The Houston Rockets have the best record in the NBA (Golden State is half a game back, in second place), with 20 regular season games left. Houston is in the top five of almost every statistical category that matters to a championship team: Second in points per game (114.0), second in steals per game (8.8), second in net rating (8.9), second in offensive rating (113.4), fifth in deflections per game (15.2), first in plus/minus (+48), first in % of 3-pointers per game (40.9), third in net rating for their bench (7.6), third in field goal efficiency (56.7%).

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The main statistics to take from all of that was the 3-point shooting, bench consistency, and the steals/deflections leading to a league best in plus/minus. Specifically, 3-point shooting is what separates the Rockets from the rest of the league, which sounds a lot like the 2014-15 Warriors.

Last year (2016-17), Houston broke the Golden State Warriors record number of 3-pointers taken a game and the amount of 3-pointers made and attempted in a season. Why is that a big deal? The Rockets are on pace over the next twenty games to shatter the record they just broke about eight months ago.

The Rockets were undefeated in February and haven’t lost since January 26th (15 straight wins). Not only that, but sports media is loving the Rockets. Multiple media outlets have put out articles saying the Rockets are already on their way to top the Warriors, if they hadn’t already.

It begs the question, what do the Warriors think about the Rockets success? Stephen Curry has some thoughts about the hype.

"[via MySA]“What are they supposed to say? We were probably saying the same thing four years ago when we were chasing our first championship.”"

Usually, Steph is politically correct when answering these questions, so why not ask Draymond Green? That should raise some eyebrows, or brow (shout out Anthony Davis).

"[via SI]“Maybe we do end up playing the Rockets, and, you know, I like our chances no matter who we play,” Green said. “But we do know that they’re a threat. They’ve added some great pieces and as it’s been highly publicized, that team is built to be us.“Noted. Great. We’ll see y’all soon.”"

“built to be us.” Hmm. The Houston Rockets may take offence to that quote. Since that has come out, multiple Rocket player have said, ‘they are nothing like the Warriors.’

Personally, I’d like to see a Thunder vs. Warriors bout, but this Rockets vs. Warriors series sounds like it will be historic. Hopefully, the NBA gods can bless us with both match-ups.

Houston has been planning this “money-ballish” team for a long time, so who deserves the credit for the Rockets success?

The Rockets self-proclaimed “moneyball” enthusiast, general manager – Daryl Morey, may have built the perfect team to dethrone the Warriors. Although, this may have not come to fruition wihtout some help from 2017 coach of the year, Mike D’Antoni, and a well-rounded roster of players.

Aside from an amazing staff; James Harden, Chris Paul, and Clint Capela, are 35-1 when playing together this season. Closely resembling the first 2014-15 Warriors championship team of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, who only lost twelve games when their trio played on the court that season (total record for the 2014-15 season was, 67-15).

(Interesting tidbit about that Warriors team in 2014-15: Out of their fifteen losses that season, Klay Thompson was the leading scorer in ten of them. Not a knock toward Thompson, just an interesting statistic for the Warriors as a whole.)

Harden specifically this season could have a whole article written about his two MVP-like seasons the past couple years. It looks like Harden will finally get the MVP nod for 2018, unless something crazy happens (shout out Anthony Davis, again). When Harden isn’t crossing up players, therefore making them contemplate a new profession, he averages almost a triple double and around 31 points per game, no big deal. Harden and Chris Paul have turned this offense into a beautiful piece of art, almost moving in slow motion for the masses to watch in awe, who said two point guards can’t play together?

Everyone, six months ago.

Staff and stars aside, it’s apparent to compete with the Warriors you need shooting, defense, a great bench, and more importantly, consistency. Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson, and recently acquired Gerald Green, definitely solve the shooting and bench facet of the team. Three of those players are currently averaging 38% from the 3-point line. The fourth player, Eric Gordon, is surprisingly averaging 34% from 3 and has only averaged above 34% in a month once this season – January (38%).

Eric Gordon was the 2016-17 3-point contest winner during All-Star weekend last year, so expect a comeback from him in the near future. Side note: James Harden and Chris Paul are both averaging over 38% from the 3-point line.

The Rockets staff and their stars get a lot of credit, but to beat a team like the 2017-18 Warriors, you may need more than that. specifically in defense, consistency, and grit. Houston made their calculated additions over the past few years with 3 and D players such as: Trevor Ariza (best season statistically since 2009), P.J. Tucker (eighth in NBA offensive rating, in front of Karl-Anthony Towns), and Luc Mbah a Moute (fourth in NBA defensive rating, three spots above Joel Embiid). These unsung heroes may just be the key factor in defeating the Warriors.

If you’re wondering, what does all of this mean? Can someone really beat the Warriors?

Must Read: NBA Week in Review: LeBron flirts with Philly; James Harden is unfair

The Houston Rockets may have created one of the greatest basketball teams in the past few decades, maybe in NBA history. The advanced metrics and the eye-test tells us there may be a new “best team ever,” and the Warriors may step aside in a few months.

Although, the end of the day, the Warriors have playoff experience, and Hardens’ Rockets definitely don’t.

Neither did the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors just a few year ago, so time will tell.

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