Houston Rockets
Mid-season grade: A-
With how the first half of this season has gone for the Houston Rockets, it's hard not to be impressed with the way they managed to remain afloat near the top of the Western Conference standings. I mean, sure, the West hasn't exactly been all that consistent so far this season, but the fact that the young Rockets have managed to be able to keep pace with some of the other best teams in the conference is certainly notable. That's why you have to give the Rockets a pretty high grade for the way they've operated during this first half of the year.
Of course, none of this matters if the Rockets end up falling apart at the seams over the next couple of months of the season. That's ultimately what could end up dictating how this team operates during the off-season – how this team looks down the stretch and how they end the year in the postseason. Even though it would be foolish to expect the Rockets to make a deep run in the playoffs because of their inexperience, this is a team that can't be completely counted out just yet. Sometimes the most dangerous teams in the playoffs are the young squads that don't know any better. That's exactly what the Rockets could be in April and May.
Indiana Pacers
Mid-season grade: B-
After such a difficult start to the year, which was headlined by a poor showing from Tyrese Halliburton, the Indiana Pacers have rebounded to be one of the hottest teams over the last few weeks of the season. Even though they still have some work to do as they continue to make a jump up the East standings, this is a team that has certainly looked much improved of late. At the moment, they're just a couple of games out of the fourth seed in the East standings and still technically within shouting distance of the third-seeded New York Knicks.
I'm not sure how high the Pacers will be able to jump up the standings before the end of the season, but it would be foolish to discount this team as we inch closer and closer to the postseason. Just as they were towards the end of last season, the Pacers are going to have the ability to be one of the most dangerous teams in the conference. With a talented roster, this Pacers team could emerge as one that no one will want to face wants to postseason begins.