NBA: Ranking 5 hottest and 5 coldest playoff teams since the All-Star Break

5 Hottest playoff teams since NBA All-Star Break

(Hottest) 5. Houston Rockets (12-5)

Over the last few weeks, the Houston Rockets have made up a ton of ground in the Western Conference standings. And with just a few weeks left in the regular season, they have at least an outside chance of catching the Golden State Warriors for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament. Just a few weeks ago, that seemed like an extremely unlikely scenario. Who knows if the Rockets will have enough in the tank to finish the season as strong as they've been playing the last few weeks, but you have to credit this team for not throwing in the towel when they could've easily done so.

The fact that the Rockets have managed to remain competitive even after the injury to Alperen Sengun is a good sign for this team's future. No matter how this season ends for the Rockets, the case can be made that this post-NBA All-Star Break stretch for the Rockets has turned the narrative on the season.

For the most part this year, the Rockets left much to be desired after making some big moves last offseason. Maybe the team is finally putting it all together. Quite frankly, it couldn't be coming at a better time.