Winners of 12 of their last 14 games, the Houston Rockets are on a roll, currently 23-16 and 5th in the Western Conference. After coming out of the gates slow, the Rockets are looking close to the championship level form that they displayed last season, putting the rest of the NBA on notice. James Harden has been the catalyst to the Rockets' surge, scoring 40+ points in 7 of their last 14 games, putting himself in the MVP conversation.
If there's one game during this stretch that stands out, it is definitely the Rockets' 135-134 overtime win at Golden State. Harden hit a ridiculous game winning shot that left the fans at Oracle Arena speechless, finishing with 44 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists. It was the Rockets' way of saying "We're back."
While it's safe to say the Rockets are probably going to make the playoffs, I wouldn't put all of your money on them just yet. Chris Paul has been out with a hamstring injury and it's unclear when he'll return. As well as they are playing, they absolutely need him healthy. They weren't able to go the distance without him last year and there's no reason to think they could do so this year.
If Paul is able to get back to full strength and stay healthy in the playoffs, the Rockets are absolutely contenders. The rest of the pieces are there. Clint Capela is a fantastic rim running big that controls the paint, P.J. Tucker plays the enforcer role to a tee, and Harden is the best player in the NBA when he's in the zone. There's not a lot to dislike about this Rockets team, it's just a matter of them staying healthy and surviving the grind of a full NBA season.
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