At the beginning of the NBA season, there was a lot of debate about how the James Harden/Russell Westbrook experiment would work out in Houston. So far, it appears to be going well as the Rockets are 11-3, having won eight games in a row. On Monday, they blew out the Portland Trail Blazers 132-108 behind 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists from Westbrook and 36 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists from Harden. In addition to Harden and Westbrook going wild, Clint Capela dominated inside with 22 points, 20 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
What this game showed is just how scary the Rockets can be when they are hitting on all cylinders. They can score, they can move the ball, they can rebound, and they can defend. What's even scarier is they seem to have a chip on their shoulder. Harden has been viewed as too one dimensional to lead a team to a title while Westbrook has been viewed as having too big of an ego, not willing to be a true team player. I've always found that to be an odd criticism of Westbrook given his high assist totals. But anyways, they appear to be playing with a fire and so far, it's pretty frightening.
Of course, what remains to be seen is whether or not the Rockets can keep this up and be the last team standing come June. While time will ultimately tell whether or not they can, at this point, I don't see why not. The Rockets have already been knocking on the door for a while now and Westbrook appears to have injected new life into their team.
Looking at their upcoming schedule, the Rockets will go on a two game road trip this week to face the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers. This road trip should be a nice test for them as the Nuggets and Clippers are both projected to be playoff teams as well. If the Rockets can get the sweep or even pick up a split, that will be very encouraging.
Even though we are early in the season, if you are a Rockets fan, you have to be feeling good about your team. Westbrook and Harden appear to be able to coexist just fine and the Rockets are currently the hottest team in the NBA. While many see the Lakers as the favorites to come out of the West, the Rockets are making a compelling case of their own to be the front runners. It will certainly be fun to see what happens when those two teams meet later on this season.
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