This week in Rocketball: Rockets take Bubble by storm

Photo courtesy of Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

There were a fair amount of question marks regarding the Houston Rockets heading into the highly-anticipated N.B.A. restart in Orlando. Stamina and conditioning was a huge question posed to a majority of the league after such a long time off, but doubly so for the Rockets, whose style of play hinged entirely on high-energy playmaking and breakneck offense to generate points and wins.

There was a reasonable amount of doubt cast over Houston as they rejoined the league. Sure, stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook had stayed in shape throughout the duration of the league's pause, but that didn't directly equate to being able to get back to game speed right from the get-go.

Despite the speculation, there arguably hasn't been a better team since the restart than Houston, who has shot out of the gate to a 3-1 start, moving them from the sixth seed to the fourth seed in the span of a week.

The Rockets are here, and they're looking to make a run with the playoffs looming.

What To Like

Clutch Performances

What better way would there be to make an early statement and refute the doubters than with an opening win against the number one offensive team in the league, and in dramatic fashion no less?

With less than 45 seconds in the game, the Rockets were down seven against the Dallas Mavericks in their first game in four months. In January or February, this might have predictably gone down as a tough loss for a team that looked lifeless at times.

This time, however, a clutch run headlined by James Harden craftiness and a clutch Robert Covington tip-in would bring Houston from the brink of defeat and propel them to an overtime victory against their division and in-state rivals.

As if that wasn't enough, the Rockets found themselves down eight with a little over three minutes to the Milwaukee Bucks, a defensively elite team led by MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. Once again, it was Harden and crew that managed to take over and secure a win in the clutch.

"Adversity showed up and we showed out," Russell Westbrook said after the win against Milwaukee.

A little while ago, the Rockets might have found themselves sputtering in a close game against a quality opponent. Now, however, with ample rest and a refocused team, the Rockets have been showcasing their clutch gene thoroughly throughout the team's first few games.

Quality Wins

What makes those clutch wins even better is the quality of opponent the Rockets have earned them against. Granted, every team in the bubble had at least a chance of making the postseason, making every win a "quality" one, but the wins the Rockets have managed to string together have been impressive to say the least.

Their first win came against the statistical number one offense in the league. Their second came against the Eastern Conference's number one team. Their third came against the Western Conference's number one team.

The Rockets own the best winning percentage against teams with a record better than .500 (18-12, 60% winning percentage). The only winning team they own a losing record against are the Oklahoma City Thunder.

What this means is that the Rockets aren't feasting on bottom-dwelling teams aiming for high draft picks. The Rockets are competing at a high level against all teams, and especially against the better teams in the league. The teams Houston will be playing in the playoffs.

"We're playing pretty good," Harden said after the win against Los Angeles. "There's a lot of things especially defensively that we can correct but I think our energy... and pace has been good."

What To Improve

Limiting the Hero Ball

In all honesty, there isn't much to complain about from the Rockets' first few games excluding a tight loss to the Portland Trail Blazers last Tuesday night. A big proponent of that loss was poor shot selection down the stretch.

Russell Westbrook missed a turnaround two-point jump shot with less than two minutes left, down one point. James Harden tried two long-range three pointers in isolation, both of which he missed. The Blazers elected to shuffle the ball around and draw contact, resulting in an open Carmelo Anthony three and Damian Lillard free throws that would clinch the game for Portland.

Harden and Westbrook are more than capable of making those shots on any given occasion. Harden specifically has had multiple instances in which he's nailed long-range shots that have won Houston games. It's a proven formula that you want your best player taking his best shot with the game on the line.

The question lies in how that strategy will work in the playoffs. Harden has been far and away the most double-teamed player in the league, especially late in games. Teams don't want Harden beating them. So, in light of that, it will be up to Harden and Westbrook to either force their best shots up, or have other Rockets win games for Houston.

Ben McLemore is shooting lights out. Jeff Green has emerged as a viable option off of the bench and in late-game shooting scenarios. Eric Gordon has proven that he can shoot as well as anyone when he's on. The Rockets also finally have a big in Robert Covington who poses a threat to score from three.

Personally, I believe it would be more viable to have Harden and Westbrook defer when the situation allows. The roster is chock-full of high-percentage shooters that are on the roster for the sole purpose of making shots. Trust in general manager Daryl Morey's vision -- if Harden and Westbrook are getting smothered late in games, let the shooters shoot.

Rebounding

The fact of the matter is, rebounding is a struggle the Rockets will always have trouble with. It's what they gave up in favor of acquiring Covington, and fully buying into the small-ball theory.

The rest of the season (including the playoffs) will feature they Rockets being outrebounded by double digits. It's better to accept that now than worry about it later. What they get in exchange for that loss of size are the aforementioned shooters that challenge traditional centers to improve upon their perimeter defense and lateral movement, as opposed to camping out in the paint and swatting shots near the rim.

There isn't much more to say. The Rockets are smaller, but deadlier from long range. It'd be nice if they magically somehow managed to drastically improve their rebounding while maintaining their torrid shooting (Russell Westbrook averaged ten rebounds during his MVP season not too long ago), but unless Covington grows an extra three to five inches in the next few days, expect opposing centers to feast on boards.

I think most Rocket fans will take the extra three pointers as suitable compensation, however.

What To Watch

Eric Gordon's Management

Guard Eric Gordon is close to returning, rumored to rejoin the lineup in a matter of days. Gordon has struggled this season, but Gordon has proven invaluable when his shots are falling.

One thing to watch moving forward is how Mike D'Antoni will handle Gordon's minutes going forward. Knowing his injury history, it'd be unwise to rush Gordon back into action, but with so little time left before the playoffs begin, D'Antoni might not have a choice in the matter.

I imagine Gordon will take things slow upon Gordon's return. A minutes restriction hovering around twenty or so minutes wouldn't be surprising, before he lets Gordon get a full game's run during one of the last games of the regular season.

Seeding Arrangements

As of right now, the Houston Rockets would play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, if the current standings held until the end of the season. That would bring about a best-of-seven reunion between Russell Westbrook and the Thunder, and Chris Paul and the Rockets.

However, the current standings in the west are extremely fluid. Seeds 3-6 are separated by three games, with Denver currently holding the third seed in the west. The Rockets sit two games behind them in fourth, while Utah and Oklahoma City are tied for the fifth seed. The Thunder currently hold the tiebreaker above the Jazz for the fifth seed, who would play the Rockets in the playoffs. Though, there is a scenario that has the Rockets winning out against a relatively easy remaining schedule (they play the Kings, Spurs, Pacers and 76ers to finish the season), and playing whoever ends up with the sixth seed.

For Utah, there is reason to believe they would try to dodge Houston in the playoffs for fear of a poor matchup. Houston has had Utah's number in the past, beating the Jazz twice in the last two years in the playoffs. It's an arguably different story now without Clint Capela, who has historically dominated Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Utah in playoff games. It might pose a new challenge for Gobert to try and guard the sharpshooting Robert Covington in the wings, as opposed to the paint.

With such a strange situation, its hard to make any concrete predictions about who Houston will play, but with Utah and Oklahoma City both apparently vying for the sixth seed (OKC loses a 2020 first-round draft pick if they finish in the top ten records in the league as part of their trade for Jerami Grant, giving them an incentive to finish lower), Houston's playoff situation could vary drastically in the coming days.