If you look at the standings, the Houston Rockets are 13th overall behind the Spurs, Kings, and Blazers in the Western Conference.
But after Sunday night’s victory over the Pelicans, H-Town made a bit of history.
Amazingly, the victory marks the sixth straight win for the Rockets, making them the first team in NBA history to do so after holding a losing streak of 15 or more games.
A historic turnaround for H-Town 🚀
(h/t @ESPNStatsInfo) pic.twitter.com/JOwNigxD2h
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 6, 2021
Just last month, the Rockets were on pace to have one of the worst seasons ever. They were 1-16 and showing absolutely no signs of life.
To follow that up with six straight wins is kind of mind-blowing, and many fans were having fun with just how crazy it is.
Text to Pelinka: “trade me to Houston” pic.twitter.com/QTpJUONLBt
— . (@Yankees_Heat_) December 6, 2021
Steven Silas, since they threatened to take his job pic.twitter.com/QrlpOfRez2
— Rishabh (@CNation213) December 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/josepharnaldo/status/1467697193452806146
Harden rn pic.twitter.com/Av6iizN4Y8
— KD SNIPER (@Kd_kobeBean) December 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/ThetreyJG/status/1467684189357105155
WOOO WE SO HAPPY pic.twitter.com/rxmsS9NKwt
— 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩 ☔️ (@Rocketsruinedme) December 6, 2021
Our suffering is over pic.twitter.com/ty1P1hsyFS
— HTX Codastic (@saintcodeezy) December 6, 2021
It’s hard to imagine this level of play being sustainable for very long, and the Rockets aren’t necessarily looking to compete right now anyway.
Following the James Harden trade, the top priority has shifted to developing their young talent and building toward the future. That mission has been to the detriment of John Wall, who is being held from the rotation in favor of their young players.
For Wall to play this season, a compromise probably would need to be found between respecting his stature with a supermax contract and the Rockets’ desire to have him play a complementary role to help develop their young core. That, along with other considerations, could be key to finding a path for Wall to play for the Rockets in 2021-22.
Needless to say, this has been an unprecedented turnaround for the Rockets. With a poor roster, a focus on player development, and practically no incentive to win right now; nobody was expecting Houston to string together a run like this.
Unfortunately, with a game against the Nets on Wednesday, the streak is almost sure to end later this week.
Still, it has been fun to witness their historic run and it’s no doubt been an amazing sight to see for Rockets fans.
