The Houston Rockets are having a great moment in the bubble. Despite all the doubts they created when they decided to play small ball, Mike D’Antoni and his players are doing just fine, beating great rivals in Orlando, including the Milwaukee Bucks of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Los Angeles Lakers of Anthony Davis (LeBron James didn’t play yesterday).
They have earned big W’s over big rivals but that’s not the end of the job for them. In fact, superstar James Harden wants to make clear that there is a lot to do until they finally lift the NBA championship this season. Following Thursday’s game, the Beard talked about the importance of the defense for the Rockets and their title aspirations for October.
“Our goal is to defend at a high level, and I think we did that,” he said, via Ben DuBose of USA TODAY SPORTS. “That’s going to win us a championship, on the defensive end. Laser focus is what it takes. The team effort is there.”
The Rockets offense is one of the best in the entire league. Harden and Russell Westbrook have been one of the best duos in the league this season but just like the Beard said, the defense will play a key role in the Rockets playoffs run.
Harden has improved his defense over the last couple of years and he’s getting a lot better in the bubble. He knows defense is important and if they manage to get better in that item, the Rockets will be a more serious candidate to win the West this year.
