When I started writing for The Dream Shake all the way back in 2010, Houston was mired in what would be a three year stretch of mediocrity. The worst place to be in the NBA is the ninth seed in the Western Conference. You’re just good enough to have hope that you can make the playoffs, but not good enough to get into the dance. Your reward for fielding a competitive team each year? A pick at the end of the lottery, unlikely to snag a franchise-altering player.
James Harden changed the Houston Rockets. No longer were they plucky underdogs who couldn’t get over the lottery hump.