It’s weird to say after a single loss to another playoff team away from the Toyota Center, but the Houston Rockets haven’t been playing well. Sure, the Minnesota Timberwolves were playing their first playoff game in over a decade, and their home court fans were absolutely ravenous for a victory, but the Houston defeat goes a little deeper than that.
As Xiane mentioned in his excellent piece, it’s been a little too long since we’ve seen Peak Rockets. The team hasn’t been in tip-top shape since a mid-March run that saw them defeat the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs and the Wolves in a week’s time.