Mike D’Antoni is an important figure in basketball history, championship or not. Doubling down on his beliefs in the final year of his contract with the Rockets is just the latest chapter in his storied career.
After trading starting center Clint Capela to acquire Robert Covington, the tallest player who saw the floor in the Rockets win over the Lakers was 6'7". But at least for the night, the space on the court made Russell Westbrook and the rest of the small-ball roster tough to stop.
I’ve always referred to D'Antoni as a basketball philosopher and no one can say he wasn’t ahead of his time.