With less than a month left until the end of the regular season, the situation in the West for the playoff race is tangled to say the least, with as many as six teams battling for three spots. In the tussle, at the moment, the Golden State Warriors are in the best position (sixth with a record of 39 won and 31 lost), for many years relegated to the bottom of the standings (in the last 18 seasons they have reached the playoffs only once in 2007), but this time, driven by the jewel Stephen Curry, author of a super season with 22,2 per game average, and the usual contribution of David Lee, should, deservedly, be able to extend their tournament. Very important for the Oakland franchise was the success of the Houston Rockets a few nights ago on the field, the formation immediately behind in the standings, while looking at their calendar from here to April 17, the path for the Warriors should be quite comfortable, with 9 out of 12 home games and the double challenge to both Portland and the Lakers, beyond the confrontation with Utah, all teams chasing Golden State and still have postseason hopes.
Currently in seventh place are the Rockets, with a record of 37 won and 31 lost and will close their regular season right at the Staples Center at the Lakers' home (but that day the two teams, probably, could have already reached their goal ). Coach Kevin McHale's team, best attack in the NBA (with Oklahoma and Denver) averaging 106 points per game, of the last 14 games of the season will play 8 at home at the Toyota Center (including easy challenges with Orlando, Phoenix and Sacramento) and if, apart from the next very affordable match against Cleveland, he manages to hold up in the following four complicated matches (in Texas against San Antonio, Indiana and the Clippers, with the trip to Memphis in the middle), he would reach the last two weeks in relative tranquility . He also has the three wins out of the four games of the season against Utah (the last one a few days ago) and also with the Lakers he's ahead 2-1. The Achilles' heel remains the defense: 103 points conceded per match, better only than that of Sacramento.
But, as mentioned, Houston is based above all on its offensive strength, where James Harden's class emerges, 26,3 points per game, supported by Jeremy Lin, but sometimes too discontinuous. For the "Barba" it has been a great first season in the Rockets shirt so far, he has not betrayed expectations right away, demonstrating his incredible efficiency even more with the transition from sixth man last season in the Thunder to leader of a team achievement and winning some races literally alone. For him also came the great satisfaction, last February 20, of taking revenge on his former team, Oklahoma, beating them in the third attempt of the season as an absolute protagonist, also recording his career high that evening, with 46 points.
And the Thunder, who for economic reasons exchanged Harden shortly before the start of the tournament, the "Beard" is starting to miss a lot, especially those (few) times when the Durant-Westbrook couple is less brilliant than usual and would need of an alternative in attack (although Kevin Martin, who took Harden's place in the hierarchies of Scott Brooks, is making an excellent contribution with 14 points per game). Therefore, for the Rockets, a return to the playoffs is looming after three years of absence, but the red and white must not have any loss of concentration, because the others are lurking.
