James Harden and Russell Westbrook on Houston and nothing seemed to go wrong as the two are alpha males in the NBA. Harden shoots an average of 34.4 points per game and Westbrook knocks 27.5 points from his side. They are proving of their MVP breed, and the Rockets are quite optimistic the pairing will lead to an NBA crown at season's end.
That was the vision playing in the mind of Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who said his hopes are high that the team will be the NBA Finals and the tandem of Harden and Westbrook will bring home the title.
Fertitta is specifically proud of the squad that he described as highly competitive, like all the top-seed rivals in the league. He seemed unfazed of the competition such as the Lakers, Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks, which hold the best win-loss record in the league before the games were forced to a pause.
According to Clutch Points, the Houston owner is confident his two superstars are getting ample support from the team's eight-man rotation, touted by him as "pretty darn good."
The boast is underpinned by solid precedents in the league. Tandems indeed make for a great chance of winning multiple NBA titles. The partnership forged Michael Jordan with Scottie Pippen at the Chicago Bulls translated to six championship victories. Kobe Bryant had an impressive run too with Shaquille O'Neal, and the duo delivered a three-peat to Lakers.
And only recently, Stephen Curry convinced Kevin Durant to work with him at the Bay Area, and the move worked for the two former MVPs. The Warriors got two Larry O'Briens mainly because the two played together well.
Clearly, that was the hope by Fertitta. He had spent hundreds of millions assembling a crew that is tasked to win as many titles as possible. He knew that with Harden and Westbrook leading the thirsty pack of the Rockets, there is no reason to fail.
Failure, however, is a reality hovering above Houston. As pointed out by Fadeaway World, the team pressed the all-in button this season, and the push is to win is more pressing than ever. If the goal is not achieved, it is claimed that team will for an overhaul of the roster, said the report, citing the story published by Bleacher Report.
"If the Rockets are ousted early from the playoffs, wholesale changes to the fabric of the franchise could follow shortly thereafter," the report was quoted as saying.
Fertitta hitting that reset button could mean that a revamp in Houston will make everyone expendable save perhaps for Harden. There were ramblings in the past months that the Rockets were starting to realize that while Westbrook was no doubt excellent, he is not the perfect fit with Harden.
It's possible then that for offseason, Houston will need to pick between the two former MVPs, and most likely, Harden, who has been in tip-top shape, will be the chosen one.
