Rockets May Have Had Best Season in NBA

The Houston Rockets have enjoyed one of the best seasons in the NBA, ending up in the elite group of teams to win 50 games or more.

That's why Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale gave the Rockets an "A+" in his final grades for the regular season.

"What actually went wrong for the Houston Rockets this year? It would have been cool for Cam Whitmore to take a bigger step forward, and for rookie Reed Sheppard to have a larger impact in general. Everything else about this team has essentially annihilated expectations," Favale writes.

"Houston's ascent is reflected in the standings. It enters the postseason with the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference on the back of a furious transition attack, stalwart defense and depth that is the envy of no fewer than 28 other teams. (Take that, Mat Ishbia.)

"Distrust from the outside remains high as this core prepares for its first playoff trip together. The Rockets offense wants for better bucket-getting and spacing versus set defenses. They rank in the bottom 10 of half-court efficiency, a weakness that'll become more glaring if and when a playoff opponent slows down their transition sprees.

"Or maybe, when faced with that dilemma, Houston will simply turn to the Alperen Şengün-Steven Adams frontcourt combo and grab every possible offensive rebound and figure out how to rattle off wins anyway."

Now, the Rockets will move on to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, where they will look to compete against the best teams in the Western Conference.