3 reasons not to panic following Rockets’ loss vs Knicks

With the Houston Rockets suffering a streak-ending loss to the lottery-bound New York Knicks, here are three reasons we shouldn’t panic following this surprising defeat.

Following the Houston Rockets‘ recent loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night, much of Rockets Nation began to panic. Questions immediately arose on Rockets Twitter.

Will the Rockets still be able to make a playoff run? Has the season started to take a turn for the worse? Have teams figured out the small-ball experiment?

Although the Rockets loss a game against a team they were better than, these things happen in the NBA. In fact, it happened around the league on the same day, as the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Miami Heat.

Although these games down the stretch will have implications on playoff seeding, it’s important not to mistake these games for actual playoff games. Meaning, Monday’s loss against the Knicks isn’t the same as losing Game 7 of a postseason series.

We also have to be careful not to use one game as proof of a failed experiment or the Rockets having been “figured out”, especially considering how they won 9 of their previous 11 games heading into Monday. On top of that, the Houston Rockets had just came off a road victory against the Boston Celtics, who are one of the better teams in the league. The Rockets were riding a six-game winning streak prior to that game.

With many Rockets fans having doubt following the loss against the Knicks, here are three reasons why we shouldn’t panic.

Next: No. 3