Rockets’ Mike D’Antoni: “Hopefully we’ll finish the year”

On Sunday, Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni joined KPRC’s Sports Sunday to express his thoughts and optimism for a completion to the season.

It’s been over a month since the Houston Rockets last played a game, as their season stopped before the NBA announced it was suspending the season. The last time we saw the Rockets, they got back to their winning ways, as they ended a four-game losing streak. This made it even more difficult to not be able to continue watching them play, as they seemingly turned things around, heading into an upcoming game against the Los Angeles Lakers, who sit atop the Western Conference.

The Rockets’ season halted with them sitting sixth place in the West, with a 40-24 record. Although sixth place is a lower finish than we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from the Rockets, the season has been successful, considering how they were instantly able to ingratiate Russell Westbrook into a 3-point heavy offense, despite that not being his specialty.

Not only that, the Rockets defied conventional basketball logic, as they discarded the traditional big man in favor of playing five-out, and spacing the floor. Although the league has only been suspended for a month, it feels like it’s been a year.

Many believe the longer the league is out of action, the more difficult it will be to salvage the season. Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni recently discussed this on KPRC’s Sports Sunday:

Every week and month that goes by, it gets a little bit tougher. But the NBA will take all this into account and they will ramp this up and try to get us some games. Hopefully we’ll finish the year and somebody will be crowned the champion.

D’Antoni sounds optimistic, which echoes the sentiments of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who shared the same opinion last week. And rightfully so, as we’ve heard that the NBA is even willing to extend it’s season through the Labor Day weekend, which shows the level of determination of finishing the season.

For this reason, it seems almost certain that somebody will be crowned a champion, as the league has also gotten creative regarding how the season can be salvaged. The Rockets should like their chances in the postseason, as they’re a 3-point dependent team, which could bode well in a shortened playoff format, which has also been discussed.

If the Rockets will only have to get hot from behind the arc for three games in a series, the league should be very concerned. Much like the fans, D’Antoni is hoping for a completed season, and the Rockets have as good of a chance as anyone to win the title.