Rockets’ Mike D’Antoni is confident in any playoff format

Houston Rockets: D’Antoni explains benefit of hiatus

On Wednesday we heard a detailed plan of when the league hopes to resume operations and what the blueprint will look like, although it seems we’re in for a much longer wait. The timetable that was provided by multiple league insiders was late July/early August, which is when we can expect to see games again.

For as painful as that may sound for fans, Rockets GM Daryl Morey provided a silver lining to such an absence, as the Rockets have used the time away from the court to prepare for offseason moves, which is wise considering how the offseason will be shorter than usual.

D’Antoni also provided a positive of such a break, albeit in the form of the Rockets’ core. The fourth-year Rockets coach said, “During this time off, James can recharge his battery. Russell, same way. PJ, big time, recharge it.”

This is certainly a good thing, as Harden ranks second in both total minutes and minutes per game during the 2019-20 season. Tucker played a total of 2203 minutes, which was ninth-most in the league, and Westbrook averaged 35.9 minutes per game, which the was the seventh-most average per game this season.

We’ve heard how Eric Gordon has been able to use the time off to get fully healed, which is important because EG has the ability to take the team over the top.

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