Will this be the end for Mike D’Antoni and the Rockets?

How D’Antoni revitalized his career with the Rockets

When Mike D’Antoni took the job of Houston Rockets head basketball coach he was not the final piece in a championship puzzle. The Rockets had just fantastically disappointed in a 41-41 campaign and learned, as everyone eventually does, that Dwight Howard is not someone you want to have around.

D’Antoni, after subpar stints with America’s two favorite teams, had sunk to an assistant coach on the 76ers, who were “Trusting the Process”. The league had given up on both D’Antoni and the Rockets, which is what made their partnership perfect. They both wanted the same thing from each other: to reach their championship potential.

What followed was a fantastic stretch of play from the Rockets. In Houston, D’Antoni has won 68.2 percent of his games, which is a impressive to say the least. In fact, the only franchise to win more regular-season games than the Rockets is the Toronto Raptors.

The Rockets made the Western Conference Finals twice and have won 60% of their playoff games under MDA. D’Antoni won the Coach of the Year award in 2016-17 and helped James Harden reach another level offensively, as he won scoring titles and an MVP.

Next: MDA's bad luck