Rockets News: Rockets clinch second seed vs mystery opponent

The Houston Rockets have come a long way.

It wasn't long ago that fans were (mostly) rooting for losses. Even those who were opposed to the practice had to concede that if the Rockets were doing it, there was no sense in holding out for wins.

Last year, the tank reached its natural conclusion. The Rockets went .500, which was a rousing success. For a team that had intentionally lost games for three straight years, being competitive enough to win half their games was a watershed moment.

This year, the team looks a little bit better. The Rockets have 52 wins.

That's enough to hit a new milestone.

Rockets clinch second seed

On Tuesday, the Lakers lost to the Thunder. They destroyed their chances of usurping the Rockets in the process.

It's worth taking a moment to celebrate. The rapid pace of the Rockets' growth over these two years has been staggering. It still feels surreal to type that they've won 52 games so far in 2024-25. This team has surpassed the most optimistic expectations.

Yet, there are practical implications here as well. As the second seed in the Western Conference, the Rockets will have home-court advantage in any series unless they meet the Thunder in the Conference Finals.

Who should they want to face? It's anyone's guess. Last month, I tried to rank 5 potential matchups for Houston by order of preference, but by now, those rankings could look entirely different. Perhaps it's a moot point:

Nobody has any idea who they'll face in the first place.

Rockets' first-round opponent shrouded in mystery

The aforementioned Lakers have 48 wins. That's one more than the Clippers, Nuggets, Warriors and Grizzlies.

That's right. Each of those teams sits with 47 wins.

There are reasons to prefer any of them. On paper, the Clippers seem like an ideal matchup. They're an aging team that Houston can try to run off the floor. The Clippers also largely rely on Ivica Zubac at the 5. It'll be difficult for them to match Houston's double big lineups;

Yet, the Nuggets and Grizzlies both appeal for similar reasons. Each team let go of their head coach near the end of the season, which is odd. The Rockets could take advantage of either team's apparent chaos.

On a surface level, the Warriors feel like the toughest matchup. Perhaps that's so. Still, like the Clippers, this team is old. Moreover, the Rockets tend to bring some extra motivation to the table when they're against their old rivals.

That's not to say the Rockets are assured a victory against any of them. They'll each make for tough competition. Still, the Rockets have gotten this far:

Who's going to stop them now?