Perhaps the Rockets always believed in what they could be but were not, yet. It was difficult to think that way, however, when they battled injuries and illnesses and dropped games to teams that view wins as special occasions.
That, however, might have been a half-empty way of looking at things.
December might have seemed set up to make a run at the top of the standings. It did not work out that way with a few bad losses that dotted the schedule. But along the way in going 13-5 since a November losing streak, the Rockets have topped six-consecutive teams with winning records.
That has become the pattern of their season that otherwise would not seem to have one.
After the Rockets lost in double overtime to the Spurs, they beat the Raptors in Toronto. After they lost at home to the Pistons, they topped the Spurs at home then knocked off the Clippers in Los Angeles. Since their Christmas Day loss to the Warriors, they have handled the Nets, Nuggets and 76ers, all by double digits.
With that, the Rockets have the second-best record against winning teams in the NBA at 8-5, just the season-opening loss to the Bucks behind Milwaukee’s 9-5.
That has gone a long way toward making up for the more inexplicable losses, with some work to do there. But more than that, it might show the possibilities for a team now at full strength, even if the Rockets did always believe in that potential.
“I think we’ve already shown our potential,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I mean, potentially, we’re the best team out there. Potentially. It doesn’t mean we’ve done that. Potentially, we can come in first place. It doesn’t mean we’ve done that.
“Yeah, I think we all know the potential. Can we achieve that? That’s our goal.”
The Rockets will reconvene for practice on Monday in a tie for second in the Western Conference but cannot claim to have proved their worthiness in the upper echelon they are approaching. They have not played in Milwaukee. They have not played the Lakers or Celtics. They lost their only meeting of four with the Mavericks.
Yet, for whatever issues the Rockets have had with consistency, at their best they have looked like contenders. And their best has come against the many of the best teams on their schedule.
There will be plenty of chances to test that. The Jan. 18 game against the Lakers will mark the midpoint of the season with the Rockets citing several areas in which they need to make strides to reach that potential.
They need to get Eric Gordon, three games into his return from knee surgery, back up to speed. They need to knock down 3s more reliably when teams double the ball out of James Harden’s hands. They need to need to defend more consistently, rather than in spurts as has been an issue throughout the season, leaving them 17th in defensive rating.
Mostly, however, they cite a need to avoid the lulls that have tripped them up from game-to-game, even quarter-to-quarter.
Some of that is inevitable. They are far from alone with losses to teams on the bottom of the standings. The Nuggets lost to the Wizards, without Bradley Beal, on Saturday. The Clippers (missing Paul George and Pat Beverley) were blown out at home by the Grizzlies. Yet, with five teams within two games of second place in the Western Conference there is little margin for error.
“It’s a little frustrating for us,” D’Antoni said of some of the letups. “Sometimes it’s a product of the schedule. Sometimes it’s a product of someone doesn’t feel good. The season has all kinds of ups and downs. It can’t always be explained. Coaches come out a lot of times, ‘Well, we didn’t have our energy, we weren’t concentrating. It could have been, two guys were feeling bad. It’s easy for me to say that. It’s kind of a catch-all.
“We have to watch it. We have to watch in the same game to watch giving back points and our energy levels. But it’s the NBA. It’s a long season. I think overall, we’re in pretty good shape. But we have to understand where we have pitfalls and get better.”
This would seem to be a stretch to improve before the schedule turns more grueling in the weeks leading to the All-Star break. When the Rockets face the Hawks to start a back-to-back in Atlanta and Oklahoma City on Wednesday, they will have had four off days. While breaks that long in a schedule can cause issues with timing and shooting, for the Rockets it can provide a chance to get over health issues and to get in practice work they rarely take on during the season.
“We have a veteran team,” D’Antoni said. “The biggest thing is they get rested and well. Clint (Capela) has got a heel issue that should pass in those four days. James has been nicked up a bit. That should pass. Some of it is really good and they’ll get their work in.
“We know what we want to do. We’ll go over some things. But we’re in a good place right now.”
jonathan.feigen@chron.com
twitter.com/jonathan_feigen
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Rockets are at their best vs. the best - Houston Chronicle
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