The NBA Playoffs are set to begin on Saturday and the long journey towards the NBA finals in June begins with a number of exciting matchups, including the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Lakers, as well as the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs.
The Rockets still may fall down to the eighth spot with a loss to the Lakers, but as of right now they are matched up as the seventh seed against the number two seed in the Spurs. The two teams have played four times this year with the Spurs winning three, but anything can happen in the playoffs and with an old team like the Spurs going up against a young team like the Rockets, there is a chance an upset can happen.
The Spurs have dealt with injuries to key players like Many Ginobili and Tony Parker and with Jeremy Lin and James Harden looking like one of the best duos in the league, the Rockets will be hard to stop. Chandler Parsons has been solid all season for the youngest team in the league and their inexperience may help keep them loose against a veteran Spurs squad.
So far this season the Spurs won three games out of four, with the Rockets taking the last one 96-95 at home after losing the first three. The first game wasn't even close at 114-92 Spurs, but the next two were much better and could be a sign of things to come in the playoffs. San Antonio won both matchups, but they were high scoring affairs that play into the way Houston likes to run. The second game went 134-126, while the third game had the Spurs win 112-116.
The Spurs have been one of the most consistent teams in the league at 58-23 and the team has one home game left in the season. The Rockets have been in the middle of the pack for most of the year and is 45-36 so far this season with one away game left against the Lakers that could have major playoff implications.
Lin has been solid while leading the Rockets in assists all season and his relationship with James Harden is one reason why the team ranks first in scoring with over 105 points per game. The team is ranked seventh in rebounding and sixth in assist per game behind Lin and their only tough spot is on defense, where they rank 28th while allowing 102 points per game.
Lin will be the key for the Rockets and if he can continue playing at a high level, there is no reason why Harden and company can't knock off Tim Duncan and the Spurs in the NBA playoffs even if they are on the road.