It is undeniable that the Houston Rockets are the hottest team in basketball right now. Since losing to the Jazz on January 27th, the Rockets have reeled off 19 straight wins. I don’t care at what level you are playing, be it professional, collegiate or even high school, that’s incredible. Only the ‘71-’72 Lakers and the ‘71-’72 Bucks have surpassed the Rockets’ current feat, winning 33 and 20 straight, respectively. But then again, with Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the helm, I am surprised that those win streaks weren’t longer.
The question at hand, though, is whether or not the 2008 Rockets can reach or even surpass the Lakers’ record of 33 wins without defeat. In my opinion, that is a pretty tall order. But, hypothetically it is possible. Here are the next 15 teams the Rockets must play in order to do so:
1. Hawks 2. Bobcats 3. Lakers 4. Celtics 5. Hornets 6. Warriors 7. Suns 8. Kings 9. Timberwolves 10. Spurs 11. Kings 12. Trail Blazers 13. Sonics 14. Clippers 15. Sonics
This schedule poses a whole slew of threats to the Rockets’ winning streak. 7 of the 15 teams are above .500 and potential playoff teams. Four of them have better records and arguably more talent. Moreover, as the old adage goes, on any given day any team can win. Even the below .500 teams.
So, is it possible for the Rockets to continue their winning streak and hit the 34 mark? Yes. Is it probable? No. In fact, the Rockets will be lucky if can win 10 of their next 15 games. The Rockets are a very good team riding a lot of momentum right now. But facing a stretch where you have to play five teams any one of which could win the NBA title this year is a tough road for even the best of teams. What will happen? The Rockets will beat the Hawks and Bobcats taking their record to 21-0 since January 27th, but then will lose in quick succession to the Lakers and Celtics. Both Boston and LA have too much fire power to lose to the Yao-less Rockets.
