Golden State Warriors bubble talk: Rockets are setting a new precedent

The Rockets are setting a new precedent in the NBA that could have a vast impact on the Golden State Warriors next season.

We should all be familiar with the Houston Rockets brand of basketball at this point. After all, they basically copied it straight from the Golden State Warriors‘ drawing board. However, this season they elected to do something radical, ditching the center position altogether and running a lineup of five smalls.

While this is similar to the death lineup that began the Warriors dynasty, the Rockets have taken things a bit further by having Robert Covington stand as their tallest player at just 6’8″. The starting five of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Robert Covington and P.J. Tucker are severely vertically challenged but the idea is simple: 3-points beats two.

Most assumed the Rockets would look to overwhelm opponents with their offense as their defense would take a hit. Playing a full lineup of 3-point shooters should be enough to cause trouble and force opposing big men out of the game. But, in what might have been an unintended result, the Rockets have actually been BETTER defensively.

The Rockets are successfully taking away the best shots in basketball. They have held opponents to the fourth-fewest points in the paint and the second-lowest percentage from the 3-point line. This is their exact ideology on offense coming into play defensively.

This is largely happening because opponents believe they can overpower the Rockets’ smaller players in the paint. This has led to plenty of post-ups, most of which resulting in a missed shot or turnover.

Consequently, the Rockets have jumped to a 1-0 lead over the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in a convincing Game 1 win. Prolonged success from Houston could spark a revolution across the league.

The NBA moved away from the post for a reason. It isn’t an efficient means of scoring anymore. But, the Rockets have somehow convinced opponents to relentlessly test them in the post. For a player like Tucker, this is playing straight to his advantage as in all honesty he is a better defender here than on the perimeter.

What does this mean for the Warriors? Well, it should be catching their interest. They have the roster to run this exact system – only better. Draymond Green would thrive in Tucker’s role while Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are significantly better shooters than Westbrook and Harden.

Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins fits the mold of what the Warriors would want to do here. He is a versatile wing that can fly around the court and create problems for opposing players. Adding one or two more players like this would give the Dubs’ a revamped system ready to compete at a high-level.

Of course, it all depends on how much longer the Rockets continue to succeed. A championship run from Houston would undoubtedly set a new precedent in the NBA. One that the Warriors would be able to seamlessly make their own.