- Houston Rockets (53-24)
For a team that’s won 10 of its last 12 and ranks as the Western Conference’s No. 2 overall seed, the Rockets have a lot of outstanding questions with the playoffs just two weeks away. Namely, Kevin McHale has to figure out how to make optimum use of both James Harden and Dwight Howard in what could be a high-powered offense. And if that’s not enough, there’s the issue of who will be called upon to be the team’s No. 3 option. Forward Trevor Ariza has averaged 13 points and eight rebounds over the regular season, but playoff hoops can be an entirely different animal.
