The Houston Rockets should be greedy. The team's remarkable trajectory went from 22 wins in 2022-23 to 41 last year, followed by 51 and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The learning experience through the first-round series by the Jimmy Butler-fueled Golden State Warriors has been invaluable (regardless of outcome),

Following the game, the Rockets were picked as a team to watch in 2026 by a former ESPN and current Fox Sports One analyst who sent a warning to the rest of the NBA about the Rockets' potential. "Man, Houston is tough," Chris Broussard wrote on X Sunday. "Defense is incredible."