The NBA Cup Is the Houston Rockets' Chance to Prove Themselves

This Wednesday, Dec. 11, is a chance for the Rockets to exorcise some old demons, and put their name along with some of the other top teams in the NBA. They’ll take on the Golden State Warriors to try to win for the first time in 15 tries to start the elimination rounds in the NBA Cup.

A win in that game would mean a lot of different things for this franchise.

First, elimination-style competition is the type of pressure cooker that helps teams get used to the high-intensity games that accompany the postseason. The Rockets desperately need to experience some meaningful games before they reach late into the season. Other teams they’ll be competing with are battle-tested and have even reached the conference finals and played for championships.

The Rockets spent most of their past few seasons playing non-competitive basketball. Last season was the first year Houston got a taste of some stakes at the end of the season. It was one of their best seasons in a while, but they fell just short of hitting their goal to make the playoffs.

This year, they feel they have the tools to make it happen and that there’s no excuse for missing the postseason.

It starts with gaining the competitive mindset that situations like the NBA Cup can create. With a one-game elimination, there will be pressure to perform at a high level. There are no redos for a poor performance, and losing has more weight than it usually does in the regular season.

To get past the quarterfinals and earn their spot in Vegas, the Rockets will have to do something they haven’t done in nearly four full seasons: beat the Warriors.

It won’t be an easy feat, but losing in the quarterfinals would largely be a disappointment for a team that dominated their group stage.

The problem is that Houston lost its last game against the Warriors without Stephen Curry or Draymond Green. Those players will be back in action on Wednesday, so winning seems to be a difficult proposition.

To beat Golden State and move on to Vegas, they will have to accomplish a couple of things: keep up their high-intensity defense even if Tari Eason can't suit up, shoot better from deep range, and do better on the glass than they did in their last game.

Houston shot only 26 percent from three-point range against the Warriors, and got outrebounded by nine against the small ball team.

While the three-point shooting has been somewhat lackluster this season, rebounding is an area the Rockets have generally performed well. They can’t lose that advantage against Golden State if they want a chance to move on past the quarterfinals.

If not, their NBA Cup Championship dreams may just end on Wednesday.

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