- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 390,236
- Reaction score
- 43
With seven straight wins and a perfect 6-0 homestand, the Houston Rockets (44-25) have surged to No. 2 in the 2024-25 Western Conference standings.
Understandably, that streak — which is the longest active one in the NBA — is also getting them more national recognition.
In its weekly power rankings published each Wednesday, ESPN now ranks the Rockets at No. 4 in the league. They trail only the three teams with better records: the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (56-12), No. 2 Oklahoma City Thunder (56-12), and No. 3 Boston Celtics (50-19).
Regarding the Rockets, ESPN's Michael Wright writes in his ranking summary:
Five of Houston's next six games are against teams with losing records in the form of the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, and Phoenix Suns. So, whether the Rockets can sustain their effort versus so-called "lesser teams" will soon be put to the test.
Then again, of Houston's current seven-game winning streak, all have had losing records. So, while some of the final margins (particularly against the 76ers and Chicago Bulls in recent days) have been closer than desired, the results are hard to argue with. And that's why the Rockets are now viewed as one of the NBA's top-four teams, up from a spot at No. 9 one week ago.
As for the methodology, ESPN says the weekly rankings are based on where members of its in-house panel (Wright, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Ohm Youngmisuk, and Chris Herring) think each team belongs this season.
More: By the numbers: In wild comeback versus Sixers, several Rockets achieve career milestones
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: After seven straight wins, ESPN lifts Rockets to No. 4 in NBA rankings
Continue reading...
Understandably, that streak — which is the longest active one in the NBA — is also getting them more national recognition.
In its weekly power rankings published each Wednesday, ESPN now ranks the Rockets at No. 4 in the league. They trail only the three teams with better records: the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (56-12), No. 2 Oklahoma City Thunder (56-12), and No. 3 Boston Celtics (50-19).
Regarding the Rockets, ESPN's Michael Wright writes in his ranking summary:
Five of Houston's next six games are against teams with losing records in the form of the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, and Phoenix Suns. So, whether the Rockets can sustain their effort versus so-called "lesser teams" will soon be put to the test.
Then again, of Houston's current seven-game winning streak, all have had losing records. So, while some of the final margins (particularly against the 76ers and Chicago Bulls in recent days) have been closer than desired, the results are hard to argue with. And that's why the Rockets are now viewed as one of the NBA's top-four teams, up from a spot at No. 9 one week ago.
As for the methodology, ESPN says the weekly rankings are based on where members of its in-house panel (Wright, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Ohm Youngmisuk, and Chris Herring) think each team belongs this season.
More: By the numbers: In wild comeback versus Sixers, several Rockets achieve career milestones
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: After seven straight wins, ESPN lifts Rockets to No. 4 in NBA rankings
Continue reading...
