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A Manchester City Fan’s Guide To the NBA Playoffs

By Dan Larsen

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 09: The Tottenham Hotspur fans create a Tifo display prior to the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final first leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 09, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 09: The Tottenham Hotspur fans create a Tifo display prior to the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final first leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 09, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
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Their history, style of play, star players, and revolutionary minds guiding their team make the Houston Rockets an appealing option.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 03: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets celebrates after a dunk by Clint Capela #15 against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center on April 03, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 03: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets celebrates after a dunk by Clint Capela #15 against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center on April 03, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

The first team that may appeal to Manchester City fans is the Houston Rockets.

Led by one of the league’s best players, and defending MVP, James Harden, the Rockets are more than capable of making a legitimate run at the title this year.

Houston is a team with a relatively successful past, but one who hasn’t been to the promise land in over two decades.

The Rockets came into the league in 1971, originally being located in San Diego.

Once they settled in Houston in 1976, they found success relatively quickly. Led by hall-of-fame big man, Moses Malone, the Rocket would win their division title in 1976-1977 and make it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time.

Four years later, the Rockets made it to their first NBA Finals, the second team to ever make it there after having a losing record in the regular season. There, they ran into an incredible Boston Celtics team who beat them in six games.

Houston would hit the jackpot a few years later in the 1984 NBA draft, landing one of the best players to ever play, Hakeem Olajuwon.

With him as their leading player, Houston would go through a roller coaster period for the remainder of the 1980s. They would make their second NBA Finals in 1985-86, but they also missed the playoffs or lost in the first round the year before that Finals run, and in every following season that decade.

The Rockets, however, would hit new heights in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons. With things finally breaking their way, the Rockets would go on to win consecutive NBA Finals, the only team to win a title between the six that Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls would win that decade.

After that run, the Houston Rockets would go through a rebuilding period for the remainder the 90s, rise to brief prominence again with an exciting team in the mid 2000’s, then remain a fringe contender until James Harden emerged as the league’s best shooting guard over the past four seasons.

Like Pep Guardiola revolutionized football, both abroad and in the Premier League, the Rockets front office has played a leading role in creating the kind of play that defines the modern NBA.

Their Head Coach, Mike D’Antoni, revolutionized the game with his seven second or less offense with the Phoenix Suns in the 2000s. This led other teams across the league to adopt a quicker pace that made for more exciting offense.

Their General Manager,  Daryl Morey, began to focus on the importance of spacing created by the three point shot at the beginning of this decade. Using analytics in ways other teams weren’t, the Rockets figured out how to develop a system that could beat one the NBA’s super teams if they executed it to perfection. This system helped create better spacing for players to operate in on offense, and was a leading factor in the three point revolution that’s taken the NBA by storm today.

The Rockets are trying to return to prominence once again.

James Harden, their best player, has had one of the greatest seasons the league’s ever seen. Like Yaya Toure during the 2013-14 season, Harden is able to dominate and get his team to win by shear force of will. The shots he’s able to make are reminiscent of some of the ridiculous ones Toure scored during that magical title winning season for City.

Chris Paul, their other superstar, has had a storied career much like Manchester City midfielder David Silva. Paul has had major success on the international scene, working as the facilitator on many successful U.S. Men’s Basketball sides. However, like Silva is in the Champions League, Paul is still looking for that elusive NBA title as the final notch in his belt to cap off a fantastic career.

Houston came within one game of beating the monstrous Golden State Warriors in Western Conference Finals last year. An injury to Paul, as well as two historically cold shooting performances from three, derailed their run.

Their path will be difficult again, as they now face the prospect of playing that same Warriors team a round earlier this year. Houston will need to conquest their arch rival, just like Manchester City was required to at the beginning of this decade, if they want to return to greatness. They’re more than capable of accomplishing that goal.

Next, let’s take a look at a serious contender in the Eastern Conference: The Phliadelphia 76ers.