The Rockets can play better, James Harden said with great conviction and even apparent pleasure. They will play better. They likely will have to play better than they have to win another playoff series.
With their first-round battle with the Oklahoma City Thunder complete, Harden saw not just victory, but potential.
"That's what's exciting," he said. "We can play 10 times better."
Until then, however, as they began a five-day break between playoff series, it is possible that they are already a better team than they were when the post-season began.
Whether the Rockets have improved or just found a way to win their first-round series remains to be seen.