The Houston Rockets have imposed their will against the Jazz. They have a 3-1 Western Conference semifinals series lead heading into Tuesday night’s Game 5 at the Toyota Center. A trip to the Western Conference finals and showdown against the Golden State Warriors seems like a formality.
It’s easy for them not to be. In addition to building an almost perfect roster to contend for a title, Rockets General Manager Daryl Money built a roster that largely hasn’t experienced ultimate success.
Small forward Trevor Ariza is the only Houston starter who has won an NBA title, and he was a young reserve with the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers almost a decade ago.