The ongoing 7-game winning streak of the Houston Rockets has impressed Skip Bayless. Subsequently, the sports analyst issued a warning to their direct rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. The 72-year-old candidly ruthlessly expressed his thoughts on the matter, as concerns continued to surround the LeBron James and Stephen Curry-led franchises.
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The Rockets have extended their winning run to seven with the latest 127-117 triumph against the Chicago Bulls as per NBA.com. With a 34-35 record, the Texas-based organization is breathing on the necks of the San Francisco giants. They are currently only 2.5 games behind the 10th-seeded Warriors and three games behind the 9th-placed Lakers.
This poses a massive threat to both Curry and James’ play-in hopes as Bayless addressed precisely that aspect on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote, “Uh…LAKERS AND WARRIORS…maybe you guys ought to glance over your shoulders…here come Ime’s Rockets”.
The seemingly straightforward approach from the analyst captured the entire scenario as a whole. While the Rockets continue to gain momentum, the Lakers and the Warriors deal with sustained mediocrity. Consequently, in the last seven games, the Lakers have yielded an output of 4-3 while the Warriors remain on a 3-4 run. This adds further volume to the warning as the spotlight shifts to California.
Can LeBron James and Stephen Curry enter the postseason?
Time remains the only alibi for both the former MVPs’ franchises. At the moment, the Rockets have an equal number of games left as the Lakers (13) while the Warriors have one more in hand (14). However, the Rockets will have the home advantage on more occasions (6) than their conference rivals during this phase.
Hence, their clashes with each other will become the deciding factor of their fates. After all, the Rockets will host the Warriors on 4th April while the Lakers will do the same on 9th April. Consequently, Curry’s form of 26.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists as per StatMuse, will become crucial for the Bay Area. At the same time, the City of Angels depends on James’ 25.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game as per ESPN.
As of right now, the Rockets have ample time to push forward and leave their competition behind. Yet, their rivals have the experience and personalities to pull off a similar outcome. The playoff race once again heats up at the twilight of the regular season, adding a layer to the NBA rivalries.
