How’d they do in group play? 3-1, plus-40 point differential.

Did they win a tough group? They did. The Rockets had the Kings, Clippers and Wolves in their group. Shockingly, Portland also played really well and was briefly in the mix for the wild card. This wasn’t the toughest group, but Houston controlled it from the start.

Is this meaningful for them? Absolutely. The Rockets didn’t make the Play-In Tournament, nor the postseason last year, despite a leap forward. Now, they have the second-best record in the West, and being able to take down OKC to even get to the title game is big. Ime Udoka is trying to teach them how to win consistently, so using this as a barometer for some postseason experience is quite possible.

How’d they make it to Vegas? It was a controversial call that helped propel them over the top in a 91-90 win over the Golden State Warriors. However, this was the first time beating the Warriors since February 2020. Not to mention, they were down 89-82 and completely shut off the Warriors’ water.