Rockets Must Activate Clutch Gene

The Houston Rockets are going to have to learn how to play and deliver when it matters most in the postseason.

The Rockets have won many close games this year, but that doesn't tell the whole story.

"They’ve won an NBA-high 23 games that featured “close and late” circumstances, defined as the score being within five points in the final five minutes," Bleacher Report contributor Grant Hughes writes.

"Look a little deeper, and you’ll note that Houston’s clutch record comes with a negative net rating and some of the worst late-game offensive numbers in the league.

"The Rockets have been lucky to win as many games as they have, and their inability to generate good looks in the moments that matter most is a red flag.

"If Houston can’t get buckets against dialed-in defenses down the stretch of regular-season games, it’s a good indicator it’ll have a hard time in the playoffs."

Houston has a young core, with five of the eight expected players in the playoff rotation having yet seen the Rockets in the postseason during their tenure in the league. However, Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Steven Adams all have playoff experience and have proven to play well when the time comes.

The Rockets are battle-tested and know how to get to where they are, but they are going to have to get dialed in even further if they truly want to make their presence known in a very talented Western Conference.

The Rockets face the Atlanta Hawks tonight at 7 p.m. CT.