The Rockets Are Learning an Even Team Can Be a Key to Victory

The NBA Finals are the ultimate testing ground for coaching philosophies and play styles at the highest level. Teams that show an effective, repeatable formula for success in the Finals are often copied by other franchises when planning their future teams. Game 1 went to the Indiana Pacers, but they may have hinted at a formula that the Houston Rockets could recreate.

This year's Finals features the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that features a more traditional composition. The Thunder are led by a certified superstar in MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Like most teams, the Thunder identified their star and built a team with players who had complementary skill sets.

Jalen Williams relieves some of the ball-handling and scoring pressure for Gilgeous-Alexander. Chet Holmgren provides quality rim protection and floor spacing. The rest of the roster features defensive, effort players.

Several teams throughout the NBA construct their teams with that model: finding a star and building around them.

The Pacers took a similar route, but don't quite fit the mold of other NBA teams. They have identified a few star players on their team, such as Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. Myles Turner plays an important role, but the team relies less on his production than it does on Haliburton and Siakam.

However, the engine that helps Indiana keep pushing forward is the potential of any player in the starting lineup to make big shots when they matter most.

Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith both made huge shots in the waning moments to create an opportunity for the Pacers to capitalize on. They also played strong defense near the end to give Haliburton a chance for a go-ahead shot that won the game for Indiana.

The Pacers show the value in having several players who can do multiple things on the court. While they have their best players, they don't depend on those players for scoring as much as teams like the Thunder depend on Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams. There are examples of teams throughout the league that have little chance to win the minutes when their star player is resting. The Thunder aren't the most egregious example, but they represent a formula that isn't recreated as well outside of Oklahoma City.

The current iteration of the Rockets resembles the Pacers' construction more closely than the Thunder's.

While there are players for Houston who have separated themselves from their teammates, no one has reached the MVP-caliber level that teams often commit all their hopes to. The Rockets are filled with players who provide elite defense and unique layers offensively. They may not be able to depend solely on one player to make every clutch shot, but they benefit from having several who are willing to take clutch shots.

One thing that all teams have in common that Houston is still missing: they know who is taking the final shot.

Haliburton didn't have the best game by his standards, but the entire NBA audience knew he would take the final shot when he received the ball on that final possession. The Rockets don't have as much confidence in a single player to take shots like that consistently.

Houston may be able to reach new heights by harnessing the collective power of its top young players, but it is missing a consistent clutch shooter to make tough shots when it matters.