James Harden on Rockets' Title Chances: 'This Is the Year. For Sure'

James Harden is feeling good about the Houston Rockets' chances of contending this season.

"This is the year," the guard told Jovan Buha of ESPN Tuesday. "For sure."

Harden also praised the work general manager Daryl Morey and CEO Tad Brown did to bring the current group together.

"This is probably the best team I've ever been a part of, from top to bottom," he added. "The chemistry that we have, included with the coaching staff—I mean, we're having a lot of fun."

The Rockets certainly look the part with the best record in the NBA at 47-13. They entered Tuesday with a 13-game winning streak and are beating opponents by a league-best 8.8 points per game.

Per Basketball Reference, the team ranks No. 1 in the league in offensive rating while the defensive rating remains a respectable eighth-best.

Harden is playing at an MVP level while leading the NBA with 31.4 points per game, and he clearly has tons of talent around him to make an impact on both ends of the court.

The question, however, is whether the squad can keep it up in the playoffs. The organization has reached the postseason in each of the last five years but only has won three series in this stretch, getting knocked out in the first round three different times. Chris Paul has made a huge impact on this team, but he has never reached a conference final.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors aren't going anywhere despite being slightly behind Houston the standings. The squad is still the defending champions after going 16-1 last postseason, and it features most of the same players from a year ago.

According to OddsShark, the Warriors remain the favorite to win a title at 2-3, while the Rockets have just the third-best odds at 10-1. The Cavaliers are still a better option in the minds of oddsmakers.

Harden has some well-deserved confidence based on the recent run, but the Rockets still have a lot to prove before declaring it their year.

from Bleacher Report - Front Page http://ift.tt/2oybpdm