Congratulations, Rockets. Against all odds and despite all the doubters, you made it to the Conference Finals in one of the toughest Western Conferences in history. Now, as your reward, you get -- oh God, the Golden State Warriors? That's a cruel punishment, not a reward.
You don't need anyone to tell you how good these Warriors are. They have the MVP (technically), the Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player runner-up (Draymond Green in both cases), and the stingiest defense in the NBA. They also spanked the Rockets in all four games they played in the regular season, winning by double digits each time.
The good news is that Dwight Howard is playing better than he has all season, Josh Smith and Corey Brewer got their groove back by the end of the Clippers series, and anything can happen. But make no mistake -- the Rockets are big, big underdogs.
That'll make it even sweeter if the Rockets can pull the upset. And to do so, they'll need to steal a game on the road, against the loudest home crowd in the association. No time like the present. Talk it out in the comments below.