With D’antoni looking like he is going to win his second successive coach of the year award and other Western Conference teams struggling with injuries, it looks like this is the year that the Rockets could finally breakthrough and win a championship. The only question looming over them is whether Paul and Harden can improve their play for the playoffs. Both players have been accused of falling short in the big playoff moments in their career.

Chris Paul has still never made it to a Conference Finals in his 13 NBA seasons. While Paul cannot be blamed for all the Clipper’s repeated playoff failures he certainly has not always showed up in the big moments. In 2014 he had 2 key turnovers in the last 20 seconds of game 5 of the Western Conference semi-finals against OKC  which ultimately cost them the game and the series. Paul’s stats are also reduced in the playoffs as his PER (Player  Efficiency  Rating) and his plus/minus both decrease.

Harden has faced similar questions about his postseason credentials, although he did make the NBA Finals during his early days at OKC in 2012. However Harden’s final performance was poor and he is yet to prove he can be the best player on a championship team, despite being in the regular season conversation for the last 3 seasons. Harden has also disappeared in big playoff moments, especially in last year’s crucial game 6 against the Spurs, where he scored a measly 10 points and only took 11 shots, as the Rockets crashed out of the Western Conference semi-finals.

Both players are sure fire certs for the Hall of Fame and have been putting up incredible numbers during their careers. However both lack a Championship win and a defining playoff moment. Everything is in their favour this year to finally get that monkey of their backs. They might not ever have a better opportunity.