The Houston Rockets may have made the postseason more recently than the San Antonio Spurs, but it's safe to say the Spurs have passed their in-state rivals this season.
The San Antonio Spurs were not supposed to have the second-best record in the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and both Los Angeles teams were expected to finish ahead of the Spurs.
Instead, San Antonio is in second place and boasts a 4-1 record over OKC.
While the numbers don't lie, and the Spurs are emerging as title favorites, one NBA All-Star urged fans to pump the brakes and look at a recent track record.
Fred VanVleet Downplays Spurs' Success
Between Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, and Kevin Durant, the Houston Rockets were expected to finish second in the Western Conference for the second straight season.
Instead, injuries and questionable team chemistry have held them back. After the Spurs' third win of the season over Houston, a dominant 145-120 blowout, VanVleet downplayed his in-state rivals.
"We were better than in the last two years, correct?" asked VanVleet on his podcast. "So they're better than us this year, you would say? You would say they're a better team than us this year?"
His co-host and most of the NBA world agree that the Spurs are better. VanVleet, meanwhile, does not.
"They're in front of us right now, literally, in the standings," VanVleet added. "And then, yeah, you could judge everything based upon 'they look like this' or 'this player is better than this player.' Wemby is an alien. Castle is a really good player. Harper looks like a really good player...They're rolling, they're having a good year. But like, what's the finish line, though?"
VanVleet went on to cite playoff success as the ultimate measurement of team success.
Okay, Fred. In your two years in Houston, the Rockets missed the playoffs and then got upset by the Golden State Warriors in the first round.
Is NBA success defined by the past or the future? Which team is closer to winning the Finals? It's not the Rockets, and it's safe to say that San Antonio has passed Houston up.