5 Reasons Houston Rockets Won't Make the Playoffs

With the NBA's regular season coming to an end, numerous teams are no longer concerned with where they place in the playoff seeding but whether or not they'll place at all. One of those teams is the Kevin McHale-led Houston Rockets

The Rockets currently hold onto the eighth seed in the West by just one game. Hot on their tales are the Utah Jazz and the surprisingly good Phoenix Suns. To hold on to their playoff spot, the Rockets must play at their highest level to date. With a handful of issues going against them, I don't believe they'll be able to hold onto their lead.

Injuries

As incredibly as Goran Dragic has played in Kyle Lowry's absence, there is no denying how badly the Rockets will miss their leader entering a stretch of playoff-deciding games.

Not only was Lowry the motor for the Rockets offense, but he was one of the best defensive point guards league-wide.

Even though Dragic has made up for most of those areas, it's hard to imagine how a combination of he and Earl Boykins will match up to that of Dragic and Lowry.

Furthermore, recently-acquired big man Marcus Camby has played well. The issue is the 38-year-old has also been playing hurt. If his injuries continue to nag him and cause him to miss even one game, the Rockets' dreams of a playoff appearance could crash and burn.

Kevin McHale

As great of a player as Kevin McHale was with the Boston Celtics, his history as a head coach is far from stellar. Between a career record of 68-80 and a history of inconsistent interest, McHale doesn't seem like the guy the Rockets can depend on with the playoffs approaching.

Road Schedule

You can point to the Rockets' road victory over the Chicago Bulls as a confidence booster, but let's be real. The Houston Rockets are absolutely horrendous on the road.

Despite compiling a record of 20-8 at home, the Rockets have no reason to feel comfortable. Their record of 9-17 on the road is worse than that of the Phoenix Suns, one of their rivals in this playoff push.

That makes their playoff run a lot more difficult as they play seven of their last 12 games on the road. Amongst those opponents are the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. Good luck with that.

Play Those They Lead

Believe it or not, the Houston Rockets' schedule has them set to play every single team that they're currently ahead of in the Western Conference playoff race. Even more coincidentally, they play all three of those teams in consecutive games.

At least they follow that up with two games against Denver and a road game against Dallas.

I hate to sound pessimistic, but don't count out the possibility of a six-game losing streak. If that's to occur, don't be surprised to see the Houston Rockets out of playoff contention before you know it.

Weakness at the 5

In the Rockets' final 12 games, they play quite a few of the NBA's elite centers. That includes the Lakers' Andrew Bynum, Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins, Utah's Al Jefferson and Phoenix's Marcin Gortat. With Samuel Dalembert manning the middle, it's hard to imagine the Rockets slowing down those players.

While Marcus Camby could add hope, the Rockets are quite one-dimensional on defense. While Goran Dragic is as good as they come on offense, he's hardly a threat on the defensive end of things. This opens up a lot of opportunities for teams to penetrate and attack the basket.