Top 10 Plays and Moments from Houston Rockets' 2014-15 Regular Season

Before we watch the Houston Rockets dive into the NBA playoffs, let's first take a moment to recognize the terrific season that was.

Despite numerous strokes of bad luck through injuries and more, the Rockets prevailed en route to a 56-win season and Southwest Division title. There were a lot of ups and downs, but mostly ups as Houston clinched the second seed on the final day of the regular season.

We're counting down the top plays and moments from the Rockets' season. Season-defining moments carry more weight than simple highlight reels, but those are fun too and will be featured on the list.

The countdown is quite Beard-heavy, which makes sense because James Harden carried the Rockets on his back all season long. He is a top-two MVP candidate thanks to his improvement in his all-around game, particularly on defense, as well as his knack for coming up big in the clutch. There will be plenty of the above over the next several slides.

Let's get started.

Honorable Mentions

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Smith had several nice plays throughout the season.

There are just too many good plays to choose from, and I want to give everyone a shout-out, so here are a handful of honorable mentions that didn't quite make the cut but still deserve some love.

First, I want to mention the injured Rockets who won't be able to take part in the playoffs.

The team will miss Patrick Beverley's tenacity, especially in a series against a heated rival. We all know Bev isn't one to let go of grudges quite that easily, like his feud with Russell Westbrook in the playoffs two years ago. He could have brought that tough mentality to this Mavs series after already showing how he feels about Chandler Parsons.

Houston would really like to get Bev back if it makes a deep playoff run. After all, he is the most skilled player in the NBA.

The Rockets will also be without Donatas Motiejunas, which is just a shame. D-Mo was having an incredible breakout year, and he's one of the reasons Houston did so well while Dwight Howard was out.

D-Mo was the Rockets' second-best scorer behind Harden. His post game is exceptional, and he also improved dramatically from beyond the arc this season. He also had some occasional nifty passes. His reliable scoring and overall effort will be a huge loss for Houston.

Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer supplied instrumental effort so many times. Even 37-year-old Jason Terry contributed to the cause. All three of these guys will be pivotal in the playoff push.

Josh Smith didn't make it into the top 10 either, but he had a variety of highlight plays throughout his time with the Rockets. He had jaw-dropping blocks, emphatic dunks and some fancy passes that were all noteworthy.

Dwight Howard didn't have a ton of highlight-reel additions this season, mostly due to injuries. He did have some nice alley-oops, however.

The same goes for Terrence Jones, who missed over half the year with leg and lung injuries. He deserves a lot of credit for coming back from two scary injuries and being as effective as ever. He picked up three consecutive blocks in his return from a collapsed lung. With D-Mo out, Jones and Smoove will be crucial during the playoffs.

There were also some nice moments from the rookies on the squad. Kostas Papanikolaou had a nice slam on the Milwaukee Bucks. Clint Capela also made some nice strides this year. K.J. McDaniels showed a few flashes of brilliance himself.

Even Joey Dorsey got in on the fun.

Now that I mentioned everyone, we can finally get started.

10. Nick Johnson Game-Winner

Every game matters in the West. The Rockets could have landed anywhere between the second seed and sixth seed on the season's final day, so clearly every win served a purpose this year.

In an overtime game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Dwight Howard injured and Harden fouled out, Houston needed someone to step up. Of all people, it was Nick Johnson who delivered in the closing seconds.

The play was designed for Jason Terry, but the Wolves' defense forced Jet to give up the rock. Johnson capitalized on his opportunity and drove straight to the rack, finishing the off-balance layup to give the Rockets the lead with less than a second left.

Johnson had a minimal impact on the Rockets this season. He appeared in just 28 games, averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds. Sure, he had his moments but really was a non-factor for most of the year.

However, this shot represents how the Rockets have persevered despite several hardships throughout the season. Houston had the second-most games missed due to injury as a team, according to ManGamesLost.com. Their ideal starting lineup played in a grand total of two games together. Yet they still managed to have a successful season, and it's because role players continuously answered the call when needed.

9. Prigioni Between the Legs

This play has a little bit of flash as well as some meaningful impact for the Rockets. Houston came into this game losing six straight and 11 of 12 against the Los Angeles Clippers and was desperate to end the drought.

That the Rockets did, as they beat the Clips 110-105 thanks to a brilliant effort by the bench. The play above is the epitome of how Houston's second unit operates.

It all starts with aggressive defense. When Harden leaves the game, the bench uses immense ball pressure to force the third-most steals per game in the league. Those steals lead to easy fast-break opportunities like the one above, although Pablo Prigioni added a little flair this time.

With the Rockets second-stringers, any missed basket can turn into a breakaway dunk. Corey Brewer and Prigioni both grab a ton of steals, and the greyhound is among the best in the business at attacking in the fast break.

In the playoffs, Houston will need its bench to continue to play suffocating defense and get out in transition. The Rockets are at their best when they force live-ball turnovers and run other teams straight out of the building.

8. Rockets Jump out to a Hot Start

The Rockets' magical season started off the right way. Houston catapulted out to a 6-0 start, becoming the second team in NBA history to win its first six games by double digits.

Houston blew up the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs 98-81 in front of a national audience. This win marked its sixth consecutive win against Gregg Popovich and the inner-state rivals. The game was never even close, as Houston coasted to a wire-to-wire win.

Harden's monstrous dunk over poor Aron Baynes was the highlight that stood out the most. Give credit to D-Mo for the nifty bounce pass on the backdoor cut.

The last time the Rockets started 6-0 was the 1996-97 season. Houston lost in the Western Conference Finals that year.

7. Harden Shuts the Door on OKC

Time after time, Harden delivered when it mattered most. He scored more clutch points (five-point game within five minutes) than anyone else in the Association, according to NBA.com.

As the regular season was winding down, Harden went head-to-head against the red-hot Russell Westbrook on a Sunday Showcase. Both of these guys were battling neck-and-neck for the scoring title, and Harden came out on top that afternoon with 41 points compared to Westbrook's 40. Westbrook also took seven more shots to get there.

The Beard may not have won the scoring title in the end, but he did win this game and the two seed as the OKC Thunder will watch the playoffs from the couch.

In this particular game, Houston led the whole way until OKC made a run in the fourth quarter to tie it up. Harden immediately responded with eight straight points, including a fadeaway jumper right in Westbrook's grill.

Harden never shied away from the big moment. He shouldered the burden down the stretch of many close games and left us in awe with his late-game heroics.

The Rockets went 17-6 in games decided by five points or less, and the credit belongs to The Beard. Expect more clutch moments to come later in the countdown.

6. Harden Messes with Rubio

In a triple-double performance, Harden put the icing on the cake with this crossover move and stepback three-pointer on Ricky Rubio.

The Beard finished the game with 31 points, as well as 12 boards and a dozen dimes, but nothing was more impressive than this deadly long-range jumper with the clock winding down in the third quarter.

Harden is so good that he doesn't even need to make the first move to fool a defender. Rubio was hopeless as he tried to guess which way Harden was going and poke it loose, but The Beard took advantage. Harden faked right and then started to drive left toward the hoop. When he realized that Rubio was in the spin cycle, he decided to take a step back and nail the open triple.

This wasn't exactly a nail-biter against the lowly Timberwolves, but it's still a great example of Bearding at its finest.

5. Rockets Win Southwest

For the first time in more than 20 years, Houston won the division. Last time it won was in 1993-94, when it went on to win the title.

It wasn't looking good after back-to-back losses to the Spurs, but thanks to a little help from the New Orleans Pelicans, the Rockets were able to win the best division in the history of basketball.

Houston unloaded a whooping on the Utah Jazz, 117-91. This one was over by halftime, yet The Beard was still able to mess around and earn a triple-double in just 27 minutes. Harden earned his career-high fourth triple-double of the season.

The Rockets have limped into the playoffs the past couple of seasons, but they finished this year on a strong note by crushing a promising Jazz team. After the heart-breaking losses to the Spurs, Houston was able to bounce back by winning out and earning that elusive second seed. Hopefully, the momentum carries over into the playoffs.

4. Statement Win over Cleveland

It's a long video, but it's good stuff.

In another Sunday Showcase affair, the Rockets won a thriller over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-103 in overtime. Harden took down fellow MVP candidate LeBron in a vicious battle, highlighted by a clutch and-1, a kick in the groin and a bunch of missed free throws.

Houston's victory in prime time created a lot of buzz for Harden's MVP candidacy. It also resulted in a one-game suspension and a King James fiasco, but more importantly The Beard's case for MVP.

This was perhaps the loudest the Toyota Center got during the regular season. There's no greater feeling than that electric, playoff atmosphere in a big-time matchup between powerhouses. Even better, the Rockets came out on top for the statement win of the season.

3. Rockets Hang on over Dallas

The Rockets and Mavericks have several reasons to abhor each other. Mark Cuban and Daryl Morey constantly go at it like nagging siblings. The Mavs stole Chandler Parsons from Houston over the offseason. The Rockets retaliated by snagging Mavericks great Jason Terry. The list goes on and on.

So, when the Mavs made their first trip to Houston this season on Nov. 22, tensions were high.

In Parsons' highly anticipated return, however, the Rockets were a bit undermanned. Dwight Howard was out, but this was before we knew Houston could survive without him. This was also before Josh Smith or Corey Brewer joined the squad. Francisco Garcia played in this game! In other words, it was a while back.

The Rockets led for most of the game, but the Mavs strung together a furious comeback in the fourth to regain the lead. Enter The Beard.

Harden picked up an and-1 on who else but Parsons to take the lead and then sealed the deal with his defense. That's right, defense.

He blocked Monta Ellis and defended Dirk Nowitzki, as Houston escaped with a narrow three-point win over its hated rivals. The Rockets wound up winning the season series with Dallas, 3-1, for the first time since 2005, the same year the Mavs bounced Houston from the playoffs in the first round.

Even though it's a 2-7 matchup, the Rockets-Mavs series could be one of the best of the first round this year. There are a lot of storylines and some talented basketball on the way.

2. The Beard Walks off in the Desert

Of all the clutch shots Harden hit throughout the season, this was the only legit buzzer-beater.

The Rockets were in control for the majority of the second half, but Dwight Howard left with an injury that would ultimately sideline him for the next 27 games. No worries.

The Phoenix Suns rallied all the way back to tie it up, but The Beard came to the rescue. Sound familiar?

Harden lulled the defense to sleep with his back-and-forth dribble like he does so well. Suddenly, he bolted right past P.J. Tucker toward the hoop, before stomping on the brakes and coming to a complete stop. Phoenix sent the double-team with Isaiah Thomas, but it was no use. Harden hit his signature stepback, this time for the win.

Here's Craig Ackerman's radio call for those who are interested. I like Bill Worrell's high-shrieking excited voice as much as anyone, but he did say it was a three-pointer when it was clearly a two.

1. Harden Drops 50 at Championship Reunion

There was something different about this night than most other games. Houston held its 20-year reunion for the back-to-back championship teams in the '90s. Stars from the good old days returned to Clutch City for a halftime celebration.

Kevin McHale let his team out of the locker room early to witness the ceremony. The current Rockets got to see what those titles meant to this city firsthand, and it's safe to say Harden took that to heart.

The Beard dropped a career-high 50 points on the Denver Nuggets. Sure, 22 of those points were from the charity stripe, but that just goes to show you how the Nuggets could not stay in front of Harden no matter how hard they tried.

Harden added a 50-point outburst to his MVP resume, before topping that performance with a 51-point outing against the Kings a couple of weeks later.

It's been 20 years since the Rockets have brought a championship to Houston, but on this night, it felt like everything was coming full circle.