Will the Houston Rockets Benefit from the NBA Lockout?

Now that the NBA has officially canceled preseason games, this is officially much worse than the NFL lockout. 

It's not just worse because there are actual games missed but because there is no end in sight, despite some very optimistic reports that have come out. 

However, that might be to the Rockets' advantage.  There are two key factors that could play into the Rockets making the playoffs for the first time since 2009 when Yao Ming and company took the L.A. Lakers to seven games, despite losing Yao in that series.

The most important part of this lockout is the shortened season.  Perhaps I am being too optimistic but I really believe that there will be a season.  The NBA season will be, in the words of Thomas Hobbes: "nasty, brutish and short," which is to the Rockets advantage. 

There is a common theory in college basketball that if you have less talent, you have to shorten the game.  They do that by running the shot clock down and only taking shots that are open or forced because the shot clock is running out.

The theory is that if they make those shots, the other team misses a few shots that they normally make.  Because of defensive hustle or good luck, the less talented team ends up with an upset. 

That should be the Rockets' strategy in this season, which will almost certainly be cut down by a noticeable extent. 

If they can treat each game of the season like a minute of a game, they should be able to break their playoff slump.  Once in the playoffs, anything is possible.

The Rockets also have the element of surprise in their favor.  Generally it is disadvantageous to switch your coach, simply because players have to go back and relearn the offense, etc. 

However, in this truncated season, Kevin McHale may be the Rockets' secret weapon.  The rest of the NBA will have less time to figure out what it is that the Rockets are doing and McHale may be able to take advantage of that. 

The Rockets are not a team devoid of talent.  If they can add a little trickery to that talent, they may be able to reel off a string of victories that would separate them from the other teams vying for a playoff spot in the west.