It’s safe to say that Mike D’Antoni is looking forward to getting another shot at the Golden State Warriors.
Speaking with the media during an appearance at Houston Texans camp on Saturday, the Houston Rockets head coach spoke on the power balance of the Western Conference heading into next season.
“It was tough before. It’s tough now,” said D’Antoni, per Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. “I don’t think anybody’s jumped over anybody. It’s just gotten tougher. It’s gonna be exciting.
“The NBA is in a good spot right now. There’s a lot of competition,” he added. “Golden State looked invincible a couple years ago, even last year. They’re not invincible. They have to get their team together also, and we’ll see who can do it.”
D’Antoni has a right to feel confident — the Rockets just took the Warriors to seven tightly-contested games in the Western Conference Finals and might have advanced if not for Chris Paul’s hamstring injury and a historic three-point shooting drought down the stretch of Game 7. But while Houston did re-sign both Paul and Clint Capela this summer, they lost a pair of vital forwards in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in free agency, while the Warriors picked up DeMarcus Cousins. The Rockets are also expected to sign Carmelo Anthony in a move that many believe will actually decrease their title odds.
As such, it’s reasonable to question whether the Rockets missed their best shot at dethroning the Dubs. The former Coach of the Year D’Antoni probably thinks otherwise though.
