Mike D'Antoni Confident Rockets Can Beat Warriors In The Playoffs

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Mike D'Antoni
The Rockets lost to the Warriors in the Western Conference Final last season.

As the NBA playoffs keep approaching, predictions are being made as to which teams will win their respective conferences and compete for an NBA title. Last season, the race to win the Western Conference was fairly tight as the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets embarked on a seven-game series. The Warriors ended up winning and made it to their fourth straight NBA Finals. This year, the Warriors are expected to go back to the big dance, although the Rockets are gearing up to beat them again. In an interview with The Athletic, Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni said he's confident his team can pull off the win.

"Well, I thought we had a great crack last year, so I don't know - we'll see," D'Antoni explained. "I'm confident, as I was when we were 11-14, that we'll give them a run. Now they might beat us. They're the best team. They're the champs right now. They've proven it, and they've got nothing to prove."

Mike D'Antoni Confident Rockets Can Beat Warriors In The Playoffs
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D'Antoni raised the point that the team had a lackluster start to the season, although he praised his squad for persevering as the season progressed.

"We never lost faith," D'Antoni said. "The players never lost faith. And I kept telling them, obviously it's great that you don't lose faith but if you think you're OK y'all are crazy. We're not OK, but we will be OK, and you have to have that confidence."

With four regular-season games remaining, the Rockets are ranked third in the Western Conference with a record of 50-28.


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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