雷吉·米勒点出西部黑马：火箭有望掀翻马刺与雷霆

The San Antonio Spurs took down the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, but fell short of their goal of winning an NBA Championship. Now, both teams have retooled their respective rosters in an attempt to reach the NBA Finals again.

But other teams around the Western Conference have also retooled their rosters in preparation for what should be a loaded Western Conference. The Minnesota Timberwolves added LaMelo Ball while the Los Angeles Lakers added Walker Kessler and the Denver Nuggets added DeMar DeRozan. But according to basketball Hall-of-Famer Reggie Miller, there’s another team to watch out for the West.

The Houston Rockets, with an improved young core of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Jabari Smith Jr., are hopeful to take the next step in their careers this season.

“To me, the Houston Rockets, people aren’t talking about them enough,” Reggie Miller said during an NBC Sports conference call Wednesday. “Fred VanVleet is back, he’s healthy. To me that’s what they’ve been missing. They were missing that point guard leadership. They tried to make Amen Thompson a point forward and he had success, but also growing pains at the same time.

“I think a smart pickup was Marcus Smart, who’s only going to help Amen Thompson defensively. The Houston Rockets still have Kevin Durant at the end of the day. I think the Houston Rockets could be one of those teams that upset the apple cart a little bit out West.”

Marcus Smart was a big contributor in the Lakers playoff series win over the Rockets last postseason, so adding him to a roster that features Amen Thompson will be intriguing for the team’s defensive identity.

“Barring health at all, to me it’s OKC, it’s the Spurs and everyone else, but there could be some teams, lightning in a bottle just like the Knicks,” Miller continued. “To me it was a perfect storm for the Knicks. They got hot at the absolute right time. Who can be the Knicks this year, getting hot at the absolute right time?”

The Knicks will begin their title defense against the Philadelphia 76ers on opening night of the NBA, where they’ll raise their 2025-26 NBA Championship banner and receive their championship rings.

The Houston Rockets will tip off their 2026-27 regular season schedule with a home contest against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, October 21st. Health derailed Houston last year as Kevin Durant was unavailable for most of their first round playoff series. Can

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