Welcome on to our third to last 15 and 60 had scone by so quickly this year, but we must soldier on this is going to be the last traditional 15 and 60 that we do because we're going to do for the last two is to just take stock of how all the young guys on these teams in the east and west have progressed this season.

I'm determined exactly how we're going to do that. Yeah, but that's going to be the focus over the last two weeks of the season. But today we're going to go generally in order of the standings in the western conference with a couple deviations from that and as it has been since before the all start break, that means let's start with the Houston rocket standing.

Yeah, I mean they're just on a tear for basically a permanent terror the way it feels like right now 56 and 14 7 and 1 since last 15 and 60 they are number one in net rating number one in offense and number eight in defense projected to be 66 would have 66 wins, which would put them. I believe four games clear of the entire rest of the league and that doesn't anticipate how many warriors guys are out. So I think the lead will be pretty significantly past that depending on how it works out.

And we each watched kind of separate games with the rockets this week. I did keep kind of an eye on the Houston Minnesota game, but I watched the Houston New Orleans game intently. But there was a common thread in both of them, which I found truly fascinating, which is the zealousness. And I mean that in more mostly a positive way that they have used on their switch everything approach.

And they just do it everything all the time. Doesn't matter who it is against Minnesota, Carl has any towns just find switch James Harden on to him. No problem. And then they're always looking of course to switch behind the plane. I've commented on this before, but I think the brilliance of the system number one, they have the personnel to do it now, right?

Harden for all of the complaints about him, his ability to just not get back down in the post due to his strength. I mean, he is so strong.

Like we saw him get a step back on Taj Gibson today, where I mean Gibson is like a huge power for it. And James Harden like went to the step back and just not Gibson back before he stepped back and got a wide open shot at him.

So hard is definitely strong trying to back him down is not the greatest approach. So they've got him. They've got Chris Paul, who who's really strong.

They've got Eric Gordon, who's really strong. So those are really there's three main perimeter guys that at least can put up some resistance in the post.

They're not going to give up extremely deep position. They can at least like wait until the double team comes. And then they're always looking to switch.

Of course, behind the play and that provides them really I think with their communication. And that was always the problem with this Houston team when they would try and switch against the Warriors in past years was their communication just suck.

They would just have so many breakdowns. And now they've gotten to be pretty airtight on that. Even jail green has been playing a little bit better.

There he was killed them in that game against the Warriors when Harden was out because and Durant was out as well because he had just signed with the team and also he's jailed green.

So he doesn't execute. But I think and Joe Johnson didn't play in this one. Ryan Anderson is back. He might be another guy that could be attacked by some of the best teams.

But you know, I don't think Anderson is going to be a part of their main units now, although he was on fire in this game against Minnesota.

So yeah, that switching defense really has been relatively impressive. You know, they weren't getting a ton of stops down the end.

But they got enough for James Harden to take over.

And against New Orleans, they had to add in a couple extra wrinkles because Anthony Davis was absolutely going off. And the way they did that was they treated the switching approach as a given.

And then they built on top of that and generally that involved aggressively doubling. And against the Pelicans, that strategy has a lot of merit because you're forcing the other players to beat you.

And yes, Anthony Davis had had a nice night. And a lot of the other guys ended up doing well, especially in the first half.

Ian Clark, those minutes didn't totally line up with Davis. He was five of six. The first half drew was four of seven.

E-t1 more was three out of seven. So those guys were hitting some of their shots also reshawn playing that game, which to a point helped insert elements for the Pelicans.

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