1. James Harden of Houston Rockets: MVP candidate | ESPN Stats & Info. Harden carries more of a load for his team than other contenders, and that's not the only factor in his favor. What a surprise, he should be the NBA's MVP. You don't say!
2. How Losing Donatas Motiejunas Will Impact the Houston Rockets | numberFire. NumberFire has a statistical breakdown of what the loss of D-Mo means for the Rockets entering the playoffs. My take: the lack of his FT shooting is the biggest hole he leaves.
3. Shooting a Skyline Portrait of NBA Star James 'The Beard' Harden | Peta Pixel A breakdown of James Harden's terrific Sports Illustrated photo shoot by the photographer. Lots of good Houston stuff in here.
4. 5 charts that will shape these NBA playoffs | SBNation.com. Tom Ziller's charts are always the best. A bunch of these charts would make the Rockets seem like stealth contenders, behind only the Warriors and Spurs by many metrics.
5. Rockets coach Kevin McHale’s confidence in rookie Clint Capela growing | Ultimate Rockets. This could be a potentially huge development for the playoffs. Capela brings things to the table Joey Dorsey simply does not. He could have a few game-changing plays.