The Houston Rockets led by James Harden and Dwight Howard have been fighting their way through the playoffs. Harden, averaging 28.5 points, 7.8 assists, and 1.3 steals a game and Howard, averaging 16.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks a game,  have been dominant throughout the series.

In game one of the series, Rockets beat the Mavericks 118-108 at home. The Rockets’ bench stepped up and provided energy to help Houston gain momentum and win the game.

In game two, Dwight Howard and Josh Smith were absolutely dominant. With the rockets down by two at the start of the fourth quarter, Josh Smith started racking up assists by throwing Alley Oops for Howard to slam down on his defenders.

With five Alley Oops to Dwight and one assist to Corey Brewer, Josh Smith gave the Rockets the momentum they needed to go on a 17-4 run; leading the Rockets to a 111-99 win over the Mavericks at home.

Game three was the highest scoring game of the series with the final score being 130-128 Rockets. With both teams’ offenses focused in, neither defense could stop each other.

With the Mavericks putting up a huge fight at home, it still wasn’t enough to stop the Rockets. As the final seconds on the clock were counting down, the Mavericks put the ball in Monta Ellis’ hands. He sprinted down court with nobody covering him, shot a pull up jumper and missed.

Harden then scoring 42 points and all the first and second string in double figures except for Jason Terry with 7, Capela with 7, and Prigioni with 3, the Rockets were able to come out with the win.

Going into game four, the Mavs had a chip on their shoulder. They did not like being embarrassed on their home court. They played physical, fast, and were spot on shooting.

The Rockets came out in the first quarter and led 34-25. The Mavericks started to get chippy and scored 69 total points throughout the second and third quarters while the Rockets only scored 41. Even though Houston outscored Dallas 34-27 in the fourth, it wasn’t enough. With Monta Ellis scoring 31 points and the rest of the team focused in, they beat the Rockets 121-109.

Finally the Rockets are back home in game five giving them momentum. Like the Mavericks in game4, the Rockets came out chippy did not like being embarrassed. The Rockets had a field goal percentage of 45.1% and made 37-82 shots. The Mavericks were flat shooting a field goal percentage of 38% and making 35-92 shots.

Throughout the game, Terrence Jones was very hesitant in putting up shots. He can easily drive into the paint with Dirk Nowitzki guarding him due to Dirk’s age and lack of lateral movement.

Terrence finally gained confidence in the 4th quarter. With the Rockets in need of momentum, Terrence drove and laid the ball into the basket for an and 1; getting the home crowd in the game. Right after with Prigioni driving in, he dishes the ball out to Terrence for the 3 pointer.

With seven turnovers by the Mavericks in the fourth quarter, Houston wins the game 103-94 and the series 4-1. Now it’s a matter of waiting to see who the Rockets play.

As they rest up for the second round, the Spurs and Clippers are going at it to see who plays Houston. With the Spurs in playoff mode and leading the series 3-2, they are predicted to play Red Nation.