The Houston Rockets haven't caught a break with injuries all season long, and yet here they stand at 50-23, second in the Western Conference, unwilling to wilt in the face of yet another addition to the M.A.S.H. unit.
The Rockets have played through extended absences for Dwight Howard, Terrence Jones and Patrick Beverley and survived more minor maladies for a handful of other rotation players. Jones, Donatas Motiejunas and Kostas Papanikolaou are all presently injured, yet the Rockets have won four straight games and seven of their last eight.
It's not surprising, then, that they're standing by their championship aspirations despite the news that Beverley could miss the remainder of the season with a torn wrist ligament.
"We think we can win the title with or without Beverley," general manager Daryl Morey said Sunday on ESPN Radio, as reported by Calvin Watkins of ESPN. Morey did however admit that the Golden State Warriors would enter the playoffs as the favorites.
Beverley's humble numbers don't tell the story of his value to the Rockets. While James Harden handles de facto point guard duties on offense, Beverley is among the best – and most agitating – defensive point guards in the league. That's something Houston can't replace with the pieces on their roster, and it's something that could play a major role in several playoff series.
"Obviously it gets more challenging without Beverley," Morey said. "He's the key to our ability to guard a lot of these very good point guards in the West."
Jason Terry will start in Beverley's stead, and it thins out quickly from there with Pablo Prigioni and Nick Johnson set to see appreciable run.
The Rockets' team defense may be strong enough to withstand his absence, especially with Howard back, but the team's ability to beat the Chris Pauls and Steph Currys of the world can fairly be called into question.
