The Houston Rockets wrapped up a stunning series comeback after being down 1-3 with a 113-100 Game 7 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers to reach the Western Conference final for the first time since 1997.
In the process, they also managed to impress one of their biggest critics, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey graciously accepted Cuban’s apology and even gave the outspoken owner some due for reaching the top of the NBA’s mountain in 2011.
Cuban’s team played the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs and was critical of Houston’s analytics-based style of basketball, calling it “predictable.”
“[The biggest difference is] practice time. There’s no more predictable team than the Rockets. You know exactly what they’re gonna do,” Cuban told Grantland. “But James Harden is so good. That’s what analytics have begot. Right? Predictability. If you know what the percentages are, in the playoffs, you have time to counter them. Whether you’re good enough to do it is another question. Because they are very talented, and James Harden, I think, is the MVP. Because that’s not a very good team over there.”
The Mavericks were eliminated in in five games by the Rockets in the playoffs.
Houston will face the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference final.