HOUSTON — The Toyota Center will come alive this weekend for game one of the NBA playoffs.
Crews outside the arena are adding some extra touches before the Houston Rockets' first game on the road to an NBA championship.
Houston Rockets fans believe this is the year the team wins its third title. The Rockets won back-to-back championships during the 1993-1994 and 1994-1995 seasons.
Fans are confident this year’s team can win it all.
“They have a great starting lineup and a depth that they’ve never had before since the championship days," said Rockets fan Darrin Clifton. "They only lost 16 games all season. The best record in the whole NBA so they have home court advantage throughout.”
Another fan, Chen Loing, is trying to remain optimistic on the team’s chances of making it all the way.
“If Chris Paul and James Harden can keep healthy until the end of the season, I think they have a great chance to win the championship, but any of them, one of them, just gets hurt or injured, that will be bad,” Loing said.
Throughout the city, you can hear the excitement building behind this year’s Houston Rockets.
Superfans like Amir Borhani said the Rockets' fast pace under James Harden’s leadership has a clear path to the NBA Finals.
"Best thing that they have going for them is the cohesiveness," Borhani said. “This year not only has their offense been immaculate and great with all the barrage of 3-pointers they’ve been putting on, but we’re also top five in the defense."
However, the team has made it to the playoffs before only to have its hopes derailed.
“I definitely wouldn’t want to play Golden State, but if we have to, we have to," Borhani said. "That’s just a measuring stick that even media, fans, everybody is doing that.”
In the Eastern Conference, there’s one team Borhani’s afraid of.
“Toronto, and they’ve beat us,” he said. “They swept us this year. They beat us in their home. They beat us here in our home. They were close games. It was intense. It was real intense games, playoff atmosphere.”
Fans think adding superstar Chris Paul has helped shape the team.
Most importantly, Borhani said people should know the Rockets have some of the most loyal fans around.
“We all love the Houston Rockets, and it’s just a passion for that team. It’s a way of life for us,” Borhani said.
The Rockets and their fans want everyone to rally behind the team using the hashtag: #RunAsOne.
