Houston Rockets, the last obstacle in Golden State Warriors' challenging season

Despite watching how the Golden State Warriors have said repeatedly over the last month that they have the roster to put up a real fight for that coveted 6th spot in the Western Conference standings, reality has struck them hard. The Warriors should be worrying just to secure that 10th spot that sends them to the play-in tournament, cause the Houston Rockets are knocking the door.

After being defeated yesterday in Minnesota by a much better Timberwolves team playing without Karl-Anthony Towns, one of their main stars, Golden State is on the verge of being out of any playoff/play-in contention. The Houston Rockets have now proved themselves as an upcoming team, and with an 8-game winning streak, they are the NBA hottest team right now and despite their youth, they're hungry to compete in the postseason.

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors' leader, addressed his team performance over the last couple of games, and their current situation, with the Rockets just one win behind them.

"We’re surprised that we’re here, but we still feel like we’re capable of beating anybody,” Stephen Curry told reporters after Sunday's loss, trying to keep a positive outlook. “It’s a very competitive landscape and it’s going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out, but we want to be in that fight."

The Warriors need to win at least six of their remaining twelve games to stay above the .500. They have now a 36-34 record, so they need to start playing better basketball with real urgency.

"We lose a lot of games we should win,” Draymond Green said. “In this league, you have to win the games [that] you’re supposed to win and steal a few that you’re not supposed to win. But if you lose the ones you’re supposed to win, you’re in for a long year."

Golden State's head coach, Steve Kerr, remains positive for the upcoming future of his team:

"The habits were much improved tonight, the defensive focus, the energy," Kerr said. "I’m confident if we compete and play like that in these last 12 games that we’re going to put ourselves in position to do something."

The Golden State Warriors need to pull themselves together, start taking things one game at the time and take advantage of having a healthy roster. They'll have the opportunity to redeem themselves next Tuesday, when they'll be playing the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center.