Houston Rockets LISTEN: Expectations Changing After Win Streak?

On the latest episode of the "Kiss of Death Podcast," Michael Brown breaks down the Houston Rockets' win against the Denver Nuggets and re-evaluates what the team's expectations should be after winning six straight games.

It's only been nine games, but the energy surrounding the Houston Rockets this season doesn't just feel different ... it simply is.

Not only have the Rockets won six games in a row, but they have done so against quality competition, headlined with an exclamation-point victory against the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Sunday night inside the Toyota Center.

On the latest episode of the "Kiss of Death Podcast," Michael Brown breaks down the Rockets' win against the Nuggets and re-evaluates what the team's expectations should be after winning six straight games.

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) and forward Jae'Sean Tate (8) celebrate the win against the Denver Nuggets at Toyota Center / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

It is still very early in the season, but the eye test suggests that the Rockets may perform better than their pre-season expectations suggested. The Rockets were projected to finish as one of the league's worst teams based on preseason odds, but they haven't played as such in the first three weeks of the season.

A 6-3 record through nine games is something to be impressed with, but it doesn't mean any guarantees. This time a year ago, the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz were both sitting pretty in the top four of the Western Conference ... both teams missed the Play-In Tournament.

At the beginning of the year, the Rockets seemed to be a team that could contend for the Play-In Tournament, but now, based on what we've seen, it appears that may be the team's floor and anything beyond that could be Houston's ceiling.

It's still early, but the way this team has won and the strength of the team's schedule so far has convinced people enough to think that this isn't the same old Rockets.