There's still plenty of time remaining in this NBA season, but let's not kid ourselves: the Houston Rockets just aren't playing up to their standards or fan expectation.

At 4-7, the Rockets are in second to last place in the South West division ahead of only the 1-9 New Orleans Pelicans. Overall, the Rockets are tied for 11th place in the Western Conference with the Minnesota Timberwolves. They've lost their last four consecutive games, and things won't get much easier in this tough conference.

The biggest issue with the Rockets this year has been their defense. The Rockets rank 28th in points allowed this year. As a matter of fact, the Rockets have allowed at least 105 points in every single game this year. James Harden is a great scorer and offensive threat, but he may be a defensive liability. Many NBA experts are criticizing the Rockets for playing "lazy defense." An injured Dwight Howard certainly doesn't help things.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are playing perfect basketball. The defending NBA Champions are an unblemished 10-0 after an overtime victory against the Brooklyn Nets. Stephen Curry is once again playing like the league MVP hitting perimeter shots like there's no tomorrow. Curry is shooting an incredible 51.7 percent from the field this season while still playing the point guard position at a high level with pin point passing. It may not be crazy after all to think these Warriors can win 70 games like the Chicago Bulls did in the 1990s.

The Warriors hold the top seed in the West, and that's huge because they are almost unbeatable at home. Last season the Warriors were also the No. 1 seed, and they ran through the playoffs not having to play a single Game 7. Last season the Warriors finished an incredible 39-2 at home. One of those losses came against the Chicago Bulls in overtime. In other words, if the Warriors finish with the No. 1 seed again, they will definitely be the favorites to win it all.

The Los Angeles Clippers haven't shown they can beat the Warriors despite the golden opportunities.

But, we can never sleep on those "old" and "boring" San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have won five NBA Championships since 1999 for a reason. Thanks to Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs defensive unit ranks second in the NBA in points allowed this season so far. Tim Duncan clearly isn't the superstar he once was, but he is still a very valuable player. LaMarcus Aldridge, who leads the Spurs in rebounds, clearly has a feel for Gregg Popovich's system.

The Spurs are currently riding a five game win streak, and they are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Manu Ginobili is off to a hot shooting start from the perimeter. The 38-year-old Argentine shooting guard has made 40 percent of his three attempts so far this year. It would be very entertaining to watch the Spurs and Warriors go at it in a best of seven series come playoff time.

Surprisingly, the Dallas Mavericks are in third place in the West. Maybe the Mavericks made out better by not signing DeAndre Jordan to a max contract this offseason.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1