The Houston Rockets dismantled the Oklahoma City Thunder in their 4-1 "Gentleman's Sweep" in the first round following Houston's 105-99 victory in Game 5. (It's called a Gentleman's Sweep because you give them one. You know, to be polite.)

There is time for reflections of Russell Westbrook's incredible season and all the ways OKC's flawed roster was exposed in this brief series, but from a Houston perspective, the most important element will go completely under the radar as the attention goes to the other series going on, the future of Westbrook, and the Thunder, and a million meaningless MVP takes. 

The real story from this series, the one that actually has playoff relevance? 

The Rockets just tore a team apart and did it despite playing nothing like the best version of themselves. 

Consider the following:

  • James Harden shot 41 percent from the field, 24 percent from 3-point range, and held a negative plus/minus when he shared the court with Russell Westbrook. 
  • The Rockets shot 48 of 169 from 3-point range, 28.4 percent, the worst percentage of any team in the postseason, despite so much of their offense being built on the 3-ball.
  • They currently have the worst assist percentage of all teams in the playoffs, after ranking fourth in that category in the regular season. 
  • OKC mucked up the game, frustrated Harden, and bodied the Rockets.  
  • Ryan Anderson, a crack shooter, shot 3-of-24 from deep. 
  • The Rockets were outscored when starting center Clint Capela was on the court. 

And they won, in five games. 

The Rockets learned a lot about themselves in this series. They learned they can win when Harden doesn't have a good game. They learned they can defend, even if that perspective is colored by the myriad struggles of Oklahoma City's offense. The Rockets genuinely made good defensive plays consistently. Patrick Beverley was a monster who attacked the guards constantly. Eric Gordon stepped up and made plays. Nene was brilliant, and dominant inside, shooting 84.8 percent from the field. 

The series was supposed to be about the two MVP candidates, but in the end, the wide gap between the supporting casts told the tale. 

Houston knows it can play better, James Harden said as much after Game 5. The Rockets will shoot better, and if they can carry over the good things they got from this series, they're really going to be in business. 

The competition obviously improves from here. The Spurs are likely the Rockets' second-round opponent and bring the kind of precise defense the Thunder offered with about a million more weapons. If it's Memphis, the Grizzlies bring toughness and an unpredictable approach that's tough to defend. Oklahoma City simply did not have the weapons to challenge Houston, and if they had, this series would have gone longer. 

But it can't be understated that the Rockets learned to win in this series when things didn't go the way they wanted. They didn't play a wide-open game, Harden didn't dominate, the threes weren't raining. And they won 4-1. For as much as that's a condemnation of the Thunder, it should be a credit to Houston. 

The Warriors get the marquee, the Spurs get the respect. But the Rockets continued their amazing 2016-17 season Tuesday, advancing to the second round over a tough team before the Spurs could wrap up their squad vs. the 7-seed, and if the Rockets can take what they've built in the playoffs and add the best parts of their team? 

This won't be the last time they impress the NBA world with a better-than-expected performance.