While the Cleveland Cavaliers sputter along and the Golden State Warriors ease their way into the NBA playoffs, it's worth wondering if there will be any drama before the finals.

Everyone predicted the Cavaliers and Warriors would meet again for the title for the third straight summer.

While there have been many interesting developments throughout the regular season, the question is, will any of it matter come playoff time?

Russell Westbrook is having an MVP-type season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it's hard to imagine them getting to the Western Conference finals, or knocking off one of the West's top three teams.

The Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards are having franchise-changing seasons, but are either ready to go toe-to-toe with LeBron James and his mates for a seven-game series? It's doubtful.

But one regular season variable that could indeed be a game-changer in the playoffs is the shooting of the Houston Rockets.

Three points is more than two, and that could matter in the coming weeks, even to the Warriors, the former kings of the long-range attack.

On Thursday night in a 117-107 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Rockets made history by knocking down their 1,078th 3-pointer of the season.

The team is taking 40.2 3-pointers per game this season and knocking down 14.5 of them - both of those figures would also be all-time records if they hold up.

The old record for 3-pointers made in a season is by the Splash Brothers last season in Golden State, as Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry lifted the Dubs to become the first team to make more than 1,000 3s in a season.

The Warriors finished with 1,077 per game last season - and by the way, have 897 this year and are on pace to knock down 980 this year.

The Rockets, however, now have 1,083 triples are on pace to set a crazy mark of 1,184, with 101 scheduled to go down over the final seven games.

Is it strategy or slideshow?

Well, general manager Daryl Morey believes in it, as he's said the Rockets could take down the Warriors in the playoffs with a "barrage of 3-pointers."

They have the artillery, as coach Mike D'Antoni's team features four players in the top 12 in the league this season in 3-pointers made: James Harden (third at 238), Eric Gordon (fourth, 231), Ryan Anderson (ninth, 188) and Trevor Ariza (12th, 182).

The Warriors, meanwhile, still feature the top two, with Curry at 289 and Thompson at 247.

We're not sure how a potential Western Conference final will end up between these two teams.

But there's definitely rain in the forecast.