In some ways, the Rockets’ 119-100 victory over the Timberwolves and the 50-point third quarter that fueled it were an unpleasant inevitability. Houston is the No. 1 seed for a reason and had one of the most efficient regular-season offenses this season for a reason. The Wolves had spent three-and-a-half games of their playoff series playing reasonable defense, but the Rockets had also been missing a lot of open shots they usually make for no good reason other than the law of averages. Any team that has aspired for a while to achieve a 50-point quarter, as coach Mike D’Antoni said has been a stated goal of his Rockets, is capable of such things. There is, too, the predictability of the rhythm of a seven-game series between a clear favorite and an underdog.