History will make out the Rockets to be the 1990 New York Knicks or 1960s Wilt Chamberlain to Bill Russell but honestly this team stepped toe to toe with one of the greatest teams of all time in every game over the past two seasons. It hurts to see a team assembled to be a top contender and in any other decade could be a dynasty themselves lose, but truth be told if it weren't for the Warriors team the Rockets would have never brought together the talent they have now. The Warriors did their thing first through the draft and then added a #1 player in the NBA, while the Rockets created their team from castaways or up and comers and yet the teams were almost equal in every way except one.... Confidence to win the big game when it matters. This does not make the Rockets choke artist or failures, but a team that just happens to have been born in the wrong decade. Perhaps if KD leaves this coming summer we will see the decline of the Warriors to a degree, but I believe the Rockets have built a team that can compete for the next two to three years at this high level and I expect them to take home at least one ring in that time frame. History will not allow this Rockets team to be considered one of the best because they weren't able to beat the best in their era... but looks are deceiving as we may very well be seeing the second best team ever to play this game of basketball of all time.
This thread is pretty crazy. However, what you're really asking is "How can you call them #2 when they didn't even beat #1?" Good question....
Both Tucker and Paul are 35 years old next playoffs. Sign Jimmy Butler 4-year tax MLE, then I would agree the 2nd best team ever of all time.
Calling the warriors “arguably” the greatest team ever is a joke. They are far and away the greatest team ever
GSW team looks like Top 5 of Alltime for sure but arguable because we have no time device to bring in the historic teams of the past. I want to see this year's Rockets play the 94 Rockets and the 95 Rockets first before I comment on this. And while they are at it, let them play the Spurs Duncan franchise, Lakers franchise, Celtics franchise, and and the Bulls. I would also luv to see them play the Piston bad boys and see if the physicality holds. The NBA probably decides on the rules.
This Rockets team is 2nd best team of all time? Is this even the 2nd best team in Rockets history? Serious question.
Really, all I heard most of the year is how overrated curry, Klay and green are and the media is biased in favor of them
Just cause they are superior doesnt mean they cant get beaten and have no bad days that team nr 2 ever could capitalize. Can you imagine Bulls with MJ could loose g1, g5 and g6 we just Lost? I can not but I can think of several teams that would kick this years GSW butt
Tired of hearing this BS that these Warriors are the "best team ever assembled." From 1957 to 1969, the Celtics won 11 championships. They had 8 HoFers on the team in multiple years, 7 in other years, 6 in other years, and so on. See here. And if you don't think those guys could ball, go check out some footage of them on the Wilt Chamberlain archive. (It's much more than just Wilt.) Like this video of Bob Cousy. Oh, but it's a different game nowadays blah blah blah, 3 pointers, blah. Um, it's a much softer game. The pace is slower. But those guys back then could still shoot from distance. They just didn't have a line. And, that team in particular, being led by the ultracompetitive Bill Russell would not have shown any mercy to today's Warriors in ANY era. Green wouldn't last 5 minutes trying the stuff he does, and as for the rest of the Warriors, well, to quote Russell, they'd have "run [them] into the ground." The more I learn and watch of the Russell-Auerbach Celtics, the more terrifying they look. Just like the more I learn about Wilt, the more I'm convinced that he'd be the most athletic, dominating player in any era of basketball, past, present, or future.