It's not that bad now. Rockets win... ...Guaranteed at least 5th seed and HCA ...Guaranteed at least 3rd seed if Clippers lose ...Guaranteed 2nd seed if Spurs lose (Division winner trumps tiebreak) Rockets lose... ...Guaranteed 5th seed and HCA if Grizzlies lose ...Get 6th if Grizzlies win
This. Portland is injury depleted and would be our best shot to win the first round, but honestly, we want to go further than the first round. Avoiding GSW as long as possible is our best route. SA is great too, but we matchup much better with them, plus it will keep the travel down and we'll have some fans in their arena. Dallas first, SA second, GSW third. First we gotta beat the Jazz on Wednesday. Even though Hayward and Favors will most likely sit, that just opens the door for some no name Jazz player to kill us. Rockets better be focused in this game.
Why are people scared of Golden State? We can totally beat them. They're built for the regular season. When the game slows down and defenses tighten up they will struggle.
Rockets fans should really be focused on getting out of the first round. this whole plotting the course to the finals is silly talk for a franchise with our recent history.. Focus on the first round!
Besides, if the playoffs started today 3 of the 4 matchups would be awesome. 1 & 8 GS vs NO - ho hum, though Davis against GS would be interesting. 2 & 7 SA vs Dallas - interstate rivalry. 3 & 6 Clips vs Grizz - they absolutely hate each other. 4 & 5 Blazers vs Rockets - HCA with revenge.
That's the exact same thing people have been saying about us. Honestly, I feel like they could beat us at our own game in the playoffs (if we were to matchup with them) because you know we're going to want to run and they're going to want to run. Our shooters aren't as proficient as theirs and if Steph/Klay get hot they will kill us every night. I agree with Dreamshook. We need to hope for home court advantage in the playoffs and from there focus on getting out of the first round for the first time in forever. Can't count your chickens before they hatch type of deal.
Question of the day, assume SAS wins, MEM & LAC lose, would you rather have the 3rd seed vs Memphis in the 1st round or the 5th seed vs POR with HCA in the 1st round?
I posted this in another thread, but I will reiterate: I'm going to say this. It doesn't matter who the Rockets end up drawing for the first round. The Rockets have A LOT to prove and they should feel some heat/pressure for it. Last year's debacle against the Blazers was an UTTER failure. Unacceptable. If the Rockets end up playing the Spurs on the road in Round 1 (unlikely I know), guess what, they HAVE to win that series. First Round is a given......it HAS to be won by the Rockets regardless of who they play. No Beverley and No DMO.....so what? No excuses. Really tired of the same ol excuses every year (regardless if they are valid). If you are the better team with Championship aspirations, it ABSOLUTELY has to start this year with a very good playoff run. Harden must not be neutralized AGAIN in the playoffs. I don't care if Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green (examples) are on him the whole time like white on rice. Ask Kobe if he would ever allow himself to be neutralized in a series by Ron Artest/Battier? Kobe would NEVER allow for that to happen. Harden has had a career year thus far and appears to be the "real deal" in echelon of "special stars" in the GOAT talks. BUT, his legacy has to be imprinted starting this year. No more next year stuff. If Harden can't get it done this year regardless of circumstances, then he just doesn't belong in the convo of the Kobes, Jordans and Olajuwons. Sorry but this is just how I feel this year. Last year's Lillard dagger was just the "perfect" ending to a complete disappointment of a series upset. McHale getting outcoached is also not an option. Even if it is POP he goes against (and I respect POP greatly for obvious reasons), Rockets HAVE to prevail this playoffs. If the Rockets feel some pressure, guess what......they SHOULD. They deserve to feel that way and ultimately the onus is on them to overcome the Goliaths. David
Then don't allow for that to happen! Seriously, spare me the "easier said than done" talk. I mean that in the most tactful way possible. Rockets have a lot to prove as a unit, and Harden as a "great" player. The 94-95 Rockets are the epitome of "winning it all against all odds". They were a #6 seed (lowest ever to win a ring) that overcame, overcame....and yeah...OVERCAME! They faced Goliaths in EVERY round and on the ROAD.....and they won it all in a back to back year. I'm not at all saying this year's squad is like the 94-95 squad...yet. But it's just takes a collective discipline and focus in the playoffs. Beat your opponent that's in your way. They need to win. They have to win. Any fan that doesn't believe the Rockets absolutely have to have a VERY GOOD playoff run (I didn't say win it all this year necessarily) THIS YEAR (not next), then I really don't know what else to say. Heck bring on the Spurs (truly good team) and GS (great regular season..but whatever). If there's ANY TEAM that the Rockets are "scared" of.....then they shouldn't even be in the playoffs. Just go out there and do what it takes EVERY NIGHT to win. Shut down Curry. Shut down Klay. Shut down Kawhi. Shut down Parker. Who cares who they play or whatever "mismatches" they face. A team with a healthy stud in Harden and healthy (rested) Howard really is/should be a powerhouse....World Beaters. Just gotta do it. The Rockets need to understand that the Playoffs is a whole new beginning...and they need to start that clean slate off with a deep run.
When was the last time a team kept both players in check on the same night? I don't want to start an argument and get off topic but it's a bit unfair to compare this year's patchwork team to a reigning championship team for plenty of reasons I don't think I have to get into.
Ok, I did qualify my "bold" statements with parentheticals and such. Yeah, you're right, maybe shutting down both Curry and Klay is impossible, but how about one of them? Shut down one of them and that should be enough to beat them. I'm not joking. This Rockets team as constructed with a healthy Harden/Howard, why are we even "scared" of anyone? It's borderline frustrating for me personally as a fan that this team didn't make a very good playoff run last year. I can't emphasize how disappointing last year was. I actually still believed the Rockets would come back to take the series in 7 even after they went down 3-1 against the Blazers last year. Yeah...very disappointing. This team can't let happen again, regardless of the opponent. Do you agree? David
I agree and share your same sentiments on the disappointing exit last year but there's a reason (and evidence) of why we, the fans, are "scared" of certain teams. 1. We've had a hard time beating the Clippers the past few years to put it mildly. 2. We didn't win a single game against the Warriors this year. 3. San Antonio is on its patented hot streak So yea, we as fans see why there are certain teams we should be "scared" of. If you want to talk Rockets history, you can't say with a straight face that Mutombo and the Nuggets didn't do us a huge favor in 1994 when they took out the Sonics, a team that clearly had our number. On a lower level, those years of facing Utah were full of uncertainties no matter what the regular season record showed. As for the rest of the field, it should still be a challenge but it's not an improbable task because, as you said before, a team with Harden and a healthy Howard should be enough to overcome those "lower" teams. However, AS CONSTRUCTED, the team is still a flawed team. No real starting point guard, no point guard depth, an offense that isn't reliable, health issues, etc. If this team makes it to the WCF I would gladly say it's the best non-championship Rockets team I've watched in the past 25 years of being a fan just because they clearly overachieved. If they get knocked out of the 2nd Round then I can say that it's progress and it's something to build upon.
Patrick Beverly - Out for the season Donatas Motiejunas - Out for the season Those are two MAJOR pieces you are missing to make a potential playoff run. Terrance Jones is on limits restriction, whether the Rockets staff mentions it or not it's obvious, and Dwight is also still recovering from his injuries. I am hoping we can bring it all together with what we have left and make a serious run at it but it's hard when you have already overcome so much during the regular season. I'm definitely going into it optimistic because we do have the two best players in the league at their positions and a supporting cast to boot. But we have to take it one game at a time, just like the regular season. All this looking ahead and scouting the path before us is bulls**t when we haven't even cemented our spot yet. My point wasn't that Klay and Steph would kill us and that's it. My point was anyone could start going off on us... CP3, Kawhi, Aldridge, Gasol, and so on and so forth... but we need to make sure we secure our best possible positioning regardless of matchup. Then once we get past that series we can get to looking ahead at the next team up. I always believe in our teams, we just need them to play like they believe in themselves.
I agree with all your points and many of them known already since I've been a fan since '88. No doubt the Rockets are flawed...but seriously, what team isn't? No such thing as a perfect team. If the Rockets get knocked out of the 2nd Round in an HONEST fashion (meaning played hard, played right, the other team was just better, just not their year...yet), then i'll be ok with that. I won't be thrilled....but again, I'd be ok with it. However, if this team loses in the First Round again it's a failure in my book. I don't care if the first round opponent is the Clippers, Warriors or Spurs. These would qualify as the "Goliaths" I alluded to according to the GARM's sentiment. The Rockets can do everything right...play their game, good defense whatever. Doesn't matter. They have to play well enough to WIN the first around at the bare bottoms minimum. The First Round is the Rockets' for the taking regardless of the opponent...it just has to be that way. The Rockets may or may not feel a bit of "pressure", but as I mentioned before, they should feel that. A team with a healthy Harden/Howard ALONE should be able to overcome ANYONE in Round One at least. There is no reason why they can't. If Harden gets "neutralized" by a scheme or player(s) or lack of whistles, he has failed. Great Players build their legacy in the playoffs and they overcome the paradigm shift in the regular season. And this is all coming from a very staunch Harden fan/supporter. I want him to succeed and do well and win deservedly. But he's gotta play up another gear from his regular season performances. That's a very high bar...but he has to be up for it. David
