Yep, but going to the Finals or to the WCF alone does not guarantee a ship though. I think there are teams who have several Finals appearances and never won a ring. Lebron went to the Finals like every other year until he won couple with the Heat. That is why he made the Decision on TV because he went to the Finals and couldn't win against Duncan and Co. Building blocks are important, you can't rely on kicking the can on role players such as Joe Johnson, MCW on the cheap. Well, Faried and Co. are at least more decent but it's not like they were highly touted when they picked them up.
Well, depends. If the Rockets reach the 2nd round and have to play the Warriors and get unceremoniously swept than no, that would be disappointing. If they lost a tough 7 game series where a bounce this way or that way I would be upset but I'd be proud of what they did. I'm a different kind of fan. I'm more about the journey than the destination and sports is about fun.Watching sports is fun to me, and another epic 7 game series with the Warriors is fine by me. Of course I'd rather the Rockets sweep them and move on and win a championship...but it's not going to be the end of the world if they don't. This is a team with 5 all-stars we are going at, two MVPs...hell, two of these guys are going to be in discussion for all time lists for their positions (Curry and Durant) there really is no shame in losing to this team despite how annoying it is to lose to them because of how cocky they are and how much they whine when things don't go their way...still doesn't change that they are an all time great team. Now...if we were to bow out to the Blazers or Denver or something than yes...I'd be disappointed...to the Warriors? Nope. All about expectations. And honestly, beating the Warriors only to go on to lose to the Bucks in the finals would probably be more heartbreaking than losing in the first round to OKC...and with how we played against the Bucks this season that is also completely possible. Enjoy the ride, the Rockets are one of the best teams in the NBA and should provide a lot of fun over the next month or so.
Thanks for responding to my points with data refuting them. I guess I misunderstood Capela's effectiveness vs Cousins and the rest of the Warriors. I think their smart move would be to favor Cousins over Draymond Green, but only because I think that Green has really declined this year. You've talked me off the ledge. A first floor ledge, but still. I must have written down House's 3pt numbers wrong. I had him, before last night's poor game from him, at something like 47 percent since his return. Even with the few goose egg clunker games in that span. It's just, when Gordon starts losing his head, as he did in the 4th last night, it would be nice to give his minutes to someone else who can shoot and D people up on the perimeter. Or go grab some boards. Green can shoot great, when we get Good Gerald, but not so much the rest. Clark can D and board, but not so much shoot or handle. House can at times do all of those things. Well, except for last night.
This definitely not championship team. Championship team wont choke the game with leading13pts at start of 4th quarter.
I only hope we can get Magic Johnson as our Head of Basketball Ops. Then we will be the darlings of the media. Harden gets MVP in 2020. We get calls, Refs push us threw to the finals. We win. 2020 NBA CHAMPS, In Magic I Trust.
There is only one championship team. The Warriors. However, we probably have the best chance of beating them in a 7 game series. Unlikely to happen though especially with no HCA. That being said, doesn't mean that you still cant enjoy the playoffs.