A "feel good" blog post. The Rockets may not have a great shot at winning the championship, but this guy thinks we still might be the best team this league has seen in some time. http://aloneconformist.blogspot.com/2008/03/best-team-in-league.html [rquoter] My boy, Duke, raised an interesting question last night just after the Rockets won their 22nd straight game vs. the LA Lakers 104-92 in Houston. What's more difficult to accomplish, an NBA Championship or 22 wins in a row? 40 teams in NBA history have won a Chip, only 2 teams have ever won 22 games in a row. A lot of players and basketball analysts like to throw around the notion that success is measured in Championship rings. The notion is overrated. Success is always relative, and in sports, perhaps better served in memory, in what stands out to us 25 years from now, in what makes history. Has there been more a testament to the concept of team play in the 21st century than what the Rockets are doing right now? Because this is not the Baylor/Chamberlain/Goodrich/West Lakers or the Oscar/Kareem Bucks. This is a team with no Hall-of-Famer (yet), they didn't enter the season feeling destined to win the Chip. If you ask any of the Rockets right now if they expect to even make the Finals, they won't say yes. The Rockets know exactly what kind of team they are, that's what makes them special. They have that rare but perfectly balanced self-awareness, the kind that makes you fight every play. There is no player in a Rockets uniform right now who thinks they're going to coast their way to the playoffs. In 22 consecutive games, there hasn't been one letdown. The skeptics can pore over the strength or non-strength of this schedule all they want. They're missing the point. It's true, the Rockets aren't this good based on their individual talent. They have something intangible, something that can't be quantified or tracked statistically--except by maybe Daryl Morey. This is a star-based league, and even moreso in the playoffs, so the Rockets may never get to the Finals, but there is no better team in the NBA this season. Or for many NBA seasons past. T-Mac shoots 4-16 for 11 pts and the Rockets win? I'm not sure you could have convinced anyone in Houston of that before it actually happened. But the Rockets continue to amaze even themselves. Rafer Alston may be the league's Most Improved Player... in the course of one season. And for all those years that Shane Battier has been snubbed from even consideration for the Defensive Player of Year, start sending videos of this game to anyone with a vote. I mean, seriously, I'll try to track down some addresses. [/rquoter]
Im starting to feel the championship status of this team. I feel we are like Detroit Circa when they won the championship. They didn't have a true start either and their 1-5 weren't reputed in any way. Yet they won the championship. We have the advantage of having someone like Tracy Mcgrady as well.
But we don't have the offensive talent that team had. Really, I don't know how the hell we're scoring as many points as we are right now. That's really a credit to Adelman and his coaching staff.
Not really back when they won the championship you wouldn't really rate the Detroit team offensively. Their only real KNOWN offensive threat was Rasheed. Ben Wallace well he wasn't an offensive monster by any stretch. Certainly Prince wasn't anywhere close to the offensive player he is now. Their bench was similar to ours alot of bits players that could score. The only difference I can see is that we don't have a player like Rasheed a guy that can space the floor and destroy in the low post WHILST being a stopper in the post
2004 Detriot still had much more offensive talent than us. They had FOUR all-stars on that team, so they were far from underrated.
You're missing the point. At the time, those players weren't considered the stars they are now. Just as eventually, Scola may be known as a solid 15/10 player, Landry a 6th man of the year, Battier the best perimeter defender in the game, etc. But they certainly aren't considered by the media this way now.
yes, but still none of them are all-star talents..... idk what to make of this team come playoff time. i am just not sure all of this is going to translate well in the playoffs where talent becomes a lot more important. its easier to be good when teams only have a day or so to prepare for you before moving on to the next team. in the playoffs when the opposing team can now dedicate all of their time to breaking us down talent just becomes so much more important, and without yao i just do not think we can compare to most of the other teams in the west. its like, as good as we are, i would not be surprised at all to see us lose in the first round. although i could see us in the finals if we get lucky with matchups, and are able to maintain the confidence we have right now.
how long did it take for them to become all stars. A full two seasons. Offensively they were rated at medium at that stage. Billups wasn't really known as Mr Big Shot, Hamilton wasn't known for hitting jumpers everywhere, Prince wasn't mr do it all. Only Rasheed and lo and behold the current Rockets team, only Tracy Mcgrady
Rip Hamilton has been tearing up with his jumpshooting since he came into the league. He was the best shooter on the team then, and still is now. I think he expanded his game in other areas, but he was just a notch below Ray Allen as far as jumpshots go.
Umm... No. Prince developed his offensive game over the years, but he was not nearly the player he was then as he is now. IMO, Battier is better than Prince that season. Hamilton and Billups were their scorers. To be honest, if Alston can play at this level in the playoffs, I think our backcourt tandem stacks up pretty well with that Detroit team. So it comes down to frontcourt of the Wallaces vs. Deke/Scola/Landry. Ben was so atrocious on offense he pretty much offsets any positive Rasheed had. So basically, the Rockets need to play Detroit level defense of their championship year. I think that's a reach, given Deke's age and therefore our lack of interior presence. But who knows...
Billups and Hamilton were reliable and efficient scorers. We've got mr. schizo Rafer and his buddy T-Mac who are both inconsistent scorers. I think we've got the defense. All we need is consistent offense.
None of the Pistons have anywhere close to Tracy MCgradys ability to draw double teams and pass not even Chauncey. The key is for Rafer to keep playing at this level
Its funny to see some of the guys saying we don't have the same caliber of offense the Pistons had. As far as All Star Talent they weren't even All Stars until after they won the championship. They had to win the title to prove their worth as individuals. But do not be fooled, it isn't just their individual talents that got them their current status, it is their team play. Even after they made the All Star team, most still don't consider them in the high ranks of players like Ray Allen or Allen Iverson. The reason they still play so well is because of how well they play together as a team. The most important aspect of their title run was their ability to leverage their individual talents through hardcore defense and great team chemistry. Why is it true that the streak would not exist had we still had JVG this year? It is because Adelman & co. gives our players the freedom to play to their individual strengths, given they make good decisions. We have the talent, the defense, and the chemistry. Winning is what gives the role players the big names.
