I wonder just how many people on this board think mostly about playoff positioning for the Rockets as well as just wanting to see them continue to win just for the sake of keeping their winning streak going. For the Rockets, the importance of winning the upcoming games is not just all about continuing their winning streak, which we know now is the second longest in NBA history. Playoff positioning is at stake as well for their remaining schedule as well for other teams in the league with one more month remaining for this season after Sunday. One thing that is not yet decided for them with six of the other eight teams in the WC’s top nine is two-team tiebreakers. Even though the Rockets are currently tied with the Lakers for the top spot in the WC, there are only six games separating the top spot from the ninth place Denver Nuggets after what all developed last night with the Lakers losing their game to the Hornets to enable the Rockets to move into a tie atop the WC with the Lakers, and the Nuggets clobbering the Raptors that enabled them to pull to within six games of the top spot. With the teams so close from first through ninth, tiebreakers get all the more important for the Rockets. The two teams within the top nine in the WC that already own the two-team tiebreaker on the Rockets are the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors no matter what happens for the rest of the season. Here is a breakdown of the games the Rockets have remaining versus the top nine teams in the WC with two-team tiebreaker ramifications. March 16th: Los Angeles Lakers--Current season series, tied 1-1. Winner of this game owns the tiebreaker based on one team getting the 2-1 series edge since the teams are not scheduled to play each other for the rest of the season. March 19th: @ New Orleans Hornets--Current season series, Rockets lead 2-1. Winner of this game owns the tiebreaker. A Rocket win here would give the team the season series edge, but a Hornet win here would enable them to square the season series 2-2, thus giving them the tiebreaker based on a better division record. The Rockets could also clinch the tiebreaker on the San Antonio Spurs as well with a win here providing the Spurs lose their game with the Dallas Mavericks on March 23rd. March 30th: @ San Antonio Spurs--Current season series, Rockets lead 2-1. Tiebreaker will be at stake here if either the Spurs won their game on March 23rd with the Dallas Mavericks, or if the Rockets were to have lost their game with the New Orleans Hornets on March 19th. If either scenario did take place, the Spurs would get the tiebreaker on the Rockets by winning this game because they would finish with a better division record after getting the split on the season series. On the other hand, if the Rockets were to have won their game at New Orleans on March 19th and the Spurs were to have lost their game at Dallas on March 23rd prior to this game, the Rockets would already have the tiebreaker on the Spurs sown up due to a better conference record since the teams would finish with identical division records with the Spurs winning. Regardless, the Rockets would seize the tiebreaker on the Spurs by winning this game due to taking the season series 3-1. April 13th: @ Denver Nuggets--Current season series, Rockets lead 2-1. Winner of this game owns the tiebreaker. A Rocket win here would give the team the season series tiebreaker, but a Nugget win here would enable them to square the season series 2-2, thus giving them the tiebreaker based on a better conference record. April 14th: @ Utah Jazz--Current season series, tied 1-1. Winner of this game owns the tiebreaker based on one team getting the 2-1 series edge since the teams are not scheduled to play each other for the rest of the season. Those dates are just single games remaining versus the teams in the top nine in the WC with the two-team tiebreaker ramifications. The Rockets still have two more games to play with the Phoenix Suns. With the season series currently tied 1-1, the Rockets would have to at least split those two remaining games with the Suns to own the tiebreaker on them based on having a better conference record. Even though the Rockets won't get the two team tiebreaker on the Golden State Warriors (Warriors would have a better conference record if they finished tied with the Rockets) by winning that remaining game with them on March 21st, it still would be important to win that one just in case they should finish in a three way tie with the Warriors and the Denver Nuggets. I know, if the Rockets were to just keep right on with their winning ways, then those tiebreakers won’t really matter, and just maybe, they might run away with the top spot in the WC altogether. GO ROCKETS!!!
Now that the Rockets have won this game with the Lakers, they not only extend their winning streak to 22, and take sole possession of 1st place in the WC, but more importantly, they own the tiebreaker on the Lakers due to them getting the 2-1 season series edge.
I thought this looked horribly wrong, so I did a double check and I was right. The Rockets have a 24-13 conference record, and the Nuggets are 22-17. The Rockets already own the tiebreaker with Denver, regardless of the outcome of that game.
no we've only played them 3 times. to open the season in la. lost at home when t-mac got hurt in the first half and today.
exactly.. take it one game at a time... every game from here on out is important in the competitive west... number 1 today but can easily fall to 4, 5 or 6 in a couple of games
Losing this game to the Hornets really hurts because they own the tiebreaker on the Rockets based on a better division record with the season series left squared at 2-2. Unfortunely, this game will have tiebreaker ramifications since the Rockets lost their game to the Hornets on Wednesday, the 19th. The Rockets could clinch the tiebreaker on the Suns by winning their game with them tonight. The Rockets winning this game was still important in case there should be a three-way tie between the Rockets, Nuggets, and Warriors. The current records among these three teams look like this: Rockets are 4-3, Warriors are 3-3, and the Nuggets are 2-3.
Unfortunately, after the Rockets got blown out by the Spurs in this game, the Spurs squared the season series 2-2, thus enabling them to own the tiebreaker on the Rockets based on a better division record. Unfortunately, since the Rockets lost their game to the Suns on March 22nd, that means their final game with them on April 11th has the tiebreaker at stake between the two teams. If the Suns win this game, they get the tiebreaker based on taking the season series 3-1 while if the Rockets win this game, they would get the tiebreaker on the Suns based on a better conference record with the season series left squared at 2-2.
Fortunately, by winning this game tonight with the Suns, the Rockets own the two-team tiebreaker by better conference record with the season series left tied 2-2. Next up, as far as two-team tiebreakers being at stake is this game with the Jazz. It could really be a big deal as far as HCA is concerned if these teams should meet in the playoffs with identical records.
this isn't too much of a concern. we would have to lose all three to finish with a worse record, or go 1-2 to tie. basically if we take care of business against them on monday, we have it locked up. i'm more interested in how we play the final 3 rather than if we win or lose... just don't lose please
the question is the 2 seed and a dallas matchup or the 3 seed and a phoenix matchup... they both have potential for opportunity and peril... i say go for the 2 seed just because. but i think i'd rather play the suns cause then Mutombo can get time on the court when shaq plays.
Sadly, as we all saw last night, it didn't happen. The Rockets' only chance for HCA in the first round is if the Spurs beat the Jazz while the Rockets beat the Clippers since the Jazz claimed the tiebreaker on the Rockets after last night's game.
If we beat Clippers, Jazz beat Spurs, Sun beat Trailblazers, Then four teams should be 55-27, then standings should be jazz(3),sun(4),Rockets(5),Spurs(6), do we have HCA vs sun?
If the Rockets were to finish with an identical record with the Suns, and the teams were to square off in the playoffs, then yes, the Rockets would have the HCA due to a better conference record with the season series having been split 2-2. I was only thinking of HCA versus the Jazz since it appears to be likely the Rockets will be playing them in the opening round once again.
