The Rockets are going to be under .500% at the all star break.... if they gel they can go 10-10 over the next 20 (FWIW I see NO evidence of gelling) or they could easily go 5-15 over the next 20..... in which case you better pray for lottery balls and trades shedding salary.
Even then I would probably see them make a run towards the 2nd half of the season and make it in. The west is bad enough this year where it's possible to do so. The only way honestly is if we trade Dwight at the deadline along with other major rotation players in which case then we can pray for the lottery.
The team will unravel and end up fighting each other. Gonna be ugly. Where's the popcorn? Team dynamics off court is way more interesting than team on court this season
Put another way: We play worse against worse teams. It's true either way you say it. The Rockets are the kings of playing to their opponent's level as opposed to always attempting to play at a high level. The observed results are that the Rockets frequently lose games they shouldn't have any trouble winning, and then, without any cushion, they get desperate to snatch wins from teams you wouldn't fault them for losing against. Sometimes, that desperation produces harrowing wins. In the end, I can't imagine any Rockets fan feeling comfortable at the beginning of any Rockets game, regardless of the opponent.
OH MY GOOOD LOOK AT THISSS, Kobe almost got a steal, what a class act. This young guys could learn a thing or two by watching Kobe jack up shots for the rest of the year.
"Contenders" are actually scrubs we only lose to real contenders like Denver, Brooklyn and Sacremento
The 7th or 8th seed for any team in the west is a near certain 1st round exit. I think id rather miss the playoffs altogether than land there.
I've learned when trying to institute the antijinx one shouldn't type antijinx. If Rockets lose, it's on malakas.
Like many others have mentioned, I think it's a real possibility that the Rockets actually do better against top teams due to them focusing, not downplaying to the opponent and bringing their A game. I expect us to still be around .500 40 games into the season. With that being said, we are only 4-7 against teams over .500 and above, so maybe not.
We would have to make a "Tinman appreciation thread" in respect to his passing. Because if that happened, his head would surely explode soon after.
