Definitely haven't seen enough, but I was really excited about what our offense/team would look like prior to pre-season. Have a good feeling about this year
Look long enough into the Toyota Center and sometimes the Toyota Center looks into you. Real eyes realize real lies.
I've seen enough to know that when Harden is on the floor, we can't be stopped on the offensive end. Too much spacing and too much skill. Gordon is the perfect compliment to Harden....he knows when to defer and when to attack....something Lawson never figured out. When teams start closing out on Anderson, Harden is going to have a field day in the paint. There's still a question about the offense when Harden sits. Can we rely on anyone else to initiate?
Last season's theme: We've turned the corner. This season's theme: I've seen enough. I like this year's. At least I won't get dizzy turning corners.
Last season we played a "meaningless preseason". This season, it's the best thing that ever happened in my life
The thread title theme of last year was "[Calm Down]: sitting at .500 and at 8th seed" But you're right. As we turned each corner we went back up to .500 and 8th seed, then fell back down because of another wrong turn, requiring more threads to update us. It went like this, and we alternated which one got bumped throughout the year. [Calm Down] Sitting at 7th Seed -- Dec 17th the original started by OP Certified Troll [Calm Down]: Sitting at .500 and at 8th seed -- Feb 10th [Calm Down]: Sitting at .491 and at 9th seed -- Feb 10th same day as previous after taking wrong turn [Calm down...again] Sitting at .491 and at 8th seed -- Feb 18th [Calm Down] Sitting 3 games under .500 alone at the 12th Pick -- Apr 9th -- lowest pick of the year -- but take wrong turn to playoffs [Calm down] The series doesn't start until the home team loses -- Game 3 ps: (DON'T anyone bump these if you know what's good for you)
We look like a legitimate, well-coached team. Both offensive and defensive principles were in evidence. Looks like the players have bought in. What a difference.
Regardless of what our record is this season, 30 wins, 40 wins, 50 wins, it's going to be several orders of magnitude more watchable. Having offensive possessions where more than one person touches the ball? Seeing people box out? Players looking mentally engaged instead of sulking and glaring at each other? Miracles.
i've seen enough to know that brewer, of all pple, will be the rockets mvp and harden will be his sidekick. its over for the warriors. they suck too much, not even that good. ohhh noo they got durant, im so scurrrr . please, we got brewer and priggs, savvy vets who know how to play ball.
But what was seen is the exact opposite of the pre season last year. I'm happy with that. No disdainful looks and complete shut down of the offense when Harden sits. I'm drinking the koolaid. Can't be worse than the crystal Pepsi we were drinking last year.
I agree. I've seen enough to know that this team can do what they want it to do. Overall, the players appear to understand the philosophy and their roles. Doesn't mean it's necessarily going to be smooth sailing to home court advantage, but we do know that this team can successfully execute MDA's offense while playing decent enough defense.
Let's be honest about one thing though, the talent on this team is sub par. Our second and third best players might be Gordon and Anderson. Talent wise, this team is probably 7th or 8th in the West. However, I have faith that chemistry and work ethic will make us overachieve. I'm really not interested in how this season ends, I'm more interested in how it forms our journey to a championship very soon. I'm interested in how all the young guys do, in how Harden matures, in how D'Antoni may or may not have learned from past mistakes and sharpened his strengths. I want to know if a defensive coach can work with a coach obsessed with offense. As long as you have perspective, it's fine. We're not in a place where the future is bleak. 29 other teams would want James Harden on their roster, and I bet more than half of them would trade their entire roster for him. Let's not forget to appreciate that we have one superstar.
This is most 'correct' way to set expectations for this season, I think. It's a stepping stone, in what feels like the right direction. If viewed as "Anderson and Gordon are all we got", it seems bleak, but when you consider all of the addition by subtraction we did with Bickerstaff, disinterested Howard, old Terry (yes, I do actually consider Prigs an upgrade), and Terrence Jones, this team is going to resemble a functional NBA franchise again. The most negative thing, per usual in Houston sports, is the looming possibility of the "i" word.
