Which potential first round opponents do the Rockets match up best with?

I would love a OKC - GSW - SAS run! The earlier the Warriors the better, with Durant still recovering by then. Once they get hot, it's hard to stop them so. I also wouldn't mind GSW running into OKC for the storylines, while we face MEM and then them.

 

Not sure why people are scared of Memphis. We have been destroying their defense both inside and outside, and they are the worst shooting team in the league, so sometimes we even bring them out of their game by making them take more 3s than usual.

They beat us twice without Capela. And we destroyed them the last games times. Gasol trying to camp in the lane on defense has been exposed routinely by MDA. Capela is key to that against the big bigs. In fact, Gobert didn't fair very well either, but Utah has been shooting lights-out against us. I can show about 5 minutes of plays in that game where we easily dislodge Harden's defender and directly and successfully attacked Gobert 2 on 1, because he doesn't come out. Same happened to Gasol and DeAndre Jordan.

In this order,

MEM, OKC, LAC*, UTA

* I also put them behind OKC, because of what @OTMax said above.​

 

Now with Aldridge out because of heart problems are chances are getting better and better.

 

Memphis is the opponent we want to face.

 

I would like to play OKC. PatBev can torment Russ to the delight of OKC fans. Some pressure in the paint, & let the Three's rain down. Rockets in 5.

 

Uhh nobody really, because of that thing where a missed shot occurs and subjects attempt to stretch out their hands to grab an object from a suspended glass..

 

We have a really good chance taking down OKC in 4 or 5. Grizzles, we would take them down in 6 games due to their bad back court and really slow offense.

 

My preference:

MEM > LAC > OKC > UTA

Utah doesn't have a 'great' team but Gobert is individually the antidote to our "layups and 3s at all costs" strategy. Our guys start taking circus layups and wasting possessions. He gets in their heads.

 

Isn't MVP already selected at that point?

 

It will settle who the real MVP is not the media MVP.

 

I think OKC is locked at 6. I don't see them jumping the healthy Clippers who are 3 games up.

I also think we're locked** at 3. The Spurs-Warriors race is going to heat up with both teams dealing with major injuries, but we'd have to stop dropping huge turds and put together a string of games to cover the 6-7 game distance to #2. **More likely that Utah (currently on a 4 game win streak) covers the 4 game distance between us and them. We need to fight just to keep 3.

Here are some numbers outcomes if each team continues its overall pace vs post-All Star Game pace (skewed because the Warriors have imploded and the Spurs are dominating, but you gotta take the qualitative with the quantitative.)

 

Clippers would be cool. I remember towards the beginning of the season somebody posted a video of ESPN guys claiming that Houston stands no chance against Clips in a 7 game series. I would love to see that reality come to fruition so that we can rub the victory in ESPN's face.

 

If you look a Road Wins vs Home Losses, which is historically a great indicator of seeding throughout the season, we are well ahead of Utah....even LAC is ahead of Utah.

Rockets +13
LAC +9
UTA +7
MEM +4
OKC +3
POR -2
DEN -4
DAL -6

At the end of the season, seeding using Road Wins vs Home Losses will exactly equal W-L seeding, and your RW minus HL differential to opponents will exactly equal GB in W-L, too. This is an absolute, mathematical truism. So, UTA is 6 games behind us (+13 minus +7 above), right now, which usually indicates they have had a favorable schedule so far which is skewing the W/L GB right now to show just 3 behind us.

 

Jazz > Clips > Grizzlies > Thunder

 

We have insider info on their system too from Troy Williams

 

It's gonna be the Thunder, which sucks, because we do not match up well with them at all. Could outscore them, sure, but matchup problems all over the place for that one.

 

Great point.