Agree with you both. It's not just the wins, it's how they are winning. Add AD to last nights game and maybe you don't get some of the paint points, you also get a much closer score... but honestly, the way the Rockets played defensively last night, locking up LBJ, scrambling to run players off the 3pt line, team rebounding... I think the Lakers still take a "L" even with AD. It's the consistent effort and scheme that impresses me more than anything. Even when we mess up a rotation you can tell that the team has a plan and more importantly the players are now talking about having an actual IDENTITY - Tough defense, leading to easy offense - I'll take it.
It's amazing what playing within systems can do and holding every player accountable. The defense is playing fantastic. The ball is moving on offense. Shooting % is much better as a team. I'm impressed. Alpi already looks like an all star. We also haven't gotten to fully unleash Tari and Amen yet in the second unit. I'm really liking Udoka so far
Have you even laid our your concrete expectations and what you think they look at their peak before asking any of us?
I came into the season hoping 35 wins was a realistic goal. Based on the talent, Green and Sengun entering their 3rd seasons, the organization actually wanting to compete this year instead of tanking, and Udoka replacing Silas, there should automatically be a boost in win total. But I also thought it would take maybe a third or even half of the season for Udoka to get this team playing well and buying into the change in culture. He managed to do it in a couple of weeks. We'll need to see them sustain this for a while and win some games against better(and healthier) competition, but maybe it's not so crazy to think about them making the play-in and flirting with a .500 record. A really good test will be this Sunday against the Nuggets.
Mine are still the same as what I went on record with before the first game of the season: 44-38 And a big surprise run in the playoffs.
I dont have concrete expectations right now. I just dont know what to expect. Its part of the reason I started the thread. To see what others expect. But vaguely, I gave you what teams I thought were better than us, and not. The 6th seed is probably our ceiling and the 11th seed is our floor if had to guess.
If we were in the East maybe. 6th seed is very unlikely in the West. That was the 44-38 Warriors last season. Being that good is above our ceiling IMO. I think our ceiling is around 8th seed, 42-40, one game over .500, and we'd need a lot of things to break our way to get there. 11th seed would be 38-44 last season. I think that's closer to our median outcome than our floor. Our floor is still probably around 30 wins.
The bigger question is if that is sustainable and how it is going to sustain.......that is all. Close games will show us more than blowouts......it only shows that this team has future.
I am fairly confident the Rockets are going to have better record than OKC. Do with that what you will.
With how much the national media gargles their balls as the next great team and how cocky OKC fans got from the praise where they constantly shitted on the Rockets young core, that would be the ultimate chef's kiss for me.
If they keep playing like this then my 30-34 win expectation is probably going to be the low end. Bballref has us with the easiest schedule by far to start the season. Lakers and Kings playing without top guys. Regardless of those facts the team looks better, earlier than I expected. Looking good.
Before expectations run rampant. Keep in mind that the Kings were without Fox (best player) and the Lakers were without AD (2nd best player). While we were without Eason and Amen, the impact of not having those 2 doesn't come anywhere close to losing a star player. Are we significantly improved compared to last year? Yes! Would we have won still if Fox and AD were playing? Maybe
