Playing OKC better for the team in the long run

Unfortunately, in two games, we dropped from 6th to 8th. Plus, we should've won the Phoenix game.

 

I'm a Homer and I want our Rockets to win. It just seems like
their backpedaling to me since those two losses were against
teams we should have beaten. The Lakers and especially the Suns
should of been easy prey! At least that's my opinion, but maybe
I think too highly of my Rockets .
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Playing the Thunder will give us plenty more playoff experience than would playing the Nuggets. Not to mention the increased visibility this game will attract. I just hope The Bearded One doesn't perform like he did in the Finals last year.

 

I won't say a better coach, but a more experienced one would have taken us to 50 + wins. As disappointing as last night's game was, it doesn't really matter because playing the spurs was going to result in defeat. Games might have been a little closer though.

Let's just enjoy the playoffs, hope we progress with experience and that we finally acquire a Power forward. It's the final piece, an all star pf. And more bench help.

 

This is about the only silver lining I can offer to myself. OKC 3yrs ago was the 8 seed at 50-32 and lost 4-2 to LA in the first round. 2yrs ago they were the 4 seed, beat #5 Denver and #8 Memphis before losing 4-1 to Dallas. Then last year we all know the story; they face up as the #2 against #7 Dallas who beat them the year before. They beat Dallas. Then come the "powerhouse" Lakers at #3, who they promptly dispatch. Then #1 seed SAS beats them in two horribly unfair games (I like to say that the old wily Spurs win by dirtydog veteran tactics, which is true) before they finally realized their athletic superiority and ran SAS off the floor.

So there you have it. A blueprint for gaining playoff experience and building on a young, talented core. We're not quite there yet because we don't have the pieces: Harden was a rookie that first year they lost to LA, and we still need our second superstar. But still, it's a start.

 

Realistically we were big favorites to lose either series, especially with Harden playing like Monta Ellis the past month and a half. At least in this series we get to watch two interesting teams play. Watching 4-6 games of Kevin Durant play > watching Tim Duncan.

 

we need to win something to attract the big boys

 

We match up pretty well with OKC in my opinoin. Parsons has always made Durant work really hard, and Lin and Beverly should be able to make life hard on Westbrook.

Our 4/5 matchup really well with OKC, and our bench in my opinion is just as good, if not better than OKC's.

I think this series goes 6 games-winner OKC. Great learning experience for the team as Harden will finally get to be the man on the big stage. Upset is only possible if we go through one of our hot streaks that we tend to go on every now and then. We really need Parsons to be averaging around 20ppg!

This will be a really fun playoffs guys. ENJOY!

 

Rockets don't fire coaches. They let their contract expire and hire somebody else.

 

hmmm...joined nov 2012 eh? you must be a harden only fan/okc fan who only joined after the trade to spew your displeasure at harden being a rocket. go back to okc forum.

 

I don't see anything fun about getting our butts handed to us 4 games in a row.

 

Not exactly, a couple of blind front office guys could see him taking this team to the playoffs in the first full season as coaching progress. Regardless of the meltdowns at the end of both season, the poor game management, questionable play calling and rotations (where the **** was T. Jones last night?) and complete disregard for defensive focus. But hey who's really paying attention to stuff like that?

 

I think expecting 50+ wins for this team is too much for one of the youngest in the league. Making the argument for 41- would probably be easier.

Sure. We lost some games that should have been won. From a realistic standpoint, though, the 2012-2013 Rockets probably overachieved.

How many Rockets players would start over the other 7 Western conference playoff teams' starters (not due to injury)?

Lin might start over Nash even if Nash had been healthy this year, but no other teams' PG starter.

Harden would start over any two except Kobe. He's our star.

Parsons would start over Prince, Barnes, and possibly Butler and Leonard.

Asik would start over Koufos, Splitter, and Bogut.

G. Smith isn't a playoff team starter.

Our bench is made up of journeyman and rookies for the most part.

So, perhaps we are who we thought we are - a marginal playoff team that might be able to win a couple of games in the playoffs. We're also a very young team that should improve with time.

 

simply too much logic for this board to understand

 

It’s not that the Rockets lost 2 games or that the Rockets are expected to lose against OKC, but it is HOW the Rockets lost and how the Rockets will lose to OKC. If the Rockets play like they did for the past few games, then the world will see that the Rockets offense is indeed gimmicky; but if the Rockets play with ball movement, set hard screens and picks, roll hard to the basket, and play good D, then the world will know that the Rockets truly do have potential.

Death, like losing to OKC, is an inevitable truth; and we can confront this truth in either one of two ways, with utter nihilism or deserved optimism for the future. In other words, we can go down fighting with heart, defense, ball movement, or we can go down broke back style with ISO plays after ISO plays after ISO plays.

Yes, OKC is expected to win, but that does not mean the Rockets should just say, “**** it, we’re gonna lose anyway so let’s just ISO, not get the rebounds, not play D, not draw any real plays, not move without the ball, not cut, and jump in the air and get stuck.”

 

Heck, I'll be happy if Rockets take Thunder to game 6. 4-2 against reigning conference champs is pretty damn good when we're this young.

 

I disagree with much of this.

Lin would start in NY, MIL, ATL, BOS (no Rondo). Aside from the Lakers there is to much depth in the West at the PG position.

Harden wouldn't start over LA (Kobe), OKC (Thabo) Memphis with Tony Allen or Denver with Iggy. He may start over the Spurs with Danny Greene not so sure, the Spurs SG is pretty good defensively. Harden wouldn't start over Pierce I think, (Pierce is going to be the SG in the post season) nor Wade but on every other team in the East he would start.

Parsons would start over Butler but Matt Barnes should be the starter & Matt would start over Parsons. Prince & Kawhii would start over Parsons. Parsons would start over Barnes.

Omer would start on a lot of teams. OKC over Perk I think, Clippers over Jordan, Denver, Spurs, GSW & also a lot of teams in the east.

 

I heard this one guy working on the train yelling at a woman with hispanic accent this morning "In this country, we don't twist things like that" LMAO

 

Some people say that cucumbers taste better pickled.