Before season started: What would you consider successful?

Championship or bust esp with the roster we have

 

I would have been happy with where they are in the WCF but now that they are here I want to win it all!!

 

My expectation for this team at the beginning of the year was to make it to the second round. I won't call it successful, because only one team every year is successful. I would say that so far, this team has overachieved.

This team needs one more good offensive player that can threaten a defense. Doesn't necessarily have to be that "3rd star", but we need more ability to punish teams that defend us like the Clippers did.

 

Honestly, getting out of 1st round.

Beating the Clippers the way we did was a great big bonus.

Seeing Harden play like this reassures me we will be a contender soon.

 

Getting to the second round. That was even more impressive given what the West turned into this year. Gutting out that Clippers series was way beyond what anyone expected, and holding close to Golden State and still having a chance to win is like icing on the cake, strawberries on top, and strippers waiting to pop out of the cake.

I'd get Calvin, Drex, and Dream in there to give them a pep talk on what it will take in their personalities to claw their way to the wins they need in subsequent games. In other words, let these guys know what it was like 20 years ago to have the hearts (and brains) of champions for that little extra oomph they need.

 

By all accounts, YES. WCF is a bonus.

 

I think the Rockets have overachieved by any realistic preseason metric or standard. To lose as many games to injuries as they have, win the division, make the WCF and (most importantly) validate this core as a championship contender, this season has been great.

 

season has been a huge success. to get the 2 seed and advance to the WCF despite all of the injuries has been great. coming back from 3-1, and more specifically, the Game 6 comeback have made the season worthwhile alone. my 2c.

 

Before the season started I would have been happy with just making the playoffs, mid way through It changed wanting to make it out the first. Still to today, I would have been content with winning 2 games against the Clippers, this squad has cam a long way and i'm proud.

 

I'm happy you feel that way, hopefully then if the Rockets fall short, you resign from fan-dom in disgust and the rest of us are spared this kind of crap.

 

seeing Harden play like this reassures me we are a contender RIGHT NOW.

you're looking at, at the very least, the 2nd best team in the NBA. this team is in the WCF...they've played 2 games and the cumulative point differential is 5 points.

This team has absolutely exceeded my expectations.

 

While I think this is successful season, I honestly don't know how many years we have to wait to get another chance like this. OKC probably thought they are going to the finals every year after losing to HEAT.

 

This isn't true. As a Rockets fan that was rooting for the team 20 years ago, I vividly remember the playoff efforts that didn't result in a championship.

 

That means your are usually wrong than right

 

I only consider winning a Championship as a SUCCESSFUL season. All the other seasons are the buildup to winning a championship. The rest are moral victory seasons.

 

After we made it to WCF I considered the season a success. I can tell because I find myself less stressed about losses and consider them more as learning experiences. Let's face it if we lose to GSW we can take this year as a learning process and come back next year a better team.

 

Pass the first round.

 

I thought we lost in the offseason, so I've been eating crow all year and rather pleased. So, they've beaten my expectations by a lot, but is it successful. I have 2 measures: (1) Win the championship. Still don't know if we'll achieve that. (2) Establish credibility as a contender to draw talent and win next year. On this, I think we succeeded when we beat the Clippers. Free agents that didn't that didn't think we were a horse to hitch their wagon to will now be seriously thinking of it. And the 2016 free agency market will be an absolute bonanza. If we have another good showing then, someone great will come.

 

We have Harden and Howard.

My expectations are a championship.
Sorry to be so to the point about it. And I understand and appreciate growth.

But Howard isn't getting any younger.

Nobody on the Warriors will be happy if they don't win the championship, even if they made the WCF for the first time in 40 years.