Why I'm grateful for this Rockets season (and you should be too)

We lost, I get it, but I am extremely thankful for the effort and performance these Houston Rockets have showed in these, albeit inconsistently. They've created some great memories and revived the title of Clutch City, however briefly.

Most of all though, they've provided the kind of performance that has attracted a new age of rockets fans. They've converted many of my friends and family around me that hadn't been paying attention to basketball in general into Rockets Followers.My nephew, after watching the game 6 against the Clippers, now loves basketball. So many of my friends have become dedicated to them and not missed a game in these playoffs. Heck, even my mom knows the players' names!!

The relative complacent attitude that the people of Houston have had towards the Rockets over the last 15 years has diminished. This franchise has managed a resurgence, has managed to overcome the premature failures of playoffs past, and showed the potential to bring another title to H-town.

Some people on this board might call these fans as "bandwagoners" that only started watching the Rockets when they won in these playoffs. My response to that is: SO WHAT?? So many loyal fans start off as bandwagoners. Over time, they will become fans. This playoff run was important because it carried with it not only the thrill of success but the pain of disappointment, just the right first taste for a potential loyal fan.

As a young Rockets fan who grew up in the Yao era, I love these rockets because I finally have some lasting playoff memories. Revenge against the Mavericks, Clutch City Reborn in Game 6, and a couple spectacular but painful performances in the WCF. When I became a fan in 2005 as a middle school kid, this is what I've been waiting for. To the 2014-15 Houston Rockets, Thank You.