[ESPN] Can the Rockets win it all?

My guess is the Rockets can't go all the way this year. My reasoning is odds are they would have to go through either OKC or LAC to get to the finals and they just don't match up well with those teams. I hope they prove me wrong, but it looks to me like they are still at least a year away.

 

plain and simple, if Dwight and Harden could dominate on both ends of the floor, the Rox will win it all, but it ain't happen...

 

Can they go all the way this year? yes they can like the other top team (Mia, Ind, Okc, Lac, Sas ). We can beat any team in any given series. No team has been terrible impressive this year.

Is it likely that we win it all this year? No. My money would still be on the Heat.

 

I don't think they can go all the way. And I don't think McHale needs all that much more credit. I'm not trying to be a pessimist or bash McHale. Just saying.

 

No championship team is imperfect.

It's all a combination of great coaching, superstars playing like superstars, avoiding and/or taking advantage of the injury bug and overall consistency.

The best teams aren't always the ones that win, and no team in this league looks unbeatable. What happens if KD, CP3 or somebody like that sustains a major injury in the playoffs? How it happens isn't really important, but the point is: it's possible.

 

From the article:

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that the Rockets actually have another speed - the halfcourt, pnr game - that they have not relied on as much so far, but they can pull out come playoff time. After all, they have a great pnr big in Howard and two guards who thrive in the pnr in Harden and Lin.

That said, to be honest I'm not convinced that this roster is truly championship caliber either.

 

Yes, if Lin can play at his old superstar level.

 

Only if we set multiple picks for him like in his old days.

 

Then it's definitely a No...

 

Let's look at this at a realistic approach.

No. Simply way too young and inexperienced. I think next year, or the year after that will be our time to take home the glory.

 

Yes and No. This team is too undisciplined. Some days they bring it, most nights is catch up. We see alot of bad habits that can be stopped by the coach. Like not being able to set a pick, not telling harden to ****ing hurry up and push the ball halfcourt. Everybody (espn, nba tv, not homers because they are easily content with losses) says we should make the finals. The talent is here.

 

Wow can't believe the poll results, this is why everyone sounds like they're gonna kill themselves everytime we lose a game. This team is still 1 or 2 seasons away from being able to win it all, right now yes we can put a scare on some of the teams however that's because we have two of the best players on the planet in DH and JH, we still need a better cast around them and a better coach before we can truly contend.

However the great news is we happen to be one of the youngest teams in the league, and that includes the coach who has only been coaching full time in like what, 2 seasons? Morey keeps saying we need a 3rd star but IMHO we just need to let young guns Parsons, JLin and DMo/TJones develop. 1 more season of training camp and we'll be ready to rock.

 

I love our team, but we need more toughness and defense around James Harden and Dwight Howard.

Beverly is a start, but I would kill to grab one more guy.

PJ Tucker would be my choice If I could steal one player away.

 

If they do, and they could, anything can happen, it will have to be one of the greatest runs ever to beat any combo of the spurs, clippers, thunder, pacers and/or heat. Any one of those teams could win it all.

 

Two words for you: Kevin Durant.

 

We're close. We're really really close. The key is to make the right move/moves and in a year or two we'll be right there. We're still a star away at this point.

 

The two stars are not that super. The coach is not that impressive. These are the two main factors.

 

I voted no. Not because I don't think it's possible (Anything is possible in the play offs), but because I don't think the team is *READY*.

You can't fake experience. And you can't build chemistry overnight.

Yes, the team has gelled very quickly, but Championship level chemistry? I don't think they're there yet, and I doubt they'll be there this year. Even Lebron, Wade and Bosh took close to 2 years to work out most of the kinks.

Do we have the talent to make a credible Championship run? Yes. Are we going to? I doubt it.

History tells us that there's no real shortcuts to experience and chemistry. There's been ONE team in recent memory that won a championship in their first year... the 2007 Celtics. And they had the advantage of ALL their stars being very experienced, battle-tested, wiley veterans playing under a Hall of Fame level coach.

And let's not forget that they were the 1st big 3. They were stacked compared to their competition.

This is the most competitive Western Conference we've seen in YEARS, with 6 teams that legitimately can make a run at the Conference title. We're up against teams with comparable talent, with more years of experience together, wiley veterans, and hall of fame coaches. Teams that are *already* conference champions, and in the case of the Spurs have multiple titles under their belt.

I would be ecstatic if the Rockets won a championship. However, I don't think it's unrealistic to believe that the Rockets are FAR from being favorites. Even the BEST teams in the conference aren't favorites... there's just WAY too many good teams playing this year.