I think we need playoff experience before we can go far in the playoffs. That said, I think we do have a possibility. Slim, but a possibility none the less. Here is how I think it has to play out. I think we have to improve enough to get up to 3rd seed in the West behind SAC and DAL. I think LA needs to continue to struggle or fight some more injuries before finishing on a tear and ending up in the 6th spot. I think that we then have to go out and beat LA in a hard fought series that is close every game and goes the distance of 5 games. I also think that Yao has to continue to be a fast learner. I think this experiences gives a quick but very comprehensive understanding of what playoff basketball is all about against the defending champs. It also gives us a tremendous amount of confidence. At that point, we might just be ready to knock off anyone. Tough to say and probably still doubtful. A first round upset of the 2 seed, giving us an easier 2nd round opponent could only help. But I think we might just have enough to do it then. One other thing I don't think has been mentioned and I could be wrong. But didn't Mobley play in the playoffs his first year? A late season deal for a role player acquisition of someone who has been in several playoff games or even won titles might also be helpful if this team is to be a serious contender. To be honest, I expect us to be 2 years away from having a legit chance to win it all. But, I think there are a series of things that could speed up that timing.
Someone in one of the first few posts mentioned that the Rockets could win any individual series, but probably not 4 successive series. That's exactly how I feel. By the playoffs, Yao very well might be the second most valuable player in the NBA. He should almost certainly be the 2nd best post player. With Francis as an elite perimeter threat and increasingly better distributor... and with instant offense (Mobley) and defense (Cato and Posey)... this team has everything it needs to beat anybody. We coudl lose in the first series. We could go to the WCF. I have no idea, and both are equally likely, imo.
Great points by everyone on both sides of the issue. I agree that our biggest concern remains experience and smarts, BUT, based on the potential and progress I have seen I would not be surprised to see this team make big noise in the playoffs. I believe they have the ability to get hot, get full of themselves, and just steamroll through the playoffs the way the second championship team did. I have been saying it for months, and I see where Verse has joined the chorus... No one will want a piece of this team come playoffs. In Rudy we trust.
Yes he did, and he got a potentially game-winning shot blocked in the decisive game against the Lakers (by Shaq) that should have been shot by Dream or Barkley. Not blaming Cat for it, blaming Rudy...but that's in the past. Couldn't be more excited about the future.
Remember SA went from the the worst record in the league and the #1 pick to the championship in just 2 years I believe. Very similar situation, ordinarily (with reasonable health the year before) the team that ended up getting the #1 pick (and what a pickle it was those years with TD and now Yao) was much better than the team that should have got it. We would only be cutting 1 year of the Spurs timetable--and I think Yao has more to work with than TD did. I honestly think we should be aiming for the title. I think it is possible. I think it is also quite possible we could Sac or Dallas--because we can play better defense than either. Sure a lot of things would have to fall just right, but I think we are only one of 10 teams with the talent to do it--that makes use a solid darkhorse (scary as hell for the solid contenders) if not an outside contender.
It would take steady improvement until season end No key players injured or with nagging injuries @ playoff time Winning the first round provides experience and confidence- so the first round match up would be huge
Hell yeah we're title contenders -- assuming, as cabbage said, that we play smart and initiate the offense through Yao. Realistically though, that's a big assumption. The ability to play smart consistently, and not have things degenerate back into street ball under real post-season pressure is a big if. As is our lack of playoff experience. And I am worried a bit about other teams figuring out how to play Yao -- as mentioned in the Chronicle article. But I'm optimistic about Yao making the right counter-responses as well. I don't want to set the expectation level too high and set myself up for disappointment. So I'll be very happy if they make it past the first round -- which is not unreasonable, assuming they can keep home-court -- and learn a lot in the process. A really deep playoff run is just a bonus this year. But you never know what will happen if we get past the first round, and having a fast learner like Yao around.
All the pieces are in place. That is the beauty of this team. We don't need to speculate on ridiculous trades that could suddenly turn the Rockets into contenders. This team has all the talent it needs. All the Rockets have to do is learn to bring it every night. They need to go on a winning streak, and learn what it takes to keep consistent winning going. The Rockets can no longer afford to drop games against pathetic teams. Once the Rockets bring the right attitude, they will be unstoppable. This is the most talented team in the league. No one will stop the Rockets when they find their groove.
This is absolutely one of the best threads I have read in the past 3 months. That is all. Now, back to the show.
of course it is! it's a realistic discussion of everyone's favorite b-ball squad taking home trophy #3. what's not to like? now = a fun-ass time to be a Rockets fan it does make me think of how weird it would've been if this thing called the internet and this site called ClutchCity had been popular at the time of trophies #1 and #2. would it have been like this?: chrisjentlover: yahoo! curetonfor2: yeah, this is great! death2bullz: amen, brotha! chrisjentlover: 9 minutes later, and it still feels cool! jazzin96: if you're going to get #3, though, you need to make the following trade. . . let me tell y'all about this cool website: realgm.com. it allows you to test trades for their realisticness. . . death2bullz: I love the Rockets! and so on . . .
We need two things, one is the experience and chemistry, especially Steve has not played in any NBA playoff series, so he needs the experience. Secondly, EG has to grow fast. Right now, he is our weakest link. Teams are going to feed the ball to their PF in playoffs just to exploit EG's man-on-man defense. It is going to take at least 2 more years for EG to be mature. So not this year, not next year, but the year after the next year.
We won't beat the Lakers. Everyone else, we can beat. Hopefully, we face Dallas. The Lakers will make the playoffs, don't doubt it for a second. If Shaq has to average 40ppg on an injured toe for the last 50 games, the Lakers will face the playoffs. Personally, I think the Lakers will be the 8th seed and win as the 8th seed for the 1st time ever. Ultimate success for us: Getting 4th seed. That means, next year, our objective is MORE than homecourt advantage. That means contender.
After watching tonite's game, I am further convinced that when the Rockets (and Cuttino Mobley) play smart basketball, they are among the elite teams in the league. This dominant backcourt coupled with Yao makes for a devastating combination. Could playoff experience be greatly overrated? What experience did the '95 Magic have before they made their run to the NBA Finals? The only thing holding this team back is selfish play and the tendency to go through long periods without running through Yao. The trade of Kenny Thomas should greatly address these problems. Mo Taylor while otherwise horrible for a power forward atleast complements Yao well with a medium range game and a willingness to pass the ball. Let's assume that Dallas and Sacramento are locked in as the 1 and 2 seeds. That then leaves us with Houston, San Antonio, Minnesota, Phoenix, Los Angelos, Utah, Portland, and Seattle. Based on pure potential and talent on paper, Houston and San Antonio should be the 3 and 4. That means our first round opponent would be either Minnesota, Phoenix, LA, Utah, Portland, or Seattle. With the way the Lakers are struggling, its highly unlikely they would finish as high as the 5 or 6 seed, so we can cross them out as a 1st round opponent. Of these remaining, only Minnesota scares me. I think atleast a trip to the semi-finals is likely - we are greatly underestimating our team.
The current status of Rockets is very encouraging. You got a dominant center and an elite backcourt. There are so many offense options, so it doesn't matter one of them is off for certain nights. The weakest point might be the power forward, which is kind of "soft" now. Once the Rockets can solve this, I won't be surprised they makes the final. An interesting observation Yao is more excited to face elite teams, while for sub .5 teams, his performance is only at a "star" level. Hopefully, he will become a beast in play-offs.
I still think the Rockets need a bruiser. Someone who can dish a little payback if anyone starts taking cheap shots at YM. Raven
In playoff, we are facing elite teams, It's probably the fatigue that made Yao have low FG percentage. As I recall, He seems have low FGP right after he had a high performance game.
If we beat Minnesotta tongiht, we're legit contenders for 3rd seed. If we don't we're still top 5, and could get better. Winning this game could send us on a HUGE winning streak. BUT, Houston has ALWAYS had problems with Minny. Maybe now that Terrell Brandon isn't terrorizing us, and Wally's sitting, we can shake the grip. If we can win the rebounding battle, this game can be ours. Can Eddie Griffin frustrate Kevin Garnett into a decent game? If we can keep KG below 30 points, below 14 rebounds, and below 5 assists, we can win. Meaning, here's the MOST we can allow KG: 20pts, 13reb, 4assists. They really have very little firepower. As long as we continue passing it around, this game is ours. This is really a HUGE game for us.
Well, you knew it had to happen sooner or later. Considering my signature, I was morally obligated to post in this thread. The good news - we have two key members of our team with championship experience: Rice and Yao. You may want to discount Yao's experience, but he went through exactly what everyone is saying the Rockets will have to go through. The Bayi Rockets with Wang Zhizhi were the dominant team. It took the Shanghai Sharks a couple years to finally overcome them, but they finally did. Hopefully Yao can bring some of this experience to the team. Frankly, once you learn to not panic in the playoffs, it comes down to three things: defense, execution, and clutchness. The Rockets' defense is looking very good this year. We just shored up the defense at our worst position, and now it's a toss-up between Eddie and Steve for the worst defense. Luckily, the zone minimizes one-on-one defensive weakness and puts more on team defense. Rudy is a master at coaching this. The Rockets' execution has at times been a thing of beauty. We have run up 40 points in a quarter, and only had one turnover in the second half last night. However, we have also had 6 turnovers in 3 minutes, ushering teams that we had beat back into the game. This all falls on Steve's shoulders. Steve can have an off night shooting - but if he turns the ball over, it's usually an automatic two points on the other end. My belief is that Rudy and Steve are going to work that out this year, and Steve is going to learn how easy the game can be. Yao makes life so much easier for everyone on the team, but it's particularly true for our perimeter players. Once Cuttino and Steve learn to use these openings (like last night), life will be good. Finally, our favorite topic. Clutchcity baby! Let's look at our players: Steve: This year has seen the emergence of Steve as a clutch player. He has made at least 5 buzzer beating jumpers, all of which he had clearly planned and were not desperation heaves. Two of them were game savers. Cuttino: Come on! Cat has never seen a shot he doesn't like - he wants those shots and has made them in the past. Execution should get him good shots instead of the 3-point fadeaways of last year. Rice: A big question mark. He clearly has the touch, but I haven't seen him shoot a dagger for the Rockets yet. Nevertheless, he represents a man opposing defenses cannot leave open. Eddie: The man could well be clutch. He has the icy demeanor and has turned around games with his blocks and is a good shooter. He also made two key free throws to ice a game for the Rockets a couple of games ago. Still, he's pretty young and I wouldn't count on him yet. Yao: I remember hearing a story about Yao's performance in a championship game - 21/21 for 40-something points and 20 rebounds. I would give him the ball without question. It's funny, but we have to go to our bench to find yet one more member who is ridiculously clutch. For some reason, Moochie is the missing half of Horry - he makes any shot with the clock winding down during the regular season. If he continues this habit in the post-season, he will beat out Horry for being the most unlikely player to be a hero. Yes, the good ship Rocket is ready my friends. I would advise you to make sure your boarding passes are in hand. If you BELIEVE, please add my signature to yours and let the others complain about our sunshine A**es.
Just one possible scenario: #1 Dallas, #2 Kings, #3 Spurs, #4 Rockets, #5 T-wolves, #6 Suns, #7 Jazz, #8 Lakers. 1st round: Rockets beat T-wolves. Lakers beat Mavs. Spurs beat Suns. Kings beat Jazz 2nd round: Rockets beat Lakers. Kings beat Spurs 3rd round: Rockets beat Kings. Once out of the west, no easter team can take us. Not totally impossible. I will be just happy if Rockets can get pass first round playoff.
I would be ELATED if the Rockets made it to the second round. They haven't been to the playoffs in 3 years! That is a long time. We are on our way to being #4 unless somebody gets injured or Pheonix wins a lot of games. And if we did face the Timberwolves, they will have Wally Scerziback back. They won't be that easy to beat, but we could beat them. It is not that easy... Will the Lakers make the playoffs in time? The Rockets started 10-17 in 1986 but made it... Yesterday, the Lakers lost in OT because Rick Fox couldn't catch the ball for an easy layup. They have to make the playoffs. If they do not, the Mavericks or Kings will win.
