What do you consider a successful season for the Rockets

If you're the 2 seed, then the WCF is a realistic expectation IMO. Wouldn't have that "underachieved" feeling if we lost a hard fought 7 game series to the Spurs/Clippers tho.

2nd round is an absolute must, if McHale can't lead us to the 2nd round this season then he should go honestly.

 

Have to get WCF and at least be competitive. That would change the narrative about the Rockets.

 

Honestly, with our beat up roster, I'll take a hard fought seven game second round appearance.

If we were fully healthy? I would expect a Finals Appearance.

 

I pretty much feel the same way , my expectations would be much higher if everyone were healthy.

The other thing is that this is a very flawed roster , especially when it comes to big men who can hit a damn FT & the lack of a second player who can attack the paint and finish and finally an offense designed to take advantage of the open 3's that doesn't hit them at at a high rate.

I think they beat the Mav's easily and at least give us a 7 game series in the second round and anything beyond that is gravy.

 

Championship or Bust


Winston Zeddemore: We have the tools, and we have the talent.
Dr. Peter Venkman: It's HARDEN time

Rocket River

 

It's sad 1st round advancement is an option... but it's not the OP's fault.
Rockets "got some splainin to do".



I voted "Championship" by mistake.
WC Finals is my personal minimum.

After that bullish last year, the Rockets oughta make the Finals minimum.

 

Hard for me to have expectations that high considering the injury circumstances & the fact that GSW has had their number this year. That team is deep and pose bad matchups at damn near every position.

I expect no less than a 7th game (or earlier win) win or lose in the second round.

 

This.

 

Winning a playoff series would be satisfactory for me. Anything on top of that is a bonus. Taking a team to 6 or 7 games in the 2nd round would be a successful season in my view, because it would provide a good foundation for a really deep playoff run in the future.

 

Agreed. Nothing would solidify this team more than getting to that stage.

 

Agreed. If the Rockets fall short in the first round it will be pretty devastating, but I'd hate for the franchise to overreact if that is to happen. Putting a team on the floor that can get 56 wins and the 2nd seed in a loaded West is doing something right to put yourself in position to go deep.

What they are doing wrong in the postseason (if this does happen) probably needs to be operated on with a chisel, not a hack saw.

I guess we will just have to wait and see to judge on that one, but I feel like they are put in a great position to go deep.

 

I would choose advancing to WCF as an unexpected A++++ season, seeing that we have no Dmo or Bev (they really are something special to be appreciated)... but with those injuries I see that advancing to the 2nd round is a success for our team this year for several reasons.

I wish and want them to go further, but I've just seen to much $h1t in the last decade... letdowns and injuries to last a lifetime, and an idealist who has become rather realistic at times (especially basketball), I have to say its a realistic successful season for the Rockets to get past Round 1 because:

1) It would only be the 2nd time since 97.

2) It gets the monkey off Harden's back.

3) It sets up NEXT year for a VERY thrilling ride.

Yeh, everyone hates waiting til next year, but if we can advance with a crippled team this year, make a great showing (or better, WIN) in the 2nd round, that changes our perception, the players' perception, the mdeia perception, etc.

2015-16 if we can stay mostly healthy, and keep the core intact, THAT is a special team to be reckoned with. This year makes me think of 92-93 personally. I'm not really comparing the "teams," there is a just a feeling that we'll be successful, but not go all the way, and then bam... the next year the doors blow off.

 

Fundamentally, I agree with Les. Although, I think he needs to realize that most fans are totally irrational and don't want to hear that. It's hard to win a championship and ultimately it takes a little bit of luck. Look at the Spurs, everybody talks about how great they are but the big three were together for 7 years before the last championship without doing squat (adding Leonard was the key). Putting out a good product and being competitive year after year should be your goal. Then you hope the chips fall in your favor you. Take the Rocket championships, if Seattle doesn't lose in early rounds those two years, who knows. If Yao doesn't get hurt when the Rockets took the eventual champion Lakers to 7, who knows.

I think the DMO and Bev really hurts when you consider how slim the margins are between teams in the playoffs, especially teams 1-6. At this point, the only failure is losing to Dallas because Dallas really is the worst team in the playoffs and because its Dallas has abnormal amount of fake people Alexander Dumasses

 

Championship. You're doing yourself a disservice if you consider anything less than the best as successful. This doesn't mean I will not be happy if we advance past the 1st round.

 

The West this year has practically been just a 82-game round-robin playoff series. The Southwest has been a constant battle royale. We came out on top in the later and second in the former. That's success beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Especially with our constantly-injured squad. Everything from here on CANNOT take that away.

Still, I'd like to see us squash the Mavs and put up a good fight in the second round.

 

I agree that the definition of successful is a championship. My expectation for this team is that they will beat dallas, but lose to the Spurs or Clippers.

 

The season has been a tremendous success.

The post-season can be viewed independently. The mavs are a terrific team, but I wouldn't consider the post-season to be a success without a victory over the mavs, and not a rousing success without advancing to the western conference finals.

But no matter what happens, the season was a termendous success.

 

If we had Bev and D-Mo, I would say conference finals. I still think they ca do it cause this team surprises me all the time, but if I'm being fair and realistic, a good fight in the second round makes me content because I know we are contenders for the nest few years with the resources at our disposal and because the guy put in more work than any other team in the NBA this season.

 

What the hell is wrong with y'all? It's been 20 years since we have won a ring and we've had amazin' players yet y'all wanna settle for the western conference finals? Go big or go home, bro.

PS. some of y'all would actually be satisfied with losin' to the spurs in the 2nd round? wtf?!

 

If we only make it past the first round we would start to wonder would a healthy team make it all the way to a WCF, much less the Finals for that matter. But honestly....a WCF. I think it's time the we really put the league in notice.