I see you, but one thing I might say is that we played good defense against New Orleans who was on fire from three the previous game. We played a top tier 3 point defense in OKC and put 28 threes on them. We're doing something right. Nothing wrong with saying that.
I'll look at the 3 game stretch upcoming vs 76ers, Mavs and Pacers as a better indication of where the team is in regards to "contending". I also want them to kick the living sht out of the Nets on March 3 -- badly. I want the 3 headed snake to play for the Nets and I want to wax the floor with their tears. Im being entertained though - its fun to say "who was that" 20 times a game right now! LOL
Everything possible if they believe in each other Focus on there opponent, play defense, and play team ball.
I will have that Feb 17 game circled for sure. Its on a Sunday and i bet a lot of folks will be watching this one. Heat on 11th as well.. Morey front row seats?
I will be the first to admit I did not expect this team to be very good sans Harden. I was pretty convinced that he was the straw that stirred the drink and without him they would be lost in the desert. These past 6 games show that thisnt the case. BUT, I dont think anyone should allow these 6 games to do anything more than make it a question of whether this team is a piece or two away or if there needs to be a breakdown to the studs (Wood & Tate) and then rebuild around those guys. 6 games against teams with a combined record of 42-72 doesnt answer that question. It is enough to want more data before making a decision though. TL;DR: No fluke, team is good. Future unclear.
Larger sample size is the thing you need to say its not a fluke. Im amazed the D is so good knowing that these guys started playing together. It means we can still win when the 3 ball isnt falling. Pretty sure JVG is somewhere right now watching our defensive highlights.
This streak is great! But we still have to get ready for the real teams. When we start to beat the really good teams, then we will know this is not a fluke.
Team looks good I am anti tank because I want to see Silas do well but if we get good offers on players I would still take them to maximize our future prospects, my only untouchables are Wall and Wood for the culture.
No fluke We have real fighters who believe in what the coach is saying. They also have a chip on their shoulders..stars are aligning folks
I got a second member on the train!!!! A third will create a movement similar to legendary movements such as the OPM
If their offense was still struggling I would have to question it, but they've looked so much better offensively these last couple of games now that they have mostly the full rotation back and healthy. The rest of the schedule in February is super soft, with only one team in the top 8 in the league (Philly) and mostly games against .500ish or sub-.500 teams. They need to keep feasting on this schedule and keep climbing in the West while the rest of the conference is still figuring itself out. If they can keep this up, though, on both ends of the floor, I see no reason why Houston couldn't finish with a top 4-6 seed in the West. They may not have as much top end talent as the Lakers, Denver or Utah, but they're deep, they're elite defensively and they have multiple guys who can create for themselves. That's a scary combination.
We lost he first 2 games when half the roster was out, and we lost 2 games to the Lakers, probably the best team in the league. We're 10-5 against everybody else. Yes we are picking on bad teams, but if we're beating "bad" teams, doesn't that by definition make us good? They play excellent team defense, and have 4 guys (Gordon, Wall and Oladipo are proven NBA scorers) that can get you 25 on any given night. The only real question mark is health, not legitimacy. These damn tankers are getting as bad as Lin fans.
I'm old enough to remember Harden simps arguing the team had no talent whatsoever in order to defend their guy refusing to try and quitting on the team yet again.
What makes this team so exciting is that they can get hot but also play amazing defense. Remember the Blazers shot close to 42% from three while the Rockets shot like 27% and still won the game. The offense will come and go but the defense should still be consistent.
Give me a break dude, we don't even know if Minnesota will win the title this season, and that mindset is no way to run a franchise. That's the mindset of the 20 or so teams that never sniff the title. Again, I'm tired of what ifs and needing luck. Put a product on the floor that's the odds on favorite or keep spending till we do. There's nothing precious about a team that works hard and outplays the individual talent. Rockets did that under Adelman, McHale, MDA and they will do it under Silas. That comes from a culture of embracing analytics heavily, we will be ahead of the game for a long time thanks to Morey. If our picks don't pan out and we feel the urge to field an 8th seed and "who knows what can happen" that can be achieved practically overnight at any point in the future. We are just heading for the playoffs for Tilman to pocket one round of playoff revenue and I'm sure Tilman has convinced himself we can "surprise" people with some deadline minimum signings. Always the underdog, but by now if you don't realize it's by choice rather than by circumstance, you're not paying attention. I get it, he got you with the marketing. The hard working redemption guys who might shock the world. It's clever, but tired. We don't have to build on a second rate foundation. Giannis and Doncic are struggling, we are far from having one of them, let alone a title contending team. This is a waste of time. I really really hope I'm wrong about them trying to win. I hope they trade Tucker and Oladipo for picks like a responsible owner would do.
Yes, you tank again and when you're happy with the talent you start establishing a culture. It's a myth that it takes time. Organizational culture should be constant, nothing to do with the caliber of talent on the roster. If players develop bad habits, dump them. Role players are a dime a dozen and future stars don't get derailed by a couple seasons of taking. You want to root for culture, root for the staff or something. I'm rooting for a ring.
Rockets win Championship @Mathloom - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO We sUppoSe to bE TaNkIING!!!! StUpid TiLman RuIned TeAM
