We haven't played LAC since throwing out the twin towers strategy.. Are we sure they have our number? Our team is so much different now
The Rockets are only three behind SA, and they haven't even played their best ball yet. Let's see what Morey hauls in at the deadline before we assume the Spurs are going to win the division.
Blake Griffin hasnt been human since that time either, and not to mention they getting CP3. Clippers are a bad matchup for us.
the Rockets only had that scenario for about a day because of an uneven amount of games played comparing to LAC. (Clippers have played 3 more this season) as it stands now, the Clippers are 35-18 and Houston is 33-17 for a dead even .660 winning percentage. we could move ahead of them again for a night, but at the end of the season there is no situation besides the Rockets having a better record than the Clippers that would give them Home court advantage, due to the 0-2 hole we are in vs them so far this season.
There are still two games left vs Clippers. So technically, Rockets could still win the HC if tied with them. Then the next tie breaker would be the conference win-loss.
if tied at the end of season with a 2-2 head to head, the conference record would be the first tiebreaker situation, not the next one. but LAC is currently 19-9 conference, Rockets are 19-14. again, if the playoffs started today, the edge would go to LAC. I should have used the word probable in my bolded statement above. of course it is possible for many situations to take place, like the Warriors overtaking the Pacific division, or the Rockets improving their Conference Record or overall record to overtake the Clippers.
The best and easiest way to gain HCA is to win the next game against the Blazers. We already have a 2-1 series advantage so far. I am predicting that the Blazers will continue their slip to likely 4th or 5th seed. We will likely end the regular season at either 4th or 5th. There is a slimmer chance that we would catch up on the Spurs though it's possible depending on their performance in the last two weeks of the season and injuries.
Not to be that guy, but we are just as close to the 8 seed as the 2 seed. Just prepare for any scenario.
The Rockets are clearly better than the 8th seed and have shown that they can hang with top echelon teams. With this 4 game swing coming up against inferior teams, you have to expect them to take all 4 and be sitting pretty come the all-star break. They may even be tied with the Blazers by that point.
One thing that will help the Rockets out in the near future is that Portland, San Antonio, and the Clippers are all going to be playing each other this month. SA plays the Clippers and Portland Clippers play Portland, SA, and the Rockets. (They also play OKC) Portland plays the Clippers, SA, and OKC. The Rockets play some pretty crappy teams during that span. Hopefully the Rockets can clean up against sub-par teams while the top 4 in the west beat up on each other, and the Rockets can cap it off with a win over the Clippers. This is a great chance for the Rockets to move up in the standings. Who knows if it will last until the playoffs, but they can certainly work their way to #2 in the West by the end of this month.
The only seed that's a long shot is the 1 seed. 2 and 3 are very reachable. We still play the Spurs and Blazers once, both in houston. Still play the clippers twice. So yes if the rockets play like we know they're capable of playing we can get that high.
