Enough of the Beverley BS. He is no Harden, he is no Dwight, He isnt even as integral as Parsons or Jones. I'm not a LOF but I think if Lin is aggressive and confident like we have seen from him many times in the past i believe the Rockets will be even better. Overall Beverley was never the X Factor who could take us to the next level, he is a serviceable PG who fit well with our starting unit but I have full confidence Lin will fill in for him.
It really irks me how people seem to think wanting the best possibl Matchups enroute to the Finals constitutes as "cowardice" Why wouldn't I want the Rockets to face a fading Portland team and then take on a Spurs team they've shown they can hang with? If hoping for the team to avoid a tough matchup against, say, the Grizzlies or the Mavericks in the first round and staying clear away from LAC or OKC in the second round is considered cowardly, so be it. I want the team to have the best possible chance at making the WCF, which most established as our goal when the team first came together. I'm really curious how many of you would have been advocating for the '94 or '95 Rockets to shoot for Seattle even though it was a piss poor matchup.
The main problem is Canaan, if rockets has someone like tony douglas, the loss Bev maybe not such a big deal.
I want to say we're contenders, but I need to see how we hold up in a tough Western Conf playoff series... Hopefully we can adjust to life without Bev FAST.
Beverly was no X factor but he is definitely our best option at holding guys like parker, Lillard and Pauls. Beverly also helps spread the floor out for guys like Harden and Howard. I really hope Canaan and Daniels can step up because I have no faith in Jeremy Lin. How far this team goes in the playoffs will depend on how much Canaan and Daniels can contribute.
It really irks me how people have given up on this team. The reason you should want the Rockets to end up as the 3 seed is because it will mean they are a better team than if they end up the 4 seed. I think that is more important than who we face in the playoffs. The Seattle comparison is stupid. There's a big difference between having 1 bad matchup, and trying to avoid half the conference.
That was a team lead by two HOF at their prime, Big shot bob, Sam Cassell, and awesome role players all around. You can't compare these two teams.
I completely agree with you Sweet Lou. Sam, Bob, Elie, Kenny and all our amazing role players were just amazing during that run. We were also set at the pg position. As of right now we have a glaring hole at that position and have three unproven pgs hoping to fill that void.
I didn't realize getting a better record was more important then settling for a seed that would have the more promising route thru the playoffs. We still get HCA for one round whether its the 3rd seed or the 4th seed. You're right, it is dumb.The '94 Rockets had one bad match up. We have two, possibly more if you consider Dallas and Memphis. I believe this team can win (although the latest injury bug hitting us is concerning), but it will take some luck as to who we draw. Why would I want the team to move up to 3rd, take on Golden State who'd be much tougher than a weak Portland squad, and than have to deal with OKC in the second round? The team that has handily embarrassed us this whole season? Their speed and athleticism has proven to cause us numerous problems and I don't see that changing. I'd rather have Houston defeat Portland and San Antonio, forge some confidence and momentum, and head into the WCF vs. LAC/OKC ready for war.
It's nice to have the ability to pick exactly who you play in the playoffs but the issue is you only play who's put in front of you. Right now the Spurs are on an incredible roll but they're bound to start losing games, especially once Pop starts sitting his players. San Antonio's next 10 games... Sat, Mar 29 vs New Orleans Mon, Mar 31 @ Indiana Wed, Apr 2 vs Golden State Thu, Apr 3 @ Oklahoma City Sun, Apr 6 vs Memphis Tue, Apr 8 @ Minnesota Thu, Apr 10 @ Dallas Fri, Apr 11 vs Phoenix Mon, Apr 14 @ Houston Wed, Apr 16 vs Los Angeles 7 of thier next 10 will be against playoff teams. And they'll like lose their last game b/c starters will sit. Meanwhile OKC has started to pick up steam again and could easily overtake San Antonio for the 1st seed. Additionally, I don't see Portland holding onto the 5th seed being only 1 loss ahead of GS, especially without Lamarcus Aldridge. Our best bet is to play every game to win, and to get better.