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#2 seed is the most important thing for the Rockets

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by HouStu_Rocket, Mar 4, 2015.

  1. HouStu_Rocket

    HouStu_Rocket Member

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    So it seems quite unlikely that the Thunder will take the #7 seed from the Spurs and with the Clippers looking secured to the 6th seed I believe it is our best interest to gun for that #2 seed for reasons of playoff match ups as well as for those that desperately want Harden to win MVP (myself included); a #2 seed will solidify his standing as the frontrunner in the race.

    The Thunder are still 4 losses behind the Spurs and looking at this month's schedule for the Thunder I think 4 losses is a reasonable prediction for them considering how well they played in February and their strength of schedule. Throw in the fact that Westbrook might be getting worn out soon and might play more cautiously to avoid another injury so close to the playoffs and you have doubts that this team will overachieve another month.

    The Spurs schedule shows that it isn't out of the realm of possibility that they lose 4 or 5 games this month and historically the Spurs catch momentum towards the end of the season and right before playoff time.

    If the Thunder want to claim that 7th seed they will need to overcome the deficit of losses and even if they have another great month I don't realistically see them gaining much ground (if not any) on the Spurs. So my personal belief is that this fight for the 2nd seed is critical for the Rockets to win if we want the best chances of playoff success. Otherwise we will be against the Clippers or the Thunder in the first round.

    What do you guys think?
    1.) Are the Spurs our best match up?
    2.) Are the Thunders chances greater than what I've assumed?
    3.) Can the Rockets achieve the second highest seed in the West?
    4.) How will this affect Harden's relation to the MVP race?

    Hail Rockets
     
  2. shawn786

    shawn786 Member

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    You are forgetting about the Mavs.

    That's the team everyone in the West wants to face in the first round.

    Stay in the 3rd spot & face the Mavs but everyone is so close there is no saying.

    It's all speculation at this point, still to early.
     
  3. HookemHorns1250

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    1) I definitely believe the Spurs are a better match up for us than OKC.
    2) IMO Yes.
    3) Yes, 1.5 out and a big game against Memphis tonight.
    4) I don't believe it will. The fact that he's carried this team with out a second star to help out is validation enough for his MVP case.
     
  4. sirbaihu

    sirbaihu Member

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    I agree the Spurs are our best matchup in that part of the standings. But for the team, they'll get weak if they start hoping for one team and wanting to avoid another.
     
  5. justtxyank

    justtxyank Contributing Member

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    God the West is brutal.

    Congratulations you are the 2 or 3 seed! You get to face San Antonio, Oklahoma City or the Clippers.

    [​IMG]
     
    1 person likes this.
  6. Roc Paint

    Roc Paint Contributing Member

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    I'll take the #1 seed. Thank You!
     
  7. HouStu_Rocket

    HouStu_Rocket Member

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    How are the Mavs playing recently? I am speculating that the Mavs will overtake the 5th seed. Clippers are without arguably their best player and have a relatively brutal March. I see them losing 6 games because, lately, they haven't looked like a dangerous Clipper team we have seen
     
  8. Junkyard_Dog

    Junkyard_Dog Member

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    If we beat Memphis tonight I believe that gives us the tiebreaker right? I definitely see us moving to number two and having the division lead by season's end with a W tonight
     
  9. HouStu_Rocket

    HouStu_Rocket Member

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    Right on! If we go undefeated in March then I can see us having a chance to steal the top spot in the west.
     
  10. joeson332

    joeson332 Member

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    i dont care just get out the damn first round...
     
  11. YOLO

    YOLO Member

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    still too early for all the speculation. when there's about 10 games left, the seedings will start to solidify itself
     
  12. meadowlark

    meadowlark Member

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    I'd like to avoid OKC...but any other of the top teams are ok if we have home court.

    The most important thing, at this point, is a healthy D12 fully integrated into the rotation.
     
  13. HouStu_Rocket

    HouStu_Rocket Member

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    This comment was only mildly sarcastic. I would absolutely love to see us at #1 regardless if we play the Thunder. If we claimed the top spot than I have no doubt we would be good enough to beat the Thunder in a 7 game series. I already think that series could go either way.

    I understand it is unlikely it would be to accomplish an undefeated month of March but it has happened before
     
  14. roslolian

    roslolian Member

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    Well...to be honest IMHO there is no point at all to the seedings, apart from the Mavs (who are like the only ones bringing a knife while everyone else are riding tanks) there is no "easy out" 1-8 in the WC, every team has a decent chance if their stars explode. It doesn't matter if you face Warriors, Clipps, Spurs, Memphis, OKC depending on how the dice rolls all these teams can destroy you in 7 games.

    So what does the perfect seed give you then? Apart from a bigger chance to get to round 2 absolutely nothing, and IMHO there's really not much difference between round 1 and round 2, the Rox waited like 5 years for Yao-Mac to get out of the 1st round, but when the Yao-led team finally got there people didn't seem that happy afterwards, by the time the new season rolled around everybody pretty much forgot about it and just remembered Yao breaking his foot and the squad getting beat down by the Lakers.

    I think the most important thing for the Rox is not overuse Harden and get DH back in tip top shape. I think if the team pretty much comes back healthy the Rox will be the scariest team to beat, they pretty much destroyed everybody at the start, and that was without the bench upgrade c/o Jsmoove, Brewer and Pablo. I'd rather have the Rox healthy as the 8th seed rather than missing DH as a 3rd or 2nd or even 1st seed.
     
  15. photojoe

    photojoe Member

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    I hope the Rockets get the #2 seed for a couple of reasons

    1) As crazy as it sounds, I like a potential matchup against SAS. They have been the best playoff team in the NBA for the past 15 years, and we are pulling for a matchup against them? Wow, the Western Conference is insane.

    2) Assuming we win our first round matchup, having the #2 seed would give us home court advantage in the second round. Obviously who knows what will happen. But that would be huge if Memphis was #3 and we faced them in the second round.


    Yes, having the #2 seed would probably help Harden's MVP case. And yeah, I guess it would be cool if he won, I think he deserves it. But I am definitely not desperately hoping that he wins. I would much, much, much rather have success in the postseason and make a deep playoff run. And I am hoping we can get the #2 seed because it helps us do that, not because it would help Harden win and individual award.
     
  16. K mf G

    K mf G Contributing Member

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    we don't face the warriors again so this is definitely possible
     
  17. bobloblaw

    bobloblaw Contributing Member

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    We cannot go the entire month of March undefeated. We lost on march 3rd (yesterday).
     
  18. YOLO

    YOLO Member

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    and the difference in #2 and #3 seeding is not a deciding factor in harden's case for mvp and holds little merit at this point. his case will still be just as strong if the rockets end up with the #3 seed 10-15 games from now.
     
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  19. BigShasta

    BigShasta Contributing Member

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    Can we all just sit back and relish in the hysterics that most 'ANAL-yst' predicted us to not be a playoff team - yet we're sitting here gunning for the 2nd seed in the 'brutal' west. Let that sink in.
     
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  20. DunKingDanny

    DunKingDanny Contributing Member

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    I think he still has a chance to get MVP even at the #3 seed but I'm willing to almost guarantee that he'll win it if they end up at #2 and he wins the scoring title.
     

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