What overwhelming factor drives your happiness as a fan personally?

Just win. I'm a happy fan after wins, and a sad fan after losses. That's all I care about - getting the W.

 

EFFORT
Consistency
Winning
Playing smart
Improving on your game

In that order.

 

I enjoy when the team goes to the post season. Suuure you may not win a championship, but if you keep on going sooner or later you will strike gold. That is how i calm myself down when we lose to a lesser team.

 

This will sound crazy, but consistently having a winning season and making the playoffs is crucial to me. Sometimes even more so than a championship. I haven't been destroyed when the Rockets haven't won the whole thing as much as I have when they've missed those playoffs. I guess it's because it's always rare for any given team to make the finals and takes a little luck along with talent. We've had the talent, but not the luck.

All of those years with Steve/Cat and then the injury years with JVG, along with another of McHale's end-of-the-season failures, where we just missed the playoffs, were very painful. (The whole McHale "Let me play Scola and PatPat to close games even though I have these guys named Camby and Bear that shut down the lane and got us the lead" syndrome where we lost 6 in a row to end the season, missing the playoffs, was unforgivable. I don't blame Dragic for leaving McHale after that blunder.)


So, I guess I'm for:
1. Winning season-with the playoffs
2. The way the team plays (effort, etc...)
3. Identity--loved how we played under JVG as a defensive team without so many smiles and playing around.
4. New additions along with a solid core (I like staying loyal to players and also adding new talent...guess that's why I'm not a GM. Loyalty is dead)

 

I definitely agree with you there, that's why I liked watching the 2009-2011 teams so much more than the current team (even if they didn't win as much).

 

Effort

Effort. I hate teams that take it easy before actually doing anything noteworthy. Almost all NBA players have ridiculous amounts of athleticism but some of them are so lazy it's mind boggling. Hard work is a skill and I like to watch it.

 

I understand how effort is great and all, but if the Rockets are busting their butt and losing, I'm not a happy fan. The effort needs to produce results.

 

Win. Baby win :grin:

 

Putting a solid effort and showing the will to fight back under pressure on both ends of the court, is what I want to see the most.

I can put up with iso ball and individual mistakes on a young team to a certain extent, but I want the Rockets to evolve into a good team. That will naturally lead to wins too.
The process of growth is very exciting to me.

I also want them to remain connected with the fans, and the city of Houston.

 

Effort.
Being smart.


I can stomach everything else, but when I see stupid mixed in with poor effort I can't take that.

 

I think for me the most intriguing thing about this team over the past 20 years has been the ability to reinvent themselves time after time for new era's of Rockets basketball.

We now live in a fantasy sports league generation where transactions, trades, drafts, etc. are the craze among fans, and if you don't like your team, or a player isn't producing you work your magic to GAMBLE on the open market to take chances to get an edge on the competition.

Morey's Rockets have been this generations dream team to follow because of this. Following the Rockets over the past 8 years or so has been a fantasy sports league type of experience that keeps everyone including myself intrigued with what comes next.

Now that Morey has hit the jackpot so to speak, we get to now see if the gambler is going to cash out his winnings now and just sit on Howard and Harden for the next 5 years with "Safe" surrounding pieces, or if he's going to "Let it Ride".

Its truly compelling to watch the Stu Ungar of professional sports GM's work his magic, and see what the results are afterwards.

The championships are nice, and that's the prize above all prizes, but that's not what has kept me here these past couple decades. If that was the case, I'd be just another pissed off Houston sports fan like many on the GARM today.

If your ONLY interest is dominating any professional sports league every year than you are going to be let down, and be very upset. I've enjoyed the ride of watching this team being built a few different times with each generation, and I'm thrilled to see what it will look like after the dust settles and the 3rd domino finally falls (supporting pieces that makeup the remainder of the team).

 

The Rockets winning and seeing my favourite player do well.

 

Scrappiness if that is a word instead of Crappiness.

I admire "fight." I hate wimpiness. The Rockets melt too easily, fight too little, and "give up" too quick. I want them to scrap, fight, bite, claw, and never quit. Thus far, too wimpy.

 

I get satisfaction out of being a true fan and remaining loyal no matter where my team is on the ladder. Everybody knows who my teams are, I've built up years and years of loyalty and people wish they had teams like I have teams. I watch them struggle as they think they like somebody, then they want to change, then change again. The poor souls would give anything for some guidance.

You really can't beat the feeling of being a true fan and then your team becoming good. That satisfaction far outweighs any kind of bandwagoning.

 

1. Winning with the players I love
2. Winning
3. Winning by playing beautiful basketball
4. Winning by playing with heart
5. Seeing a young player WE DRAFTED develop into a star

 

Hearing Gene Peterson say "How Sweet it is!"

 

1. Winning a championship (not likely this year, but getting closer)
2. The team is improving (I question this in our current squad)
3. The team is doing their best (I question thin in our current squad)
4. The team is exciting to watch (I would say yes this year)

2, 3, and 4 were all a yes last year, which is why I think last year's team was more fun, and this year's team is more frustrating. On the other hand, this year is starting to tease us with the thought of making a championship run again.

 

A LEGITIMATE chance at winning. Having watched the NBA for 30 years, I know when a team is a contender versus a pretender. The Rockets are a pretender until:

1. We get a better coach
2. We shore up our defense, whether through Harden manning up, Howard focusing more on defense than offense, getting a wing SF by trade, or all of the above.
3. We resolve the Jeremy Lin and Asik situation. Asik is definitely a goner, the question is when. Lin will most likely be gone in two years unless the Rockets utilize him better or he adapts better to his 6th man role. Early signs show that this won't happen.

 

What I love is when you have a team that has something very unique about it, and they aren't the favorite to win but are definitely in it and somewhat not everyone's first pick, and they when a championship anyway in a crazy way, like winning 8 straight elimination games on the road.

 

As a fan that is loyal to my hometown team the "overwhelming factor" is winning. More so winning against teams like the Spurs, Mavs, Lakers, Jazz...
Of course the ultimate goal is to win a championship. If the season goes downhill then I enjoy watching young players develop and playing spoiler against the teams mentioned above.