My buddy(who is suffering through his latest Knick heartbreak ) and I were talking about the Knick good ole days. We spoke about the ALMOST championship and all that. But to be fair, I told him that the Knicks came close a couple of times and that it just happened that they ran into the top two players of the last 15 years. We started to debate if it was worth all that playoff success without the title? Or is it better win a couple of years, be extinct for a long time (Celtics)...we made alot argument for lot of different scenarios. Anyways, I started thinking. With the Rockets making the playoffs, tell me which scenario you would prefer. This is looking forward to the next 10 years. This is assuming Yao and T-Mac average 70 games per year or so. Lets assume Yao and Mac are 2 of the top 8 players during that span and also that we have JVG as a coach or a reasonable facsimile. All scenarios are with random "support" players so they will have a say whether we win or lose that particular year. Just think about what would cause you the most enjoyment as a Rocket fan over the next 10 years. Here are the next 10 years and you tell me which is the best scenario. Scenario 1: 2005-2nd round loss. 2006-2nd round loss 2007-Finals loss 2008-Championship 2009-2nd round loss 2010-Championship 2011-2nd round loss 2012-1st round loss 2013-Finals loss 2014-2nd round loss Scenario 2: 2005-Championship 2006-2nd round loss 2007-1st round loss 2008-Finals loss 2009-Championship 2010-1st round loss 2011-no playoffs 2012-1st round loss 2013-2nd round loss 2014-Finals loss Scenario 3: 2005-2nd Round loss 2006-Championship 2007-Championship 2008-Championship 2009-2nd round loss 2010-1st round loss 2011-no playoffs 2012-no playoffs 2013-2nd round loss 2014-WC Finals loss Scenario 4: 2005-1st round loss 2006-2nd round loss 2007-WC Finals loss 2008-Finals loss 2009-Championship 2010-Championship 2011-Finals loss 2012-Finals loss 2013-Championship 2014-no playoffs Scenario 5: 2005-Championship 2006-WC Finals loss 2007-Finals loss 2008-Second round loss 2009-WC Finals loss 2010-WC Finals loss 2011-Championship 2012-Finals loss 2013-WC Finals loss 2014-Finals loss Scenario 6: 2005-Championship 2006-Championship 2007-Championship 2008-Finals loss 2009-Championship 2010-2nd round loss 2011-1st round loss 2012-no playoffs 2013-no playoffs 2014-1st round loss Use your imagination. I hope this post makes sense. It was just a discussion with a buddy on a slow day at the job.
Championship Championship Championship Championship............................ at least 4 in a row somewhere, to get this team and city some major run and put us on the map with the Bulls, Lakers, and Celtics.
Definitely Scenario 6 5 consecutive trips to the finals and winning 4 out of those 5. A situation like that is the very definition of the word "dynasty," and it's right in Yao and TMac's prime as wel. It doesn't matter that after those five years, we make early exits in the playoffs or don't make the playoffs at all. After 2010, both our stars will be in decline and it's to be expected, and it's time to begin rebuilding. I'd still take the 5-year dynasty. Ultimately, nobody remembers the teams that almost won the finals. The greatest teams are defined by how many championships they won.
I'll take the most unlikely scenario. Scenario 6 (3 chapionships in the next 3 years). Immediate satisfaction. I don't know if I'll be alive in 2014 lol
Scenario 6. 4 championships in 5 years, with 5 straight finals appearences. Winning championships is what it is all about.
Number 6 4 Championships in the next 5 years, with a finals appearance in year 4. Come on. No contest. Best Team Ever arguments would prop up for having that kind of success.
number 6 has the most championships. If all of them would have equal championships then it might be a tougher choice.
Not to rain on anyones parade but i think the rockets success rests on Yao's next contract. If CD gives Yao a max contract the quaility of player a team can get to stay under the salary gets low pretty quick. Tmac and Yao will have a great pairing together for years to come but if I was a betting man I think I would put my money on SA. The potentially have 3 all star caliber players locked up for the next 5 years.
If you want to keep your best players on the team, you need to pay them max dollars. The Suns will soon be paying close to max for 3 players, the Knicks are paying tons of money for crappy players going nowhere. The Bulls won't be able to afford keeping all their young talent together for long, they will eventually demand too much money. IMO, a team can afford two max contracts, and then the difference between winning championships and not winning is how the team management is able to allocate the rest of the leftover money to build solid role players that compliment the two stars. That is where the Spurs excel like no other. Of course, I remember that Pippen was underpaid for a long time in Chicago, but he cared more about winning and didn't bolt for cash. Don't count on Yao or T-Mac restructuring their max contracts or anything like that, and since the NBA is nothing but a business, they would be damn fools to do anything like that. Taking less money that you can/are worth would be the dumbest thing in the world. I wouldn't do it if I were in their shoes, or anybody else's shoes.
scenario 7: the NBA changes its name to National Houston Rockets Apreciation League, any buyers? I wont even buy that, that is a horrible idea, no its not, yes it is, it lacks originality and forethough, quite the contrary it ahs too much originality and too much forethought, shut up, no you shut up, fine, here's something we all can agree on, Go Rocks!
Mathematically speaking, for a ten-year period, there are 6^10 = 60466176 possible scenarios for the Rockets record (miss playoffs, first round exit, second round exit, coneference final loss, championship loss, championship win). The chance that one of your 6 scenarios is correct is 6/60466176 which is about 1 in a hundred million chance.
I think he may be getting at this: What would you rather have? 1 championship over 10 years and no playoff appearance for 9. or 10 playoff appearances and no championship.
You must be bored as hell. I will take 7 straight final appearance, wether we win the championship or not I like our chances. In my dream scenario, Rockets win 7 titles with Yao and TMac. Both of them retired as hall of famers. Houston will be known as a bball dynasty which surpase all the hypes of Chicago Bulls, become the only team with 2 hall of famers winning multiple championships in recent memory.
c'mon this is ridiculous. any of the scenarios with a three peat is clearly preferable to the others. once i get a three peat. i'll get the team all the slack they want the rest of the ten years.
4peat to beat the bulls & lakers. and have 2nd longest streak. can be lottery team all other years for all i care (but not gonna happen w/ a 4peat team barring catastrophic injuries).
Would y'all quit talking about multiple championships before Yao and T-Mac win their first. What are you trying to do Jinx us?
I'd take the natural progression and 6 straight years in the finals from Scenario 4. I am not one for immediate gratification, and I don't have to win the most (number 6), but I appreciate sustained greatness and the step up to that level.
