There are lots of reasons for that 2nd half swoon. The Rockets were without Capela part of that time. They had a brutal schedule in January and March. They were gassed after a bunch of B2Bs and playing more games than nearly every team in the league(they at one point had played 5 more games than the Cavs). And some guys have hit a wall like Dekker, Capela, Anderson, and Gordon. The first two because they've never played this many minutes in an NBA season due to their youth. The latter two because they haven't played this many minutes in an NBA season since this is the first time in forever they've managed to stay (mostly)healthy. Yet despite all of this, they have the 3rd best record in the league. I do wish they were playing better ball heading into the postseason, but that doesn't guarantee anything. The 2004-05 Rockets won 7 in a row(and 18 of 24 games overall) heading into the playoffs, stole the first 2 games in Dallas, and then proceeded to lose 4 of 5 and choke away that series. The 1994-95 Rockets limped into the postseason yet still pulled off a 2nd straight title. The 2006-07 Rockets finished the season on a 16-6 run(in large part due to getting Yao back from his leg injury), but lost in the first round to Utah 4-3 despite having Game 7 at Toyota Center. The most important thing is getting to the postseason with everyone(sans Dekker of course) healthy and as fresh as possible. And ever since they clinched the 3rd seed, D'Antoni appears to be prioritizing that.
Reality is it's just one game and it's just one series and it's just one season Rockets will be back playing in the NBA next season. Just relax and enjoy the ride. Don't set yourself up for disappointment by having insane expectations like Rockets winning the ring. I came in with moderate expectations this season and believe me I have thoroughly enjoyed this regular season.
We are who we are. A team that could get hot from 3 and somehow end up in the Finals or a team that could go cold from 3 and lose in the first round.
They've been going through the motions for about a month and a half now. They know these games don't mean **** and they've played like it. It looks like MDA uses games just to see how many threes the players can make and that's about it, I haven't seen any actual coaching since November. But I'm hoping they can flip the switch, I know Harden can but its up to the rest of the guys to prove their worth
They are coasting on defense but they do know how to turn on the switch for big games. The switch does fail sometimes especially after big leads. This team sorry to say needs a leader because Harden just ins't one. Can he be? I don't know, he's 27 already. We'll see. These playoffs are going to tell us if Harden has really taken the leap or maybe it is MDA's system.
Clippers were rested and desperate. Rockets were on a back to back and didn't care at all. Ryno was on restriction. Harden was tired. Nene and Capela were out. Lou Williams out. Ariza out of it. That game was beyond meaningless.
I agree with some of the concerns buts let's also not forget that we've had to deal with the most ridiculous schedule I have ever seen.
don't really care how the games turns out this past week. as long as everyone is healthy going into the playoffs is the priority and the players likely feel the same
I thought everyone used real pictures. I may have to stop believing everything Swyguy and the Dude says.
The 23-18 is slightly better than predicted before the season and the 31-9 is completely unexpected. We were never supposed to be a championship contender this season and yet we've gotten as close as possible to the real contenders. So I don't see a problem, just enjoy the playoffs!
Up until Jan 10th we were only avg 100.93 for pace. And we clearly started seeing signs of dead legs and the schedule haunting us. Since Jan 10th we lead the league in pace at 104.06. I think it's a direct correlation for our drop in efficiency. Up until Jan 10th we were at... 59ts% 2nd behind gsw. 55.7efg% 2nd behind gsw. 47.1 fg% 39.8 3pa at 37.6% Ortg of 112.7 Drtg of 105.5 Netrtg of 7.2 Since Jan 10th we are at... 57.8ts% 53.4efg% 45.5fg% 40.4 3pa at 34.6% Ortg of 111.0 Drtg of 107.2 Netrtg of 3.8 So OP has value concerns. A lot of it has to do with injuries, tiredness, and coasting. Players like Ryno and Gordon aren't used to playing this many games. Same with dekker. At the beginning of the season we didn't seem fast at all because hard played at this slow pace, I believe we will get back to that. The bench did great because they pushed the pace and switched up the tempo, I believe the still happens. We have been coasting, saving energy and getting prepared for the playoffs. I'm not concerned. Lots of rest and not full out effort over this past week and end of season leading to playoffs is huge. Harden should be fully rested. All the guys should be ready to go and I have faith we will turn back into December lite. You can look at the data 2 ways. Optimistically or pessimistically. I choose optimism because happiness outweighs stress for me.
I'm just disheartened by our shooting. Two guys don't ever seem to have a good game together, it's always one guy doing well and everyone else heaving bricks. We keep saying that we need shooters, but lineups of Ariza, Lou, Gordon, Anderson, Beverley, Harden, etc GET open shots. Why can't we ever make open shots? Coaching can only help you get the shots. Players have to make the shots...
Well I was hoping we'd use the Clipper game to get sharp. Also, we aren't going to surprise teams anymore with so many 3pters, they are expecting it. And defenders are doing a better job not giving Harden 3pt fouls
I think our team was very excited and ready to play with all the new things happening this season. new coach, new teammates, new system. and with that New excitement we've caught some teams off guard. especially early in the season. But now that light is starting to burn out and other teams are starting to catch up with what we bring to the table. We are really going to half to be sharp and smart in these playoffs if we want to do any damage. Executing our game plan in a discipline fashion will be the key.
When those one games have players that will not crack the rotations in the playoffs like yesterday and are not worth anything then I tell people to calm down. It's that simple.
Look at who started at center for the Rockets last night. That tells you all you need to know about how seriously they took that game.
