Which team is your ideal first-round opponent for the Rockets?

Trust me, WE DO NOT WANT CLIPPERS.
Give me any team other than them and I’m fully confident we’re heading to the conference finals. But the Clippers match up would be one of those very unfortunate flukes.

 

We will see when the Rockets face them for the last time in the regular season. I was with you about not wanting any part of the Clippers until I went back and looked at the season series again.

• Rockets lost those early games with MCU, Ennis and Carmelo on the team, The defense is much better now.
• Tobias Harris killed the Rockets. He's with Philly.
• Harden and CP3 have yet to play together against the Clippers this season.
• Rockets have multiple players that can guard (hope to guard) Lou now.
• I'm still worried about the energy of Monrezl, but hopefully Faried can mitigate his effectiveness.

I'm not as worried as I was a couple days ago.

 

For sure if Faried can do well on Trezz I would feel a lot better. And when we first got Faried this is why I celebrated it; because we finally have that athletic natural power forward big that we can throw on the Montrezz’s and Blake Griffins of the league. But to be honest I don’t know what is going on with Faried these days and not even sure if he’ll be a contributor come playoff time. Worried he just had a hot start with us and fizzled.

But that’s not the only reason I’m worried. First, they’ve got nothing to lose. Zero pressure on them. Second, they have so many former Rockets and that can hurt the former team sometimes. Third, we don’t really have the roster to match their energy. They play tough for all 48 minutes. Also, Rivers can outcoach D’antoni and for a team so unknown like the Clippers, the coaches better figure out a game plan sooner than later in the series.

I mean, it would be ridiculous to think we can’t win a series against them, we have been one of the top two teams in the league and have the MVP. But for me, I think Golden state can beat us and Clippers can upset us. Not really worried about any other team in the West if healthy.

EDIT: I also think if we somehow made it to the finals we would beat Toronto and Boston but would lose to Milwaukee or Philly.

 

I agree with some what you are saying. I just felt a little better looking at the past match ups realizing both teams are different now. Clippers are better offensively but are worse defensively than they were last time. Rockets are better across the board than they were the first meetings.

This last match up will be very intriguing for sure. I hope the Rocket wipe the floor with them.

Faried has been injured and I think we have lineups that can keep up with the Clippers' energy.

 

Yeah looking forward to Wednesday.
Side note: Zubac played really well against us in a Lakers rockets game a couple months back.....stupid lakers

 

No. Clint or Paul, and Harden lit them up.

 

Agreed. They are too fiesty, too rangy, too athletic.

 

No he had a big 4th in the game that went to OT. I don’t think CP3 played and we still won with be huge comeback in the second half.

Side note : my “stupid Lakers” comment was referring to the Zubac trade.

 

Only thing that worries me about the Clippers is Bev's hyper-aggressive, injury-inducing defense that he'll be playing on CP and Harden. Keep that.

 

Denver but we probably won't be getting them.

There are no easy opponents. Spurs next. Thunder when their shot is off.

I dun know what kind of Zubac we will get in the playoffs.

If he goes off, not so good but the scrub version of Zubac would be an easy target.

Clippers are too unpredictable, no stars but mostly experienced, good players.

 

He's the same subpar defender he's been his whole career. He wouldn't stand a chance trying to guard those guys and never has.

 

It’s a lock between clippers or Jazz. Bc we gonna keep flip flopping with blazers and jazz and clips gonna keep flip flopping. We just playing for 3 seed to avoid dubs till WCF

 

Portland (mediocre bigs that we can abuse in iso all day)
Utah (we turn their greatest asset into a liability - Gobert)
San Antonio (wings are too limited defensively to challenge Harden)
OKC (scary defensive team when locked in, but will you get Bestbrook or Worstbrook)
Clips (scrappy bunch of ex-Rockets that are looking for revenge)

In order of most to least favorable matchups

 

Do not want the Clippers. Best bench in the nba plus a bunch of scrappy dudes. That will tire us out in the first round. I think OKC lack of shooting and depth has Worn out their defense where it had to work extra time to help them win games.They are there for the taking

 

True. And yah that’s why I don’t wanna see Clips, I honestly think they could upset us. But Faried could at least try to battle with Trezz for the boards. He can match his energy and toughness. Or I should say I hoped he could

 

yes, i got that.

dissect the game all you want, but Capela and Paul didn't play, Harden continued Super Saiyan Mode, so I don't think it's an example of Bigs giving us trouble. We are a different team without Capela, and it is what makes Harden's Super Saiyan mode this year so amazing.

Oh, and fwiw, Lakers used the Bucks defense on Harden, which was just a few games after Bucks revealed the heavy-shade of Harden in our January matchup, when JH scored 42 on that Bledsoe defense. The ICE the ISO defense (which I call it) didn't work for Lakers.

 

Montrezl has become better than Faried, far better than the Nets version of Faried.

Rockets Faried bounced back a tad.

 

I'd say stew them all

 

Give me the CLIPPERS!
They only gave us trouble in recent years because we were injured and/or coasted vs them.
we gonna outclass them and average +20 in a 4-0 sweep

 

You bring the blue print to their tunnel plus locker room. Oh, we got that already.