Resetting expectations; how I'm learning to enjoy the ride and watch us grow

I'd be very surprised if we are a .500 squad. Unless we get good returns for PJ and EG.

But yeah tate is so easy to root for, him and boogie i want to see do well.

 

Having no to low expectations is a losers mentality. Considering you aren't a player this doesn't apply to you but in the locker room they should always expect to be championship contenders even if it is a team full of rookies.

 

That's exactly how I described feelings towards the Rockets hypothetical winning it all after 2018. Watching the team wasn't as much "fun" as it had been leading up to the perennial duel with the "unstoppable" Warriors. 2019 was just an incredibly stressful ride, and at the time I realized exactly what you had articulated: winning would have felt more like relief more so than a celebration, perhaps because they were supposed to be champions in 2018 and most everyone knew it.

And the stress most certainly began after the demoralizing 2018 WCF defeat where the Rockets still had a chance without Paul, going into halftime of both Games 6 and 7 with double-digit leads. They just couldn't get the job done, and as incredible as Harden was, I think Rockets fans still yearned for more.

The rest of your post I do also think reflects on Harden's somewhat tarnished legacy in Houston: for whatever reason he couldn't will his teams to the top and gave off an aura of not caring or truly giving his best effort. I doubt that's true, but the cliche "he didn't want it enough" is what will forever keep him below the Bryants and Wades in NBA lore.

 

Probably better to find a new interest for the next few years, dark days are ahead.

 

I love the mentality except I still think we are contenders... anything is possible and hindsight is 20 20

I know most of you are lousy doubters but lets say rockets win it all, ok just for a moment, people would backward rationalized it saying:
of course they have won, had multiple allstars hungry to redeem themselves , talented rookies , genius coach and GM who was the genius behind the Morey

Yeah enjoy and have fun, it was the only thing for me always... I was even claiming regular season is more important for me than playoffs and loved harden for bringing the stuff in RS cause regular season is the main thing cause its always around... and playoffs is one in a year thing that you quickly forget

Geaux Rockettes!!

 

I think rooting for a team that is far from contending can be fun if you believe there is a plan of getting back to contention. You can enjoy watching a team culture grow, young prospects develop etc. You trust the process, even if you think the fruits are still couple seasons away.

Stone's moves I positioned us quite nicely to be able to pull this off if we get a little lucky. The thing is, this is still Tilman's team and considering his tenure up to this point, I do not know how you trust that.

My major relief is that after how refs screwed us in game 7 of 2018 WCF I knew Harden was not winning championship in Houston. And watching him/organization try became agonizing. We were the underdog, undermanned, had home court and they did us like that. And the mantra repeated by the media "if they didn't miss 28 threes in a row"... well they didn't. Harden made one, got fouled in the process and... they just decided to not count it.

So I hope Harden gets a ring or two in Brooklyn, bails in 2 seasons with his pal KD and we get rich quickly with those picks. Hopefully finding a star that is sexy enough for the league to let us win.

 

Wood is the new Scola and Wall is the new Martin.

 

Nobody thought Warriors are contenders in 2015 , let alone the dynasty.

NOBODY

 

I still think this team has enough talent to fight. I don’t think they could heat the Lakers, maybe not Denver, but everyone else in west doesn’t really scare me. That’s assuming/hoping for full health and a rebound from Gordon. However, it is much easier to get over losses when we don’t have the popular expectation and the pressure to win and contend.

 

Agree with almost every word.

There are CFs who say they'd rather be good than fun, but I think the Warriors, Lakers, Raptors, Heat, and other teams in recent years have proven that you can be both. In fact im struggling to think of a championship team in the past 30 years as boring as our style of play under Harden. Probably the Kobe Shaq ref assisted teams.

Living in Phoenix and Salt Lake during Hardens tenure, I also defended him daily against idiotic casual fans. But at the end of the day sports is entertainment, not living vicariously through a star watching him get dumped on by the media and yearn for MVPs and eventually drive his teammates out of town.