welp . . . it's been quite a month https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2024-25-week-19 #9 HOUSTON ROCKETSLast Week:8↓ Record: 35-22 OffRtg: 113.7 (13) DefRtg: 109.5 (4) NetRtg: +4.2 (7) Pace: 98.9 (20) The Rockets came out of the break with a big win over the Wolves … but then went to Utah and blew a seven-point, fourth-quarter lead, sliding back into fifth place in the West. Three takeaways The Rockets have been without Fred VanVleet for the last nine games but got Jabari Smith Jr. back from a 22-game absence last week. Smith came off the bench against the Wolves but played 38 minutes and shot 4-for-6 from 3-point range. He’s attempted 4.1 3s per mid-range shot this season, up from a ratio of 2.6 through his first two seasons. Both teams were playing the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday, but the Jazz played both games at home, while the Rockets flew 1,200 miles. They’ve played a league-high 13 back-to-backs and have the league’s second-biggest differential between their record with rest (30-14) and their record in the second games of back-to-backs (5-8). The bigger difference has been on offense, where they’ve scored just 107.4 points per 100 possessions over those 13 games with no rest. The Rockets lead the league with 36 clutch games, with 14 of their last 15 games being within five points in the last five minutes. They’ve scored only 86 points on 84 clutch possessions (1.02 per) over that stretch, but have managed to split those 14 games. The Rockets are still in the middle of a stretch where they’re playing 13 of 17 games at home. They’re 0-2 against the Kings, who have scored 127.3 points per 100 possessions (the best mark for any team against the Rockets) over the two games. The third and final meeting is Saturday in Houston. Week 19: vs. MIL, vs. SAS, vs. SAC
Tough schedule and Fred out, with way too many close games. We were due for a dip sometime during the season. I'm hopeful that we will get back in a groove and finish the season strong. These b2b's are killer but only 2 more to go. The end of season isn't looking as favorable though. 2 more games vs OKC, DEN, LAL with GS and SAC sprinkled in, and with the playoff race being as tight as ever...damn We better get back on track ASAP.
Meanwhile Udoka: "Unhappy with the effort. Maybe I'm wrong and they're tired." No **** Ime. The good news is we have one of the easiest schedules coming up.
4. Houston Rockets 2024-25 record: 44-25 Previous ranking: 9 Next games: @ ORL (Mar. 19), @ MIA (Mar. 21), vs. DEN (Mar. 23), vs. ATL (Mar. 25) The Rockets extended their winning streak to seven games Monday in dramatic fashion by rallying from a 25-point deficit against Philadelphia, tying the largest comeback win in franchise history. Budding talents Jabari Smith Jr. and Jalen Green dropped 30 points apiece as the team continues drawing significant contributions from Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason and Dillon Brooks. Despite the streak, Rockets coach Ime Udoka is well aware of his team's tendency to struggle against lesser teams, saying "something is obviously going wrong there." -- Michael Wright https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/pa...r-rankings-30-teams-less-month-regular-season
https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2024-25-week-25 #4 HOUSTON ROCKETSLast Week:4 Record: 52-27 OffRtg: 115.0 (11) DefRtg: 109.4 (4) NetRtg: +5.6 (4) Pace: 99.0 (19) The Rockets have risen above the crowd of teams fighting for the 3-8 spots in the West by winning 15 of their last 17 games. It was a soft stretch of schedule at first, but they picked up impressive victories over the Thunder and Warriors over the weekend and are just one win (or a Laker loss) from clinching the 2 seed. One takeaway Two seasons ago, the Rockets were 22-60, getting outscored by 8.1 points per 100 possessions. They saw the league’s biggest jump (+9.0 per 100) last season and have seen its sixth biggest jump (+4.7) this year, a pretty remarkable leap given that the roster changes were relatively subtle. The bigger improvement in both years has come on the defensive end of the floor, where the Rockets have gone from 29th to 10th to fourth in those two seasons. But it shouldn’t go unnoticed that they have a shot at finishing in the top 10 offensively, despite a lack of shooting. They’re one of three teams — the Hornets and Magic are the others — with fewer than two players (Dillon Brooks is their only one) who’ve shot the league average (36.0%) or better on at least 200 3-point attempts. What to watch for this week Their Week 25 schedule does not give the Rockets a guaranteed win to clinch the No. 2 seed. Instead, it gives them three potential playoff previews, with their game against the similarly hot Clippers serving as the most intriguing matchup. They’re 3-0 against the Clippers but haven’t faced Kawhi Leonard in more than a year. And with that game being the second of a back-to-back for L.A., it’s possible they won’t see him on Wednesday either. Week 25: @ LAC, @ LAL, vs. DEN
Very disrespectful the writer did not mention Sengun in any way, did he not watch Sengun scream at Draymond Green last night? The Rockets have gone from the worst team in the league to clinching the 2nd seed because of SENGUN.... SAY HIS NAME
I thought we were done with this, whatever it is you are doing, since ATW left/was banned. Guess I was wrong.
It says something when even Os Trig dropped the schtick but you're the only one still doing it. He probably thinks the floss is still a cool dance.
Seems like the real ranking though. OKC/Celtics/Cavs I feel like the top 3 are ahead of the rest and then Rox is among that 2nd tier.
Tier 1 OKC Tier 2 Boston, Cleveland Tier 3 Tier 4 Rockets Tier 5 Knicks, Half of West Tier 6 Half of East, Dallas, Kings Tier 7 Suns and Tankers
As good as they are, I can't shake the feeling that OKC is built too much for the regular season. Would definitely bet the field against them.
Agreed. They remind me of the old school Jazz (Pasty Faced Gangster and the PedoLone) They optimized in the regular season . . . . so in the playoffs they didn't have the extra gear Their X Factor imo appears to be Jalen Williams I would not be surprised by an upset Nuggets get healthy. . . . BOOM it can happen Lakers stay healthy . . . BOOM it can happen Clippers Kawhi is KAWHI . . . BOOM it can happen Wartriors Big Three stay healthy and un suspended . . . BOOM it can happen Rockets of Course . . . BOOM it can happen Wolves or Grizz catch them on a few bad days . .. maybe Rocket River
The Athletic has us in the top five and contending https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/62...wer-rankings-knicks-clippers-thunder-celtics/ 5. Houston Rockets (52-27) Last ranking: 5 In the last week: W vs. UTA, W vs. OKC, W at GS Offensive rating: 115.0 (11th) Defensive rating: 109.4 (fourth) The Week 1 Question: Can the offense take the next step? Two things are true. A) The Rockets are a nasty shooting team, ranking only 23rd in field goal percentage, 25th in 3s made per game, 21st in 3-point percentage, 22nd in midrange field goal percentage and dead last from the free-throw line. But B) they are a shade outside of the top 10 offensively because volume is a part of efficiency! The Rockets are the best offensive-rebounding team in the NBA, and that allows them to get more shots than their opponents. Only the Thunder have a better field goal attempt margin. Houston actually isn’t as good at protecting the ball or getting to the free-throw line this season compared to last season, so the improvement offensively has literally just come down to being the team most committed to chasing down its own bricks.
This is the media's way of hating on Houston by pretending to have some respect and in reality having the ulterior motive of jinxing us. Going to need @DreamShook to fix this.
