The Rockets is the only team in the league that has played only 16 games while all other teams have played 18-20 games. No back to back game so far with multiple off days between games. The scheduling in the second half of the season is gonna get ridiculously packed.
We'll be glad to have that 3-man rotation at center. Also I wonder if this was a factor in the extra recovery time for DFS.
Been feeling this way 3 seasons in a row. Just find it annoying that there are so many back to backs plus the 2 days /3 days without playing. Balance it out even if it means 1st playoff series isn't until May
All about perspective (glass half empty or full). I think it’s better given how many player we have out at the start of the season.
I’ve been a Houston sports fan forever, so I get the impulse … but not everything is a conspiracy against us. I’d rather have a new team learn and gel during off days and play all the hard teams during a slow schedule, then play the lightweights back-to-back once the team has figured it out. Add in Reed’s development and the early injuries and it is a perfect setup. Of course, we will all forget this in a few months after back-to-back losses to the Pelicans and Hornets … then it is back to ‘the world is out to get us’.
Rockets have only played 16 games. After tonight, almost every team will played 19 games. The Warriors, Mavericks and Suns will have played 21. I've changed my position on how this affects the Rockets. It's actually a positive Considering the offense has two new starters and a new offense, the extra time between games has given the Rockets more time to practice, adapt and evolve. I believe the 12-2 run after 0-2 would not have happened otherwise. When the schedule tightens up starting soon, the Rockets will be better prepared for it. They've rediscovered their defense and are closer to figuring out their offense.
More time for Durant to practice and get integrated, more time for Reed to get comfortable and confident in his role, less wear and tear on Adams..and we should have DFS and Tari both back when the schedule starts getting more dense. We have also slightly less overall B2Bs than the average team this season.
January is often where separation happens. Every season, at least a couple of teams play over their heads and launch from the starting gate, but they come down to earth. Sometimes it's a full out crash. Other teams underperform early and catch fire for the rest of the year and playoffs ('21/22 Celtics, '23/24 Mavs and '24/25 Pacers). The Rockets are so far from a finished product there is reason to believe their best is ahead. The return of Tari and DFS joining the lineup should make this team very tough in mid-January when legs start getting tired. KD and Alpi will be able to play fewer minutes if they continue having a large number of blowouts.
I get that we want balance, but for this particular team and given the injuries it’s been nothing short of a blessing and amazing! I agree that we don’t go 12-2 since the 0-2 start without all this practice time.
