Hell, I'm a little giddy. I even called my brothers (who live abroad)after the game was over last night to give them the recap. Watching Rockets basketball has not been a lot of fun for me over the past few seasons. I thought that Rudy T was a terrible coach whose reputation was solely the result of having the best player in baskeball (Hakeem) on his team. I couldn't stand watching Steve, Cat, and Moochie dribble the ball around for 20 seconds each possession and hope to hit a last second shot. I was very happy to see all of them go. But with all the changes, the Rockets were not much better at the beginning of this season and that was getting me very upset about having ordered the NBA package again. With the additions of Wesley and Barry (in particular) and Sura's return from injury, the Rockets are playing fun "team" basketball. They pass the ball, they find the open man, and they are hitting the open jump shots. They are also hustling in ways I haven't seen in recent years. Kudos also go to Juwan Howard who has really stepped up his game. His ability to hit the mid-range jumpshot and his offensive rebounding abilities give the Rockets a very formidable front line. My only complaint at this point is that I can't stand watching Rod Strickland, but I understand why he is getting playing time right now. Am I giddy? Sure. But while I have always watched the Rockets, it has been a long time since I have really enjoyed watching the Rockets. So forgive my giddiness. This team is talented and deep enough to win the Western Conference.
Well, winning is always good. Now if you really want to be tough on the rockets, the last 8 games pretty much we were suppose to win, excpet maybe 2 games could go either ways. So, yeah, let's not carry too far. But, winning 8 in a row is not easy in this league. We blew out several good teams and almost had big lead in each game.
my expectations plummeted so far after the first month, ive had a steady rise in giddiness ever since...(my girlfriend is very pleased) and since it was brought up, i definitely ragged on jvg early on so no prob busting my gut on the crow buffet- just keep winning!
Boy I aint squirming, it's like McKale said, players win games, thats whose been winning, T-Mac and Yao, Van gundy is the sideshow...
Everyone seems to forget Horry was a small forward when he was with the Rockets. I think Chilly Pete would have been a much better example.
The Rockets had 2 four game winning streaks stop by teams with a better record in January. I would hold off trying to get to far ahead of yourself and take one game at a time. I know the Rockets beat the Mavericks and Spurs, but I want to see them beat the Mavericks with all their players and beat the Spurs in San Antonio. If that happens, I will be convinced that the Rockets have taken a step towards a championship.
I'm not worried about Rod Strickland's ball handling, it's his shooting! That guy can't even make his bricks look decent. I would hope that he's been hitting the gym ever since he joined the team and work on the J. I know he wasn't known for his killer J back in his days, but it couldn't have been this bad.
No. All members of the coachings staff and players have a stake in winning. While it's true that you need talent to win. You also need a coach to dictate the strategy for the team. Please stop trying soooooo hard to *not* give JVG any credit. Else, why not just say it was *all* Jordan and no Phil? The coach lays the groundwork, the players play within that system. And when they *all* are on the same page that's when it all comes together. You make it seem as though JVG is just some kinda of puppet they have on the sidelines, in a box, and they take him out to say a few words to the media after the game. Guess you dismissed all the preparation, practices, game film, and discussions they have in at the Toyota Center. Inmates running the asylum? Free-reign? I think not. It's a team effort.
Holy crap. Tod the Bod? Where have you been!! Lets see... Tod the Bod Almu IROC it... All we need is Anti-Sonic, Rocketman95, RocketmanTex, Keeley, Clutch and LHutz and this thread is retro 1997.
Holy crap - tod the bod? It's almost as if basketball didn't exist in Houston the last few years and now everyone is coming out of the portal. Maybe it's just a short streak. Maybe we'll suck again after the break. Return to the mediocrity we've dwelled in for the better part of a decade. Win 1. Lose 2. Win 2. Lose 2. Maybe this is all a false sense of hope. The Houston Rockets - contender? LOL. Fat chance. When was the last time you heard that? It sounds too strange. Maybe after the break, Tracy will have that deer in the headlights look again and Yao will be timid and soft. These are the Houston Rockets. Unless Hakeem Olajuwon's in the middle, they're mediocre. Not this team, though. Oh, they might lose to Seattle or San Antonio after the break. But the way this team plays, they're going to be ok. It hasn't been since '97 that I've felt this way about a Rocket team. They share the ball, they hit the open man, they hit the open shot, they make smart plays. What the hell really happened? I keep expecting to see Moochie dribbling out the shot clock, Steve dribbling through a trap, Cuttino fouling with none to give, Mo under the hoop missing dunks.....It's now Barry and Wesley swinging it around the perimeter, Sura hitting the boards, and T-Mac just being T-Mac, zipping that one handed bullet to Yao off the pick and roll, the sweetest play we've seen since Hakeem would set the pick and then Clyde would lob it over the top. Mo Taylor's impending trade will mark the complete purging of the "Rudy Rebuilding/Francis Era". It's been 8 years since I've felt this good about a Rocket team. Why the hell can't we contend this year? Every rotation player on this team save Yao is a vet, including T-Mac with 8 years experience. And the big difference during the streak? Yao is now the end of the play as opposed to the initiator. That makes him extremely difficult to guard. Why can't we contend. McGrady is just as dangerous as anyone in the league. We play the game the right way. We have experience. Damn, 8 years.
Not I . . .I still lack confidence in him I am Happy he finally let the death grip he had on the offense go but I suspect that come from a higher power [Les] Rocket RIver remember. . . i said 50 wins or bust I will accept that Crow when we past 50 wins! agreed
I've never disappeared. If there is a stat for lurking, you'd see that I have been here nearly every day. But yeah, in some ways "basketball" did disappear in Houston for a couple of years and was replaced by something called ISO. Man am I looking forward to the second half. Why did the all-star break have to happen right now?
No Juwon looks like Kid from Kid N Play...does he not? I for one am giddy... I mean is it just me? I think making the playoffs will be difficult no doubt...but I am confident this team can do that. Once we get to the playoffs I will be even more giddy. I just dont see us losing a seven game series easily. I think this team will have a good chance of getting to the finals if not winning it all.
Seattle's spot is secure even if we have a better record than them at the end of the season. They will certainly win their division and as such will claim one of the top three spots. The best we can hope for is the 4th spot since the chance of us catching the Spers at this point is somewhere between slim and none.
I'm enjoying the run but caution is always wise counsel. The one thing that has me worried is around February in the last 2 years the Rox have peeked only to hit a wall in April. Given that the team is totally different there's good reason to think that this won't happen but also given that the team is much older I think stamina and injuries might be real problems down the road.
Tod, its good to have you back. Hope you continue to post. You to cabbage. The way I see it, I was screaming up a storm last year when the Rockets played the Lakers in Round One. We had no T-Mac and the team didn't have the cogs it has now. I think we are the 3rd best team in the conference. Not necessarily talent wise. But from what I have seen, playoff basketball is won the way the top three teams play. Spurs Kings Rockets Maybe Mavs If the Wolves are healthy...maybe also. But the top three on my list do what it takes to win in the playoffs. They pass. They defend. They play halfcourt offense/defense. They can shoot the 3. Is that too giddy? I would still be happy with Round 2 this year. Its all about the steps.
I agree, but I would like to make one observation: The fact that we were able to go 8 games in a row -- even if it was against teams we should beat -- indicates considerable progress. In the past, we weren't consistent in any manner. Good teams, bad teams, we could win or lose on any given night, and we never put together more than a 3-4 game winning streak, no matter how favorable the schedule. The difference between 7th seed and 4th seed is usually just consistency, not maximum ability. Beat the teams you should beat in the regular season, and get home court advantage -- at least for the first round. That's certainly something.
Why does everyone worry about the Rockets playing a tough schedule. Those teams playing the Rockets should also be worried about playing the Rockets. The Rockets will prove themselves to all the nay sayers. I hope they do add DA and maybe a PF. Go Rockets!!!!
