You know, it seems like every interview I've read or heard from Tracy McGrady, from the last post-game interview last year all the way up to training camp this year, he mentions last year's game 7 blowout. And the funny thing is most of the time he is the one to bring it up, not the interviewer. Am I the only one to notice this? Seriously, I think TMac is going to use that game for motivation all year long. He just seems to have this matter-of-fact attitude about how good he's going to be this year when he talks. It's like this resolve that no one's going to stop him and if you don't believe him, just wait and see. It wouldn't surprise me if TMac ended up having an MVP season this year. I think the way the season ended last year could end up affecting the way this season ends in a good way, maybe even moreso than if we had lost by say, 7 points instead of 40. It's going to be a fun season, guys....
The other thing about the blowout was that, while I'm sure they already knew it was necessary, it probably steeled management's resolve to go out and make this team more atheltic. Result? An offseason that adds athletes like Stro, DA, Head, and Skip To My Lou to the roster. Every cloud has a silver lining.
Totally agree here. This really lit a fire under CD's ass. We have the most athletic and deepest front line and bench we have had in a LONG TIME.
I agree as well, me and the wife were there for that game and stayed for the whole game till the bitter end and we, while mildly intoxicated, were getting into with all the Dallas fans about next year and told them we would pick up Swift and whip their butts next time around. I think T-mac will totally use it as motivation for this year and he should have a stellar year
I think it helped. I also wonder if it's better we didn't play another round or two in the playoffs because it gave Yao a longer summer to chill, have surgery, rehab & lift, and work his way into basketball shape. If you chop 3-4 weeks off, the rest time wouldn't have been there.
Mad props dude. I'm already kicking around ideas for the phone call I'm gonna make to Jim Rome when we face them in the playoffs. We should make a concerted effort to flood Rome with calls and emails. Take Dallas into a smackoff war that they will soon regret.
I don't disagree, but I think I have a minority opinion here in that it convinced JVG that while they did a great job of bringing in the guys they did last year that 30 something guys are more vulnerable in today's NBA than they were a couple of years ago. As many insults as were thrown here at Avery Johnson his message to his team during game 1 through after game 2 was "all you have to do is drive the ball" against us. And he was right. JVG didn't have any options and I think his ref rant was because he knew he had to do something. Then the 40 pt. blowout and JVG had to reassess why it could happen in the first place. Yes, I think it was better that game 7 was not a close game. And I give JVG even further credit for the moves we've made, because I do not seem him as predisposed to want a Stro or Rafe, but I do think he knows what kind of speed/athleticism T-Mac and Yao are going to need around them for those guys to contend for a ring.
Solid solid post. I don't think you're in the minority. CD and JVG work in concert on moves for players so when I say a fire was lit under CD's ass I'd presume that JVG was part of said fire. But, whoever's responsible, I can't remember the last time someone knocked our roster. Seriously, when is the last time you remeber someone posting to complain about our roster? This team has the most positive vibes from the boards since I've been on.
You know, I didn't even think about that aspect when I started this thread, but this statement is 100% correct. I don't think you're in the minority at all. Who knows, if we had lost by 7 instead of 40, maybe JVG and CD would have been more conservative during the offseason thinking we could just stand down and automatically be better than last year. Would we even have the roster we have right now? I think not.
I don't think so. We knew going into the Dallas series that we would have been lucky to sneak by with Ryan Bowen as the power forward and they knew all along they could use an athletic power forward. It's not like CD totally blew this team up and made radical changes due to the humiliating defeat. We added Stromile Swift and Derek Anderson at no cost - you always make FA acquisitions to improve the team. The Rafer Alston trade was made simply out of necessity with Bobby Sura out. They already stated that they would not have made the deal had Sura not needed surgery. Furthermore, it's not like it exposed any weakness in their system. The 40 point loss was an anomaly and if it did anything it only reinforced the notion that we needed to upgrade at certain positions. So no, I don't think the Game 7 blowout was a blessing in diguise.
I think it was. I honestly think that this Rockets team is the best combination of driven and talented athletes that the league has seen in some time. Think about it - every single player on the Rockets has something to prove and can only achieve it through the team winning the championship. Most of our players are outcasts from other teams for various reasons - and they all have a burning desire to win. Swift wasn't wanted by Memphis, Rafer wasn't wanted by Toronto, TMac wasn't wanted by Orlando, Derek Anderson wasn't wanted by Portland, Mutumbo and Jon Barrry were considered to be washed up, and Juwan was cast off by several teams. I don't know anybody on the Rockets who has even won a championship. Even Yao, a non-castoff has a burning desire to win and do whatever he can for his teammates. That sound like a team with a potential for great chemistry and willingness to listen to JVG. The 40 point loss is just fuel for the fire for the members who were here last year.
Another comment is I think the blowout served as motivation for offseason workouts because the players were embarassed with leaving a 40 point meltdown as their last impression of the season. Once the season starts, that motivation will disappear and should reappear once the playoffs start next year.
Sorry man, I cant agree with you on this one. That game hurt like a mofo, and the Rox had a good chance to make it to the WCF at least, last year.
I feel you. It is better to lose 70 points than 1 point in a game seven. Humiliation is a perfect motivation. They need to prove the whole basketball world now that they're not just a bunch of nice guys but they're the real deal. A dreamteam that overslept I guess. I believe this team is capable of winning 70 games and that was just the right motivation for them. Can't wait for the tip off.
That's kind of a contradiction because I think it takes a loss like to really give them a sense of urgency. Had it been a close game maybe they ride last year’s team another season.
Yep, when we got married 5 years ago she could give a damn about sports esp. Houston sports, I have converted her into a Rockets die hard fan, I actually had to keep her from getting into a fight with some guy at Game 1 in Dallas…ah love…
Sorry here too man. Yes game 7 hurt like hell, and I thought going into the playoffs that we could compete with anyone. But... I knew Wesley hadn't been playing well but I didn't know he was hurt. I didn't think he and Sura would be so ground down by game 4, and I didn't think James would make his game so one-dimensional. Even if we'd have won game 7 the top three seeds would have run us into the ground in the 2nd round - and beforehand I thought we could handle Phoenix or Seattle if we could beat S.A. But anyone here now who thinks we would have beaten S.A. with our injuries is way to much of a homer IMHO.
I disagree because I don't see this "sense of urgency." Stromile Swift wanted to come here. Derek Anderson wanted to come here. They wouldn't have turned them away had they advanced and both guys fit into the system they want to run. The Rafer Alston trade is irrelevant because they already stated they wouldn't have made it had Sura been ready. "Sense of urgency" would have been doing something drastic like trading Yao. As it stands, they didn't even trade Howard, Wesley, or Sura as was widely speculated, so they basically kept their same team intact and just added guys. They only traded James out of a bare necessity which was in no way influenced by the humiliation in Dallas.
