I just read the quote from the Portland game where Yao mentions that it was one of many wins needed to make the playoffs. Yao seems to be the only one on the team that publicly mentions the push for the playoffs. JVG and Tmac are silent, the others don't seem to make it part of conversation. I'm pumped that someone on this team has finally stepped up and mentioned what it would take to get to the post season. When will the others catch on? Are we trying to play dead? With the Lakers beating Detroit, that tells me that playing dead isn't going to work anymore. Any thoughts? Why has the team been so secretive about making a playoff push?
Because it aint't going to happen. I love the rockheads, and especially Yao, as much as the next guy, but they are not going to overtake Kobe and the Zenmeister, not now, not this year. The only chance is for the Hornets to realize they're way out of their league and start playing like the the Hornets of old.
We are currently 4 games back. We play the Lakers on April 2nd. I know we can get there if we play really well and a piece of luck falls our way. So, you are right, if we think like you're thinking we can't make it, but if the Rockets follow Yao's lead we'll be in the mix of things in a week or two.
I completely agree. More than that, Yao's confidence is turning into leadership on and off the floor. It couldn't come at a better time with TMac being so flaky of late. GO ROX!
By the end of this week we should tell if the Rockets make the playoffs. Lakers have 3 tough games this week(vs. Spurs, at NO/OK, at Spurs). If the Rockets can win there games this week, they should be at least 2 games back of the Lakers. I believe. GO ROCKETS!!!
Regardless of whether they can or can't make it, I agree with the premise that it is nice at least somebody is alluding to trying. JVG is right when he says it doesn't look like they are even wantign to make the playoffs some of the time. WIth JVG's personality, it is hard to see even if he wants to make it. At least someone does.
You just made me think about something. What if JVG was trying to send a message with this cut of Jon Barry? Telling his players, "I give up", in a guilt trip sort of way? Sorry about the "what if" game.
For anybody to even question if Van Gundy wants to make the playoffs is ridiculous...there's no way you can tell me someone that puts that much time and effort into his team doesn't want them to succeed and make it into the playoffs. I mean LOOK at him, granted he always looks like garbage but thats not because he's worn out from playing golf all day.
I'm not saying that Van Gundy is taking it easy. I'm saying that Van Gundy is just trying a new angle. In other words, he's pretending that this team doesn't have a chance to make the playoffs, thus making the players create their own reasons for wanting to win. I'm saying that Van Gundy is trying to create that internal flame that makes you play hard when the candle starts to dim.
if we do make the playoffs, we will without a doubt be the most dangerous team in the NBA. Look at the schedule, its brutal the rest of the way. 90% of the teams we play here on out are either in the playoffs or in the playoff chase. If we are able to gain 4 games on the lakers or hornets with that schedule i'd be very afraid to play the rockets. I thought we had a decent chance before t-mac tweaked his back again, but if he isn't at the top of his game, then we wont beat the elite teams. we play San Antonio 3 times, Dallas twice, Indiana, New Jersey, Cleveland, Hornets, Clippers, Memphis. Not to say we can't beat these teams, but we have to beat them all to overcome a 4 game defecit in the last 22 games. Alot is going to depend on how the hornets, lakers, jazz and Kings do. I think we will proabably finish the season with 42 wins but will just miss the playoffs either through tiebreakers or whatever.
You are dead wrong. We don't need to beat them all to overcome a 4 game deficit in the last 22 games. I bet that 43 wins should get any team in the West for an 8th seed in the playoffs. If TMac is able to showup 80% of his old self, along with a surging Yao playing at the league MVP level, we can split the games against the Spurs and Mavericks and make a push for 44 wins this season.
I dont agree with you here. Personally, I think during this stage of the season, it is no longer true if the rockets won X number of the remaining games they will make the playoffs and i dont think 43 wins can gurantee the 8th playoff spots. Every season is different. Last season memphis made the playoffs as 8th seed with 43win (if i remembered correctly), it doesnt mean this season with 43 wins you can make the playoffs. Again, i think for the rockets to make the playoffs, not only do the rockets need to win most of their games but we also need to pray hard that lakers, kings, utah all will go on some losing streaks to catch up! Go rockets go!
The Olympic is not until 2008, Yao doesn't have to leave US! Maybe he should just hop over to LA and do some acting. How about "I'll break your back, Mountain Shaq".
even if we do make the playoffs i dont like our chances of advancing. unless wesley and co can start hitting their outside shoot with consistency, i dont see how we get past the first round. Last year we had some good shooters in mike james, wesley, barry and sura, but this year our team is totally different. IF we do make it, both Yao and tmac would have to play out of their minds for the rockets to make any noise.
There is World Championship this year. Last time i checked, the Chinese National Team schedule is something like this: May 2006 - Start training June 2006 - Some exhibition games in Italy July 2006 - Some exhibition games in spain and france Early Aug 2006 - More exhibition games, this time in china including some games against the Dream USA team Mid Aug 2006 - World Championships in Japan I suspect yao dont want to go back china that early. Training with the CNT is like a grown man sitting in the 3rd grade with his son, it do no good to yao at all... just my speculation
Geez, Yao needs to rest, rest and then do some resting. He needs to rest in Houston for a week, rest in SF for a week, rest in LA for a week, rest in Hawaii for a week, then rest in Shanghai for a week. THEN, he needs to do another surgery, and sit out for another month after that. When the month is over, Yao needs to rest in South Africa and Congo for a couple of weeks, stop by India for a week, then Norway for a week, then we can talk about the CNT thing.
