What realistic team would you like the Rockets to see in the 1st round?

lol Nuggets or Nuggets hmmm.

 

The Jazz of coarse! Who wouldn't like to kick the j*zz right in the nuts?

 

don't know about "realistic", but i want to see them play the jazz in the 1st round and beat them.

 

Nothing would bring me more basketball joy!

 

Realistically, I'd like the Rockets to make it to the first round.

 

the way things are right now i see us matching up with the hornets. they will probably get the 3rd seed and we'll slip down to the 6th the way the team is playing right now.


but i am not going to vote since its too early to tell either way who knows who will end up in the playoffs who wont. the jazz may not make this year with boozer's injury or they will be a 6-8th seed

 

I don't want to see San Antonio New Orleans or LA. We could beat those teams, but those teams have better players than our best. Utah, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, and Portland do not.

 

Frankly I would not want the Rockets to meet the Jazz in the first round. Okay - sure we want revenge and everything, but the true fact is that they have always, always, been a problem for us. We struggled the other night when they had no frontcourt, but a couple of d-league players. Sure we didnt have Tracy that night, nor did we have Yao or Rafer last year, but they are still a trouble for us, and I would hate to see Tracy/Yao lose to them again in the first round. I would be more than happy to meet them in the second round though, after a first round opponent of the Suns/Nuggets and maybe Mavs/Blazers.

But that's just me.

 

Pretty much all teams except the Suns have beaten the rockets this season and with the rockets' recent play i doubt we can beat any teams in 7 game series.
I m suprised a lot people picked Utah. Yes we all want sweet revenge but the Jazz are anti-rockets! They are physical, big and strong, even their 3rd string Center Fesenko can shut Yao down. I really hope the rockets wont meet the Jazz again!

Best bet will be Portland(young and inexperience) and Nuggets(Lack of defense)!

 

Realistically, I would like our team to start achieving to our level.

Hopefully Mutombo will inspire our team. Our team needs to play with energy, and Mutombo offers something nobody could offer. Not Artest, not the fans, not the power dancers.

 

any teams in the west will be a tough challenge for us if we keep playing crappy ball games like now,,,, we will have to get gel first before talking about which team we wnan see in the playoff.,,but yes, Jazz will be the NO1 team most of us would wanna see as we really wanna kick their asses,,,,

 

Anybody but the Spurs. We don't have the swagger, mental toughness or clutch factor to beat SA in a playoff series right now. Maybe in a few months we will but they would slowly dismantle this current group.

Naturally, I want the Jazz to erase this nasty taste in my mouth from the last two years -- especially if Boozer's season is ruined. You won't catch me feeling sorry for them given Yao's situation from last year.

 

Sadly, I'm not very confident that the Rockets are a sure thing against any of those opponents. They're very flawed...but at least more talented than any of the last 5 years.

All of the other 8 teams are flawed too, but they all have the potential to go off on the Rockets...I really don't think any one team is a great matchup for another.

But let's see the possibilities.

Spurs:
On the plus side, they're old and not extremely athletic. There's a strong possibility that they'll struggle to score (even against good defense, not just great defense). The problem is the Rockets still haven't found offensive consistency. They're talented enough not to average 80pts a series, but I fear that they as a whole would be far too content to have a grind out 88pts per game per team series against the Spurs. Some would consider a competitive series like that good. While they could win, it's hard to think the Spurs would be disadvantaged compared to the Rockets when it comes down to late game execution to determine a playoff series winner. Popovich has more success in that area than Adelman. Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili in the clutch has had more success than Yao, T-Mac, and Artest. At least in a grind out series, I don't think Yao would get extremely winded (which I believe hurts him more than the physical beating of tough post defenders). I wouldn't be surprised if either team wins, but 50/50 is nothing great to hope for.

Hornets:
Come to think of it, this might be the best matchup. The main reason is that Tyson Chandler has absolutely sucked this year. His rebounding, blocked shots, and alley-oop finishes are way down. He also has personally problems with his daughter being really sick or something like that...and I know he's stated that it's really effecting his mental/emotional well-being. I've been following him because he's on my fantasy team. Other than that, the Hornets are still deadly. Peja, Posey, Peterson, Butler...collectively they hit their 3's at about a 42% clip! Honestly, it's about containing CP3 (the crotch puncher), which makes them pretty one-dimensional. If Paul isn't hitting his jumper (which is still inconsistent), then it makes it harder for him to drive and dish (and hopefully Rocks will have Battier and Artest at full strength to be rotating and closing the wings like maniacs). Rafer and Brooks are combined actually pretty decent at containing PG penetration. They're not the best (and even the best get burned...a lot...that's NBA basketball), but they're good enough to make CP3 work, and CP3 only has amazing quickness and IQ, but not amazing physical brute force (unlike Deron who can post you up if other facets are failing). Other than that, the Hornets don't have individual offensive talents if CP3's drive and dish or PnR game isn't on. West is legit, but his size isn't going to dominate Scolandry. I'm not saying West can't carry the Hornets to a win or two, cuz he is legit. Then man has monster scoring potential from all over the floor, not just because of CP3...but again CP3 + West isn't that scary in relation to the other possibilities (Kobe, Gasol, Odom; Duncan, Gino, Parker; even Dirk J-Ho, Terry). This isn't a science at all, but I'll say 60/40 in favor of the Rockets...not great, and not certain at all, but a favorite in my eyes.

j*zz:
This is the team I voted for. I hate them. It's really an emotional vote plus injury as the only legit reason. The Rockets will have to play well to win. That's a must, and the Rockets play well about 60% of the time....not bad and about the same as every other Western playoff team. But if both teams play well...the Jazz are still a damn tough matchup. I hope Boozer isn't at full strength come playoff time if they're facing each other. While Millsap has been a monster on the boards, blocks, and post area, he isn't nearly as deadly on the PnR catch and shoot as Boozer is. And while his energy is great, his around the basket touch isn't on Boozer's level. Scola did play very well against Boozer last year, but with Yao back, it's all gonna be on Yao (because Yao doesn't guard Okur), and Yao has had historically terrible defensive games against Boozer. I think a fully healthy Artest and Battier can limit AK47, and Brooks and Rafer can take advantage of Deron's turnover issues. Deron has been so tough in the playoffs though. 50/50 if both teams are at Full strength. 60/40 if no Boozer.

Nuggets:
I'm still figuring this teams out. I'll have a more informed opinion after I watch them more. Billups is a great leader and good jump shooter and great decision maker, but for every big shot he's hit in the playoffs, he's also missed another. He's playoff experienced, and while that is very valuable, it isn't the end-all be-all secret ingredient to winning. He won't physically challenge the Rockets the way CP3 and Deron can. Up front, they're good, and underrated, but Kenyon and Nene and Anderson aren't super dominant game in and game out. They play good team ball and they're talented, but the front court isn't going to out-talent Scolandry and Yaotumbo. This would be a fun series in my opinion. The Nuggets don't play stifling defense as far as I know (I don't watch them enough) so I'd think the Rockets would have a better change getting offensive rhythm. Melo will get his, but I actually like the chances of fully healthy Battier and Artest on Melo. They'd make him work big time to get his. 55/45 Rockets advantage. JR Smith scares me when he's on fire...he has no conscience.

Mavs:
They're size isn't that great, but not bad either. J-Ho is their T-Mac...shows up sometimes and can fill up the stat sheet, but also is hated by the fans and considered an under-achiever. Terry is a Rocket killer. Their team defense is still in transition. JJ Barea is smart and crafty and quick enough, but not Aaron Brooks quick. They tend to go small at times, especially in the back court. This is where a fully healthy Artest (or T-Mac , I hope) can really take advantage of the Mavs. Kidd is great all-around, but he still can't shoot, and shooting is sooo important in the playoffs. They're just as inconsistent as the Rockets and slightly less talented when fully healthy. I don't trust the Rockets, but I trust J-Ho showing up even less than T-Mac doing so, and while Dirk is still a superstar, I think the Rockets have enough offense to counter-act that. If the Mavs play well and the Rockets play well, it'd be a 50/50 toss up, but I just don't think J-Ho will try hard enough (or be smart enough), and even though Terry is a Rocket killer, the weapons the Mavs have aren't the scariest in the West. Rockets 55/45

I'm tired. I'll get to the Suns, Blazers, and Lakers later if this thread is still alive.

 

whoever voted jazz is crazy

 

Jazz would own us again... I'd rather avoid them.

 

Personally I would like to see the Rockets in the first round. All the injury issues are getting weird and they aren't that far from missing the playoffs.

 

New Orleans