This is basically the same reason I voted no. Since we are talking championship, I'll add Boston to that list as well.
Only realistic way I see it happening is if we somehow avoid the Lakers and wind up with the Cavs in the finals.
Our home record does not dictate us as a team. Utah does. I'm holding off the jokes as to why refs get "preferential treatment" there.
i dont know, man... for me, i still worry about: -'The Battier Problem': he hit the big shot tonite...but you know you held your breath when he took it. I just dont know if we are good enough (ok, were not) to play 4 on 5 on the offensive end against teams like L.A. or Utah in a 7 game series. -'DEKE': as we saw ton ite, Yao goes out, we have NO defense in the paint. Oh yea, but we have Dikembe Mutumbo, defensive legend, sitting about 20 feet away. Thats all he's doing, tho. Sitting. I just dont think hell be in the condition to run against the top tier teams in the west...hes getting NO game conditioning. Rick? Its MARCH! so...those 2 reasons make me wish there was a 'I dont know' box to check...cause thats where im at.
Are you telling me that a team that have 4th quarter collapse in every single game a Champion contender?
I think we actually have the best shot out of "the others" at taking down a LA, Boston, or Cleveland in 7. It's the other teams I worry about. Go listen to that Bill Simmons Daryl Morey interview. About halfway through he points out that we were the perfect fit to blow out Lebron because we can completely shut down a team with a perimeter scorer that good with Shane and Artest mixing up the kinds of looks you get on D. It's the teams that have more balanced scoring and a ridiculous PG like Paul or Parker or Deron Williams that might be landmines for us. As another proof, look at that game at Boston that we won. T-Mac was either out or a non-factor, I don't remember, but I do remember that Artest sat out the games before and after it with a sprained ankle, but played that game JUST to hound Pierce all over the court, and man did Pierce get it good. I would love to have the opportunity to match up against a heavy favorite like that in a playoff series. San Antonio, Utah, and New Orleans? We'll find out soon enough.
How can people say we are not a championship contender without Tmac? We obviously have not been a championship contender any year he has been on the Rockets in that case.
i wholeheartedly disagree. i think this year we are a much better team without tmac. i think we are contenders with or without a healthy tmac. if yao can stay consistent and ron can maintain his poise on offense. then we can beat anybody in the playoffs. (since most lower tier teams tend to not be in the playoffs)
This team is solid without Tmac in the lineup because we have Artest and Battier...that's solid offense and defense. If we have Tmac, our defense is weak and lose because of his lazy azz slow reaction. And because he took the majority of shots that clank most of the time and also create bad chemistry for the entire team because he get all the touches and therefore take the team out of rhyme. This team is better off without Tmac in the lineup. They just need to go through Yao or Artest at the post. The only problem with this team is depth or someone that can provide spark off the bench. That's why i say i'll be perfectly fine with Tmac in this team if and only if he come off the bench. That's right!! He needs to come off the bench so that Yao and Artest can get some rest. Otherwise, trade his lazy bad chemistry inconsistency azz out of here.
at least we can beat them (Chicago and Denver) by 20+ in 3 quarters. again, a team can get rid of both TMAC and Rafer is a contender automatically.
...the only way it happens is by some NBA miracle where we get really hot at the end of the season AND we get seeded so that we avoid Utah and possibly the Lakers or maybe we play the Lakers after a physical 7 game series against the Jazz. I think we have a shot against anyone except for those two teams and maybe San Antonio(assuming Ginobili is 100% which is a big "if"). Problem is, right now we are really set up to play one or the other if not both/all. Assuming Utah stays hot over the next month, they will probably win their division finishing ahead of the Blazers putting them at the 2 or 3 seed. If Houston wins their division(including two BIG games against San Antonio in the next couple of weeks), that sets them up for a 2nd round matchup against Utah. If Houston loses the division, they will likely finish at either the 4th or 5th seed playing against either the Spurs or Hornets - a tough round 1 matchup and if they win that series, they would face the Lakers in the 2nd round. ...so to answer the question - "No". Houston likely won't be able to contend this year. The Jazz are built to beat traditional dump inside/kick out teams like Houston. The Lakers play a lot more open court ball and have the types of scorers on offense in their half court set that can hit shots even facing the Artest/Battier type defenders. Plus they do a good job defensively getting in the passing lanes of teams that don't use the dribble drive to attack. I can't remember the last time Houston played a full game with intensity against a team that mattered. This team doesn't know how to deliver the knockout blow to an opponent on the ropes and letting an opponent hang around in the playoffs is a recipe for disaster.
We have the tools to win the title, Do I believe we will win it all? Doubtful, but I am still believing. At the very least we advanced to the 2nd round. At the very least....
Exactly. We match up well against all the top teams, except the Jazz. We have the best low post scorer and two premier perimeter defenders. We are not the favorites, but we have a shot.
a 30% chance maybe? and that's without knowing the matchups. still much better than a tx lottery though.
