I'm proud of the performance we had against Lakers, especially after yao went down. And I'm very excited about our players and their future. However, are we really that close to the Lakers to the point that a couple more tweaks will move us over the top？Remember last year Celtics went through multiple 7 game series before winning the championship. Where are those respectable opponents now? We almost beat Mavs, Utah in the last few years(how many game 7's?) and are we confident enough to beat them this year or next year? At the end of the day, I'm just happy we can be competitive every year. Championship or not, I enjoy watching competitive basketball games.
Unless the fakers grow a pair and play physical (I'll wait till after the WCF) I can't give a team with no heart and two players potentially gone (Ariza, Odem) an edge over my Rockets. We have the heart now all we need it the talent.
winning 3 of 7 is no fluke. I think we have a bit to work on before we can say we are ready, but going to game 7 in the second round against the #1 seeded team shows our team what we can accomplish if we play at a high level each night and take care of business. On the other hand, it is the lakers, just because we can take them to 7 doesn't mean we are elite, each team matches up with each other teams differently, but i still think beating Portland the way we did, then taking the lakers to 7 should help instill some confidence in our young players. They got 2x the playoff experience this year than any other rocket team in the last 12, i say that's a good thing regardless.
Even without Tmac, Rockets still should beat Fakers. When Yao injured during 3rd game, Rockets lost. Until then, Rockets still had home court advantage. and in game 2, the Ron's technic call change the momentum. This Rockets have tons of talents beyond most fans and experters' imagination. They are full of big time winners and fighters. 7 players scored 20+ points in at least one playoff game. I bet it's the most around the league.
We would've had a better shot if Deke were healthy. We probably would've won. If Tmac becomes healthy next season, if Yao can play through the entire postseason next year, there's no reason to believe that we can't make it to the Finals with the same exact team we have this season. Honestly, all we need is a back-up 7-footer that can defend and rebound.
Yes we're really that close to the Lakers. We have truly remarkable team chemistry thanks in no small part to the "overpaid" Shane Battier. But its the same sad song year in after year out. IF healthy. Maybe we could convince Stern to completely skip the regular season next year and go straight into the playoffs? Heh.
If Tmac and other starters are all healthy, Rockets should DOMINATE the league. No backup center is needed, Deke was brought back because of his experience and charactor not because of his play. Chuck/scola/landry both can play centers in small ball. Health is the only problem for Rockets.
Ironically TMac can only play like an elite when the other star player hurts. When he has the best center in the league, he still couldn't pass first round. It's never 1+1 > 2 unfortunately. TM is so overrated for making teammates better.
I personally don't think we are that close. In the games we won, The Lakers had their runs. In the games we lost, we just couldn't get close to them. That's not the only reason, just one I felt like typing.
The Lakers bench is weaker than anyone thought. Their bigs are softer than I realized. Bynum is the only player that will be better next year. Fisher probably wont start next season. And if they don't win the title they will tweak the roster (looking at you Odom) and add a starting PG of SF. We are close to them. Healthy Yao+McGrady and we are the most talented team. Have to assume McGrady nets a star caliber player...
Let's see - Atlanta (first round) back in the playoffs and to the second round, Cleveland (second round)... I think they did ok this year , and Detroit (third round)- fell off badly but still made playoffs. I would say the teams that challenged them last year did fairly well this year... Oh! You are saying we will end up with the best record in the league next year...
I believe the Rockets are superior to the Lakers if we have everyone healthy. With Yao and Tmac back, it's more lethal. Also understand that the Lakers DID NOT beat us YET!!! They said that you don't lose the series until you lose homecourt. So did we lose homecourt?? NOPE!! So did Lakers lose homecourt?? Nope!! Well then, the series should still be tied. The reason they get to move forward is because they have homecourt and that's an advantage you HAVE to earn during the regular season. So if we really want to put ourselves in a good position to win the Championship, the first step is to get homecourt throughout and i have no doubt this Rockets team is capable of doing that if they're healthy.
Yes and NO. No, because can we keep most of our players and stay healthy through the course of the year. I believed last year that the Rockets would've beaten the Lakers, if not for a Yao injury. Injuries will always leave the question mark. Yes, if the Lakers barely beat the Rockets without Mutombo/T-Mac and Yao only for 3 games. There's no way they would've beaten the Rockets at full strength (even minus T-Mac). If Mutombo or Yao didn't get injured (for the rest of series), I believe the Rockets would've eventually won in LA again taken the series away. Mutombo could've certainly outplayed and out produced Bynum who was non-factor for most of the series. Furthermore, Bynum would've even more under used had Yao, not been injured. YM had his way with the Lakers front line on offense, if they weren't fronting him. If we had T-Mac (healthy and not taking many bad shots), we probably would've had enough firepower to keep every game close and make the Lakers play defense. I believe, if the Lakers lose Ariza and/or Odom, especially Odom and don't find a decent replacement. My question won't be if the Rockets will beat them, but will they even be the best team in West. Losing Odom would be enough for a team, like the Trailblazers or Nuggets to jump over them. Odom is their X-Factor and is somewhat unguard-able at times, especially when your team doesn't have any tough defenders off the bench or athletic forwards.
I don't think having Deke or Tmac would have made a difference. In the games the Lakers won they won big. I don't think it would have mattered who was on the roster. That goes for this series. I'm not saying adding one more guy next season couldn't tip the odds in the Rockets favor.
