This is the time of year when we tend to dwell on "if only"s. If only McGrady had stayed healthy, if only Yao's foot had held out, if only we'd won that last game against Dallas ... How about if we take a moment to appreciate the opposite? All the bad things that almost happened but didn't. We take our good fortune for granted. I'll start. 1. Carl Landry. Still alive. Still playing basketball. 2. Yao Ming's foot holds out just long enough to get us out of the first round. Imagine that injury happening 3 games earlier. Imagine the continuation of our drought, shame, and misery. 3. McGrady goes down, and off the bench, we have ... D.J. Strawberry. We were this close to that happening. 4. Thabo Sefolosha guarding Kobe Bryant. I don't think so.
to add: * Winning a first round series (obviously). * No incidents involving Artest. He was pretty much what we expected and made us proud. * We made it farther than the Spurs and as far as the Mavs. * We have a great PG tandem with lots of years ahead of both of them. * We have one of the deepest PF spots in the NBA. * We got the media and the nation to rally behind us (even if for a short time) against the Lakers. Great thread.
I think we just had a really great team vibe -- everyone seemed to enjoy playing together (at the end of the season/ playoffs). Hopefully we will have that vibe all of next season.
Luis Scola. The guy has been a winner everywhere he's played. When Yao went down against the Lakers, Luis stepped up and grabbed 12 boards during the same game, and 14, 13, and 12 boards the next 3 contests, hauling down 13 offensive boards over the 4 games. Didn't have a good 7th game, but he was far from alone. Started drawing double teams during the playoffs. Not all the time, but it happened. I just love the guy. No, he isn't Lee's "long, athletic big man," but he's smart, his motor never stops, he can hit the midrange jumper, he's crafty as hell around the basket, and he may be the best player on the team at moving without the ball, finding the open spots on the floor. And Adelman finally started running plays for him. I think we'll see 15/9 from Scola next season. For his contract, is there a better 4 in the league? I don't think so. Great thread, Will!
We discovered that Aaron Brooks can run the offense in high pressure, big-game situations, can limit turn overs, and score the ball at the cup in the land of the giants and from the outside--especially that long 3, 5 feet beyond the arc We discovered that he is in the league with D.Wil, Nash, TP and CP3 and actually makes cp3 look slow We discovered that due to his explosive unmatched speed and skill, GMs from other teams are scrambling to find someone like AB.
* The Rockets don't have Rafer Alston starting at PG (very thankful) * The additional minutes and starting PG job rightfully assigned to Brooks and the experience he earned early in his career in the Conference semi final. He will only get better and without Rafer, he has the chance to learn by actually playing more minutes. * Landry is still alive and not dead or paralyzed. Thank God.... * The Rockets finally started to win at home as opposed to the road and having a winning home record and a true home court advantage * An owner willing to go over the luxury tax for the right player and not a "wad" like a lot of other owners * Yao having a normal NBA player's summer without International basketball duties and much deserved and needed rest, Bar-B-Q ribs, time spent with his wife to travel, and to be able to just forget about basketball. For this I am so happy for Yao. Party up, Yao.... * A good young nucleous with a good work ethic, determination and competitiveness. A "never say die" attitude which is priceless * maintaining a good defensive mindset and performance long after Van Gundy * Playing in the highest rated game in ESPN history without T-Mac or Yao in game 6 against the Lakers * Spanking the Laker's asses 3 times in a playoff series!!! yeeeaaaauuuuuh!!! * For not trading Brooks, Landry and Artest for the Sun's Stoudemire just before the trade deadline * Louis Scola's very reliable midrange shot and his low post scoring as well as his hustle and rebounding. LOve this guy's game! * Daryl Morey * great perimeter shooting which maintains a longstanding Rocket tradition going back to Calvin Murphy * The vast and wonderful Chinese community that has expanded the team's following in a very meaningful and beautiful way and for their support, enthusiasm, and love for the Rockets * For keeping Von Wafer and giving him more than decent minutes for a journeyman and for helping him develop his game and a name for himself and hopefully a home in the NBA * Ron Artest's toughness, professionalism and maturity as a good teammate, family man, and his leadership qualities that made this season so enjoyable to watch after McGrady went down. Hell...Ron Artest as a Rocket period has been cool....hope we keep him for a while as he continues to expand his game and expand as a mature professional * Shane Battier's extremely professional and classy manner in which he approaches the game * The Red Rowdies and all of you Rocket Maniacs who bleed Rocket red and have big love for this great collection of really hard working players: the Rocket nation
That we're not starting Kelvin Cato, Cat Mobley, Maurice Taylor, Brent Price, Walt Williams, Shannon Anderson, Kenny Thomas, Jim Jackson, Thomas "Two Sandwiches" Hamilton, Ryan "Dirk Stopper" Bowen . . . Not hating on the old guys, I have a special place for each of them, I just marvel at the team Morey's put together and how superior our depth is to year's past talent.
Most def Carl. Life > Basketball. That and that our teams has huge balls and gets respect from the casual NBA fan and envy from hardcore fans, for our effort and heart. We can all walk with our heads held high as a Rockets fan.
* Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur, and Matt Harpring are not on this team * Karl Malone retired without a ring * Sasha Vujacic is not on this team * Les Alexander does not look like an idiot getting into WWE style fights with opposing players * Kevin Durant is not on a team with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland center curse lives * Jeff Van Gundy color commentary * Kelvin Cato appreciation threads * While his 85 points, 28 assists, and 29 turnovers over 272 breathtaking minutes may be gone, Vassilis Spanoulis' memory will live on forever (embodied by Luis Scola)
1. I'm thankful for a exciting season. It's been a while I enjoyed the ride as much as this year. 2. With Morey at the helm I'm excited to see what he's going to pull this year.
Big One right there. That would have been very difficult to stop in the first round. That's one sick sick trio.
