March has been a great month for the Rockets so far. The affect adding Kevin Martin to the team has been undeniable. Luis Scola has benefited as much or more than anyone from the addition of Martin or the departure of Landry. His numbers for the month of March are 23 points per game, 13 rebounds per game in 40 minutes of action; those are superstar type of numbers. If he keeps this up for the remaining 16 games he is really going to drive his value up. Aaron Brooks has been playing like a man possessed averaging 24 points a game, 6 assists a game, 1 steal a game and 50% on his field goals. I know some people think Clyde is crazy for saying it during the games but Aaron is playing like an all-star. Kevin Martin might be the catalyst for this. Teams now have two legitimate offensive threats on the wing. Both Martin and Brooks shoot the rock exceptionally well and both players can take it to the rack. Martin once again looks like the player he was prior to having surgery on his wrist. He is averaging 23 points a game on 45% shooting for March. Just as important, Martin’s play has allowed Trevor Ariza to move to the small forward position and re-assume his place as a defensive minded role player. I think we are starting to see the Trevor Ariza most of us were hoping to get when he was signed last summer. He looks to be running the floor, taking the ball to the basket more and not trying to do more than he is capable of anymore. What is the biggest indicator that the Rockets are playing great ball is their margin of victory for March which is a +5.6 points a game. For the season only Cleveland, Orlando and LA hold bigger margin of victories than the Rockets do for the month of March. The bonus is that we are actually getting to see real basketball the way it was meant to be played with lots of ball movement, screens, curls and passing. I think it’s safe to say that the days of slowly dribbling the ball up the court and waiting till the end of the shot clock before shooting are over. As an explanation point to how well the team is playing with in Rick Adelman’s system they are averaging 106 points a game. Also the win against the Nuggets was maybe the most entertaining game I’ve seen all year and certainly the Rockets best game since the victory in Salt Lake City against the Jazz. I can’t wait to see the game tonight against the Celtics as well as the remaining final 16 games as the Rockets make a push for the play-offs. I don’t know if there are enough games left for them to make up 4 games on the Blazers since Portland is playing so well but it will sure as hell be fun to watch.
i cant even lie, i am really surprised by scola's production since the trade. im also glad we finally have a legit SG, so trevor can play his role. my thoughts exactly.
Yes, the trade is working out very well....and don't forget Jordan Hill's positive contributions in addition to upgrades in Brooks, Scola, and Ariza's play. Might even be able to make a case that David A.'s play has improved also with him getting more open looks. These last few games have now become very interesting instead of just time fillers. Add Yao, if healthy, and perhaps anothe acquisition this sumer followed by the draft picks and the future looks very good for the Rockets.
OK, for everyone who is looking at portland, GO LOOK AT THE SPURS' SCHEDULE! The spurs have one of the hardest schedules for the rest of the year. The next five games they play: GS, ATL, OKC,LAL, and CLE. Without Parker, the spurs have little chance to win most of those games. They just go whopped by 20+ by the Magic. If we are going to catch someone, it will be the spurs.
^^^ i dont know if anyone here agrees with me, but im impressed with jared jeffries. i thought he was gonna rot away on our bench, but hes actually getting some decent minutes and holding his ground. i like j hill too, but i knew he was going to do better with the rockets than the knicks.
I hate the Spurs. I would be so sweet to knock that team out of the play-offs! I just checked the schedule! We have the Spurs on the last day of March! And yes San Antonio has a killer schedule the rest of the way.
Rockets schedule the rest of the season: Code: Fri, Mar 19 Boston 8:30 PM Sun, Mar 21 @ NY Knicks 1:00 PM Mon, Mar 22 @ Chicago 8:00 PM Wed, Mar 24 @ Oklahoma City 8:00 PM Thu, Mar 25 LA Clippers 8:30 PM Sat, Mar 27 LA Lakers 8:30 PM Tue, Mar 30 Washington 8:30 PM Wed, Mar 31 @ San Antonio 8:30 PM Fri, Apr 2 @ Boston 7:30 PM Sun, Apr 4 @ Indiana 6:00 PM Tue, Apr 6 @ Memphis 8:00 PM Wed, Apr 7 Utah 8:00 PM Fri, Apr 9 Charlotte 8:30 PM Sun, Apr 11 @ Phoenix 9:00 PM Mon, Apr 12 @ Sacramento 10:00 PM Wed, Apr 14 New Orleans 8:00 PM The Spurs Schedule the rest of the season: Code: Fri, Mar 19 Golden State 8:30 PM Sun, Mar 21 @ Atlanta 8:00 PM Mon, Mar 22 @ Oklahoma City 8:00 PM Wed, Mar 24 LA Lakers 9:30 PM Fri, Mar 26 Cleveland 8:30 PM Sun, Mar 28 @ Boston 8:00 PM Mon, Mar 29 @ New Jersey 7:30 PM Wed, Mar 31 Houston 8:30 PM Fri, Apr 2 Orlando 8:30 PM Sun, Apr 4 @ LA Lakers 3:30 PM Tue, Apr 6 @ Sacramento 10:00 PM Wed, Apr 7 @ Phoenix 10:30 PM Fri, Apr 9 Memphis 8:30 PM Sat, Apr 10 @ Denver 9:00 PM Mon, Apr 12 Minnesota 8:30 PM Wed, Apr 14 @ Dallas 8:00 PM We both have 16 games left but it does look like San Antonio's schedule is a lot harder. Maybe we can catch them!
Yes I concur. The Spurs are the most likely to falter but I don't expect them to play below 500 the rest of the way out. Even wihout Parker they almost beat clevelan and have won 4 out of 5 since. Which means we can't afford to lose more than 3. Wow can we do that? Honestly the only way I see us making it is to win out. I feel very confident someone will falter enough then for us to make it.
If we beat the Celtics tonight I can see us going 13-3 to finish...possible losses: LAL, Utah, at SA, at Phoenix, at Boston...OKC is rolling but we ALWAYS beat them. So we're gonna have to win some games we shouldn't but I think 13-3 along with a sizable Portland or SA collapse and WERE IN! Of course we could very well lose games to indiana, sacramento, (insert crap team here) like we have been all season but I think if we could just get an inside man to snipe brandon roy at the next blazers game..we just might have a chance.
This^ Rockets go 5-2 in the next 7 (11-3 in the last 14 at that point) Spurs go 2-5 in the next 7 Vioala! Rockets and Spurs play on 3/31 in San Antonio and the Rockets get the chance to STEAL the 8th seed by making up 2 games at once and by taking the tie breaker for the regular season series. !!!!! GET EXCITED!
Would anyone want to go on a road trip to San Antonio with me to watch the game on 3/31 if the Rockets are neck and neck with the Spurs at that point? I say we buy a group of tickets and support our team in what could be the biggest game of the season! Anyone else down for something like that?
I remain optimistic about the shot at playoff. Given the recent chemistry and hot shooting that the Rockets have been displaying the last few games, I am quite excited to watch this team perform nights in and out. Even if they don't make the playoff, I am still happy to see how AB is getting mature with his game (especially his feel from beyond the arc). Also I like how Kmart is slowly coming along as a scoring threat that keeps the pressure off from AB. Ariza is back to his old self where he excel in spot up shooting and slashing toward the basket. Jordan Hill has surprised me as a rookie and i think he will be a consistent backup for Yao or the 4. GO ROX!!
