It reminds of the saying that they better be careful, "that light at the end of the tunnel might be an oncoming train".
I just pray that we don't miss out by 1 game, because for some reason, that loss to Minnesota is really bugging the hell out of me. It was SUCH a winnable game, and we pissed it away.
If the rockets were playing good ball and those other teams were not, I could see it. The problem the rockets will have is they are not good enough to get to .500 and the other teams are good enough to stay there. Phoenix made an in season salary dump way before the trade deadline and have meshed to play well despite their recent loss to gsw. Gortat is averaging almost a double-double in 25mins in phoenix. Nash is still better and more impactful than an rocket. Memphis have substituted Mayo and his suspension for 2 strong defenders in young and allen. Now they get most of their scoring from Zach,Rudy,Conley,and Gasol with Aurthur off the bench.They too have shortened their rotation and are playing well. Portland is a threat to the top of the bracket. Its a shame it took roy and his injury to make Aldridge play closer to his ceiling. He's been playing well, the other players have also stepped up their game. They are on a 5 game winning streak and are closer to jumping someone than falling out. Utah and denver are both struggling and are in a bigger jeopordy to get jumped vs falling out the playoffs. New Orleans is in the same boat,but at least tbey will get Emeka back after the break to get their defense going again.
That was the loss where I resigned myself to not making the playoffs and trying to rebuild for next year. Mostly because our defnse at the end of games was terrible. Then we come back and just destroy Denver by 20 holding them to 14 in a quarter. So last nights win bought hope but it seriously is going to take at least going on a run of 8 straight or at least 10 out of 12 but its possible.
What does making the playoffs as a seventh or eighth seed really gain us? I suppose we would get "playoff experience", but we are in such flux that who knows how many of the current squad will still be around when we make our next deep playoff run. I see our making the playoffs as an opportunity to mover lower in the draft, with very little (if any) benefit. I'm not saying we should tank, but I really don't get the hype of us making the playoffs. The fact of the matter is that we are not going to beat the Spurs or Lakers in a playoff series.
This team has serious flaws with defense and rebounding. They havent been able to mask them for the first 56 games. I find it hard to imagine that without a significant aquisition that they will be able to mask them in the final 26 games. If they were chasing just one team rather than having to leap past no less than three teams it would be reasonable to expect the eight spot. Being in the 11 spot two games behind Pheonix for 10th , four games behind Memphis for 9th and five games behind both Denver and Utah for 7/8. Its an uphill battle to say the least. Ive had this feeling for the past month or so that there just wont be enough time left after the deadline for them to make up so much ground on so many teams. They needed to make a move in December rather than wait for the Feb. deadline. Its still possible but at this point its going to take a near miracle. At this point , if I were in Morey's shoes , any move I make from now to the deadline has to be for the future , not just a quick fix for this season. All that said , I hope they make the playoffs .....
I think you are exactly right. So far this season the Rockets have played the 3rd toughest schedule and tied for 2nd most road games played. The rest of the way as shown previously, really favors us. Another thing to point out is our +0.4 point differential. A closer look at the standings and you will see that only 2 of the 16 teams in the league with a positive point differential have a losing record, Houston and Philly. An even closer look will show you that over the past 5 seasons there have only been 2 teams that have finished the season with a positive point differential and DIDN'T make the playoffs. In that same span 5 teams managed to finish the season with a negative point differential AND a winning record. A lot of things factor into losing close games, personnel is not all to blame. Bad bounces, bad reffing, injuries, flukes all have influences on an outcome of a game. The fact that three teams ahead of us in the standings have nearly the same(Portland) or worse(Phx & Utah) point differentials gives me hope that once the schedule and some luck evens out we can squeak in to the 7th or 8th seed by the end of the season. Of course there is no guarantee that we finish the season with a positive differential, but just looking at how we have played so far with all the injuries and horrible bench play, its not that big of a leap to believe sans injury and continued improved bench production this team will turn its positive point differential into a winning record and possibly the playoffs. I realize they don't make playoff standings by best point differential and that no one should be satisfied with 7th or 8th seed, but it shows that despite all the circumstances we have still played better than most want to give credit for and we are NOT that far away. I truly believe a player like camby, chandler, nene, really any big who can run and rebound would do wonders for this team and change most of this boards perception of its current players.
if we make the playoffs this yr ill buy every1 who posted prior to me in this thread a bottle of ciroc
I believe we have a chance our schedule I think we can handle if we somehow get a decent center and or SF without giving much in the deadline and since melo will no longer be in the west, utah will fall apart.. we can do it!!
Get that 8th seed! Go Rockets! As I've posted somewhere before, 8th seed gives us a chance to fight the 1st seed. If the Rockets SOMEHOW figure out a way to beat the Spurs (almost impossible, but...), it will be one of the most memorable seasons, and gives us a chance to fight in the second round... and so on. You can include this season in the "Better Days" thread if that happens. "Amazing" happens if you continue to fight, especially with a slim chance. "Meh" happens if you're expected to win and does. How many expected the Rockets to win 22 straight in 08? So, how special was that season to you (as a Rockets fan) even if the Rockets was eliminated in the 1st round? Every year, a team is declared a champion. But not every year you get a 22-game winning streak, or a 1st round upset, or the only team giving the eventual champions the only real fight even after your best weapon goes down. Again, amazing happens if you continue to fight. (But of course, we wouldn't mind being champions )
not reading, one game. this team has not proven they can be consistent. they have put runs of 3 maybe 4 games, but they don't play hard every night, they don't play smart every night, and they dont play defense any night. they need to prove more to me before i starting thinking about the playoffs. until then, i watch impatiently.
I would hate to see us slip into the playoffs I would rather POWER into the playoffs! Yeah! Go Rockets!
This is what this thread should be about.. Gotta believe people, we can do it.. we are better than the record shows, how some bad luck with injuries, i'm expecting a rally towards the end of the season
Playoffs are indeed attainable. Its not even half of the season yet, mathematically playoffs are definitely possible especially when you consider there's a chance the team will make some trade prior to the deadline (i.e. have a center). The bigger question to me though is can we get a higher seed than the 8th? I don't really fancy going one and done in the playoffs, if all we're gonna get out of it is 5 extra games why bother? I'd rather miss it by a few games and end up with the last lottery pick just like last year.
