I can very well see the Rockets finishing with 55+ wins this season, but I'm also a little worried that it might only get the a 4 seed the way things look. I can easily see OKC, San Antonio, and yes even Portland (Although I fully expect them to cool down) all winning 55+. Thoughts?
I don't think our record will matter too much. The progress we can make from now until then is probably most important. Hopefully we can. Be able to take those teams to 7 games in a series.
Dont get me wrong I feel like hitting our stride at the right time is key....and despite what some people think our perimeter D and overall chemisty is improving by the game but home court for at least the first 2 rounds would be nice. The playoffs are a long way off though. Based on what I've seen from the Rockets against good teams is encouraging ex: I think the the Rockets team today would beat the Clippers no problem as opposed to the outset of the season so the development is there and I am thinking it will only get better (Now if we could just put away the bad tems )
I see us winning between 54-56 games this season. The West is very very deep so seeding might not be all that important.
Nothing we can do about it except play well. It's the curse of being in the West. Until OKC implodes, San Antonio grows old, or Portland runs out of steam, it is what it is. Since it's not likely this team gets to 60+ wins, the 3 seed is probably as much as we can hope for in terms of seeding. On the other hand, this team *should* improve next year as our young roster continues gaining experience and chemistry. So even if we "only" get the 4th or 5th seed, that's a pretty good turn around from last year. Count your blessings, look forward to the future.
More important than record or seeding is how the Rockets are playing as a team come April. If they are gelling, then they can make noise in the playoffs regardless of where they fall. The top 4-5 teams in the West are so even talent-wise that I think chemistry will be more of dictating factor than home court.
Yeah thats why i mentioned hitting our stride at the right time....dont get me wrong, im not really complaining. I'm thankful the Rockets are competitive with the likes of OKC and San Antonio
Oh and my reaction to the inevitable "Now that Kobe is back, the Lakers can make a playoff run" nonsense we'll hear in the coming months
This team may have beat the Spurs, but the immediate following losses to the Jazz and Suns strongly suggests that the win was a fluke.
Remember when LMA said he thought the Blazers would finish in 7th? LOL. Still early, but I definitely think they can grab a top 5 seed. I would take them over the Clippers for sure and possibly the Warriors sometimes. Here is how I see the West turning out: 1. OKC - 58 wins KD and their team is going to push for every win down the stretch to nab the 1st seed like last year. 2. Spurs - 57 wins Like last year, they are going to hold the 1st seed up until the end when Pop starts resting his guys the last few weeks. 3. Rockets - 55 wins We too, will try and make a push to the 2nd seed but fall a bit short after being in the 4th or 5th spot for most the season. 4. Warriors - 54 wins They will catch fire and win 10+ in a row to get back in the race and stay around 4th, 5th or 6th. 5. Blazers - 53 I feel like they are going to get some sort of injury (I hope not) but they will start playing better competition more frequently and slip down to 5. 6. Clippers - 53 wins This is the wild card of the bunch. I can see them winning a lot of games in the regular season then not show up in the playoffs. 7. Mavericks - 48 wins I really like the Dirk - Ellis pairing. For some odd reason it works. 8. Lakers - 45 wins Like last year, the Lakers are going to go on an improbable streak after the all star break that they probably won't be responsible for. And what are playoffs without the Lakers/Kobe?!
The competition being higher in the west actually works in favor of the lower seedings. The difference in seed 2 and seed 7 is much smaller. Other than getting seed 4 for home court, I don't mind where we get placed from seed 5-7. I highly doubt we will miss the playoffs. With that being said compare to what seed we place in, making into to playoff will be the most of my worries.
Unless Marc is out all year, I just cant see the lakers making a stretch that takes them past the grizzlies, zebras and all.
I understand that it is important to have home court advantage. But as a team who doesn't have it, you can easily think that all you need is to win one game on the road and the home court advantage goes back to you. Winning 82 games in a season is great but all of that can be taken away by one loss at home.
