I'm with ya on that, man. To say we have NO chance implies that we are not even going to make the playoffs. And one thing I still don't get is, other than the Lakers (who have also looked plenty beatable lately), which team gives off that UNBEATABLE vibe in the West? If we play lockdown defense like we have during the last 3 weeks, we are capable of beating any team in the league. PLAIN AND SIMPLE.
I could see the Rockets without Tracy beating these teams: Denver, NO, Port, Dal, Phx The Rockets would be able to beat but would be underdogs against SA we match up pretty well with them the last 2 years and Manu isn't 100% and probably won't be this season The only 2 teams we would have match up problems with and likely lose to is to the Lakers and a healthy Jazz team without Mcgrady.
According to Fran Blinebury, before the playoff series against the Lakers in the spring of '86, the Rockets had no chance. After losing the first game in LA against the defending champs, we smoked them, four straight. Since then, I've never thought the Rocks had no chance in the playoffs. Sure, we lost that year in the Finals to arguably the best team of all time, the 1985-86 Celtics, but we got there. We have a chance. We always have a chance.
What are you talking about? The Rockets were the defending champs. They added a superstar in Clyde. Cassell was a year older. Just because you're in the playoffs does not mean you have a chance. Are you telling me Philly, Milwaukee, Portland, New Jersey all have a chance at winning it all? Yeah, maybe 1 percent combined. But EVERYONE knows San Antonio, LA Lakers, Boston and Cleveland are the favorites - because they will be the final 4 teams standing! The Rockets have 0 chance. If you believe they have a chance, put down money. In the NBA, the best team ALWAYS comes out on top. Why? Because you have a 7 game series. In football, it's one game. The Arizona Cards didn't lose their franchise player. Statisticians have proven that baseball is a coin toss once the playoffs start. That's how Moneyball developed. In the NBA, a team may get lucky for a series (see Golden State Warriors), but the better team wins 90% of the time. You might bring up JVG's Knicks in '99. That was one damn good team though. They owned Miami in the past. They owned Miami that season. The team just never got to get it together early in the lockout-shortened season. But I picked NY to win that series. I picked NY to beat Atlanta in the next round. And I picked NY to beat Indiana because they owned them in the past too.
do the Rockets have a chance, well yeah, if they are in the playoffs there's always a chance, is it likely? No. I think that's all JVG was saying, don't hate on the guy for giving an hoenst opinion based on basketball knowledge/facts.
Don't forget to add the team of Ralph and Dream beating the lakers while you are at it. Even though they didn't win it all, nobody thought they would beat the lakers that year
We have a chance...but if you really want to bet on that chance, I suggest you have better odds buying a lottery ticket. Basketball is different from football and baseball. In baseball, the game is more random...even great teams lose 60 games and even terrible teams win 60 games. In football, you only play a few games. So anyone can win any game. Basketball isn't like that. It's a sport were your top players dominate the floor. It's 8 guys playing most of the minutes, not 25. It's more of a certain thing, especially in a 7 game series. The 1995 team had won a champsionship the year before and had 2 hall of famers on the team. This year's team doesn't even have a former MVP on it. Not even a DPY. We don't have it. We're not winning a ring, but you are right, we still have one shot in a few million.
I agree with the majority of your logic, although I think that any team that has a realistic shot of finishing in the top 4 of THIS Western Conference and possibly beat out the Spurs for the division has a better than one in a million chance. I know that AB and Lowry are young and untested, but all the greats had a first great year, right? Even if they have a fluke year, my point is, you never can tell. And if you meant Defensive Player of the Year by DPY, Ron Artest was in 2003-2004.
While generally agreeing with your post-- that the chances for Rockets winning is quite slim... you are wrong about the DPY. In fact, we have 2 DPY. http://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/dpoy.html
Fine, go read the papers from back then. I'm not making it up. It was all about how the Rockets were a 1-hit wonder, Clyde was past his prime, and that Utah, Phoenix, and San Antonio (especially the Spurs with Robinson, Elliott, Dennis Rodman, and Avery Johnson) were much more superior than us. This came from the Houston Post, Houston Chronicle, the NY papers, etc. We're not talking about the opinions by the time game 3 against the Magic rolled around, we're talking about B4 the playoffs. And last I checked, the Rockets happen to be in the #4 seed; with the Nuggets playing the Pistons tonight and Melo out, we could be tied with them for #3. Also, who is to say that injuries might not befall another team? What happens if Roy or Melo get injured (which they already have been this year)? What if Manu can't come back? What if David West has a season-ending injury? To say that the Rockets have zero chance when they are the 4th seed, clearly playing better without McGrady, and have beaten championship-caliber teams, is just plain dumb and short-sighted. In basketball, the team with the best record does not always win. And especially this year, there is no dominant team.
Actually, the most interesting part about this interview is how JVG viewed our situation following the trade. Remember how there had been continuous debates about whether or not JVG would've developed our young kids had he still been our coach? This should give at least some insight to the answer. JVG apparently views experience very highly. And dismisses the fact that with Alston gone, the Rockets basically have added more offensive weapons in Brooks(more minutes) and Lowry. On a team that NEEDS more weapons with T-Mac no longer available. Or that with better shooting/slashing guards, Yao should have more room to operate. Basically, it seems that JVG still values experience over all else.
Good catch, and by the rookie who first posted it. Artest is a DPOY. You can't count mutombo though - he's a shell of his former self. 1 in a million is an obvious exaggeration. But the point is that some pretty crazy things would need to happen. Getting to the WCF is a challenge in an off itself - that we have a shot at. But beating L.A. in a 7 games series - it would be shocking....pretty much more shocking then the '86 team. And then going on to win in Boston? Even more shocking. We'd have to win multiple series on the road - and we are a terrible road team. We'd have to knock of two teams who would stiffle our offense. You think the bulls are tough? not compared to the Lakers and Celtics. But the chance is so slim, that it's not even worth talking about. The Nuggets have a chance then, and so do the Suns, Mavs, and Hornets. So do Jazz. It's not going to happen - that's all i know.
We are a different team now than the team at the beginning of the year. We are united. We have a vision. We have a defensive team second-to-none. It may not be pretty, but we are going to grind it out. As the current #4 seed in a diluted, confusing, and unpredictable West, we definitely have a chance at getting to the Finals- and then who knows what will happen. I will never, ever doubt our team. Ever.
It's still crazy to compare this team to the 1995 team. At least they already had the recent precedent of previous playoff success. This crop of players hasn't even gotten out of the 1st round. This franchise hasn't gotten out of the first round in 11 years.
Ron Artest led the Pacers against the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. Mutombo has been out of the first round and gone to the NBA Finals to lose against Shaq and Kobe.
You can add Brent Barry too. Did Artest "lead" the Pacers? I'm pretty sure J. O'neal was the best player on that team. Mutombo is only going to play if Yao gets hurt. What about everyone else? Nothing. The 1995 Rockets on the other hand were the defending NBA champions.
