Before season started: What would you consider successful?

You specifically said you hope players don't feel the same way a poster said, how's that not comparing yourself to players who actually play in games? Players have to win every game, that's their job. But if they get eliminated here I don't really expect Harden to cry rivers of blood and howl in anguish either, getting to the WCF without 2 starters isn't exactly a horrible result.

The bolded part of your statement makes no sense, in what sense getting to the freaking Western Conference Finals comparable to a C- in school? This is what I mean by hubris, people like you put expectations on the Rockets team that they don't have themselves in real life, it's just not grounded in reality. Last year this team got bounced out of the first round, and then they lost 3 starters and got rebuffed by every max free agent. So given the year the team had it's championship or every other result is a failure? Really? If you were someone who is a multi-millionaire and has enjoyed all sorts of ridiculous success in real life then I can understand when you put these type of unrealistic expectations on the team but then if your background is just normal what basis do you have for this kind of attitude?

Obviously I'd love it if the Rockets can get a ring and they aren't even done, however given that the Rox were supposed to be reloading this year I don't know why you think getting to the WCF is supposed to be a failure.