If we look at this realistically and consider if all teams stay healthy, including the Rockets, and we make the playoffs, can we go all the way ? I personally think we can go all the way this year and get that 3rd championship. There's some things here and there that need improvement but we've shown a lot improvements already since the beginning of the year: * New type of offense which is definetly paying off * Learned to win without T-mac * Different players stepping up to make sure we win * Oustanding play by our rookies Individual improvements: * Rafer is starting to get consistent numbers * Scola moved into the starting lineup and his numbers are up * Novak shooting the three extremely well and gets some minutes * Bonzi has gone back to his game and it has payed off * T-mac adjusted to the 'team game' and was clutch when he needed to be * Yao has been MVP material lately and carried the team extremely well * Battier has been looking for his shot more and his three point shot is back These are really major improvements and we've only just begun to get on a roll (since january). If the team keeps this up, they will get better and sky's the limit so let's go grab that trophy. This is our year !!
you haven't considered any team other than the rockets like you said you would. where's the analysis of other teams? if you do that, i think maybe you will conclude differently.
last year would of been possible but this year the east might actually have a championship team in the finals. the road will be tough but i still think its somewhat possible.. =] STEP YO GAME UP TMAC man igot like 4 t-mac 5s and 7 mcgrady jerseys. i need a life.
Indeed i didn't consider as in posting about other teams but you consider it for yourself. I think if we can continue on this road there isn't a team we can't beat in a 7 game series. We have the talent even though some people and fans maybe think we don't. I think as a team, so without individual talent, we are among the best in the league. We have a team with a lot of hustle and when the playoffs come i think everybody will rise to the occasion. There's a lot of winners on this Rockets team and like T-mac said multiple times: a very unselfish balclub, so even though Yao is our go to man i expect everybody to step up. Especially the rookies i think because even though Brooks is no Cassell and Landry is not Horry they have proven to give you 20+ pts, speed, energy and hustle. That's what we need in the playoffs and if Novak is clutch like vs. the Kings, ow it's going to be sweet. Scola is already a starter as a rookie so he will definetly give it his all and we have great depth. Everybody who's coming off the bench right now, , except for Hayes, can score 10+ and step up at any time so there's no reason we shouldn't go all the way. A first round loss would be unacceptable for this team and there's no reason why they should lose this year. This team is on a roll and is showing a lot of heart, guts, hustle and everything that needs to be done to get a win. I know i've talked about T-mac lately as a lazy person, especially on D but he's getting it done his own way with steals, clutch shots, great court vision which results in great assists. We can do it and it's time for us to go for it right now.
To go all the way, the Rockets would need a couple of matchups to fall thier way. A certain number of playoff teams seem to be nightmare matchups for the Rockets (Dallas, GSW, NOK, possibly the Lakers now, although Rockets haven't played "Gasol-ish" Lakers.)
I think the only thing our team needs is to figure out how to handle team that exploit Yao defensively. We're deep enough with guards and forwards to go small and run with teams, defensively when Yao is constantly having to play somebody that can dribble or when he's being put in constant pick and roll, we have trouble. When we jump on teams and they have to play our game, they suffer. Our problem, is we can't really ever take Yao out of the game, because he's out offensive catalyst.. We've been doing great lately mainly because of the play of Scola and Landry. They've provided what we haven't been able to provide Yao with since he's gotten here. And that is somebody that has his back offensively and defensively. Hayes helps defensively, but offensively he can't help, thus the double teams Yao gets are highly effective. Swift brain was like a box of rocks. Juwon could help offensively, but was a liablity defensively, thus Yao in constant foul trouble.
Looking at our team, and player matchups with other teams, I fear no teams, just one thing do I fear. I'm not saying we are the best or we are gonna win it all, but I think we match up well with every team in the league and quite favorably in my opinion in four spots. Lakers frontcourt of Odom, Bynum, Gasol??? I think we match them just fine with McGrady, Scola, Yao. Backcourt?? Well, Kobe give them a distinct advantage there, but, no one defends Kobe better than Shane. Bench??? I think we have a clear advantage there. None of those matchups scare me. Phx frontline Hill, Stoudamire, Shaq?? Frankly, I think we are better provided healthy. Backcourt?? Bell, Barbosa, Nash. Hmmmm I like our bench. Dallas?? Dirk, Howard, and Dampier against McGrady, Scola, Yao favors us. Backcourt if they trade for Kidd........Hmmmm. I like our bench. San Antonio?? Tough Tough Tough, loads of experience. But Duncan, Oberto, and Bowen against McGrady, Scola, Yao??? I'll take our front 3. Backcourt??? I like Battier on Manu. And I like our bench over theirs. Utah?? Frontcourt?? I like us. Backcourt?? Hmmmmm Bench-I like ours. NO??? Frontcourt?? Us. Backcourt?? Hmmm Bench?? Us. We have one obvious weakness. And that is how are we going to contend against Tony Parker, DWill, CP, Nash, Kidd/Harris/Terry, and even Derek Fisher. Those are all the guy that simply break us down and kill us. So, in my opinion, either Brooks has to get some real minutes and do something with them or we gotta bring in somebody that can make those point guards pay back. In basketball, there is a tremendous psychological game within the game. If one player has an advantage over his defender, he is going to torch that defender until he forces the whole opponent team to adjust. And, as is the case with Nash, Paul, Williams, Kidd, Parker, he then becomes the playmaker and makes the defense pay for overplaying. If the opposing point guard has skills, psychologically they are going to take this personally and seek to "get even" on the other end (See recent Paul/DWill matchup) by torching his opponent. Then at least the game is competitive. And that plays against us every time as Rafer comes down and it's in his mind (whether he wants to admit it or not, but it's in his mind) that his man has put up 20 points already in the beginning of the third quarter, or he knows his man is going to put up 25 points and 10 assists, and so he comes down looking for his..........and shooting........at that horrid shooting percentage........and the opponent funnels the ball to him.......because they know he is under pressure already to compete against his point guard opponent's numbers.........and psychologically this plays out with Rafer taking 18 shots.......at barely a 35% hit rate.....and takes looks away from Yao/Scola/McGrady and other more efficient scorers. In my opinion, our Achilles heal is the pg spot. We simply need a guy out there that can make teams pay big time for fading off him or for overplaying. That point guard needs to be capable of hitting 40% from 3, and driving and finishing, and also provide a defensive deterrant to the other points. You can't possibly expect to stop any of those guys. But you have to be able to knock down their efficiency by ten percentage points or so and make them shoot 40-45% from the field instead of 50-55% and force them to have to work defensively. Rafer has played very good this year, about as good as he can possibly play, in my opinion. But I have NO CONFIDENCE that he can play even that good come playoff time, and he is still lacking against these upper echelon point guards, even as good as he has played. Psychologically, they brutalize him, and in the process kill our team off, and force all the rest of the guys to take tougher shots and force the offense. In the playoffs, everyone ratchets up the defense. You can expect a 10% dropoff in shooting percentages because of it, for everybody. We have already had trouble shooting the bball this year. Just like last year, it's going to be magnified come playoff time. If you watch what other teams are doing to us, our entire team's shooting percentage lags because of Rafer. We don't want him taking that many shots, but the defense constantly funnels the ball to him for the spot up 3. Or better yet, force it to him low in the shot clock, then close out and force him to put it on the floor. That is the lowest efficiency offense we can run.....Rafer with the ball with under 5 seconds left having to either make the pass or shot. I'm not trying to make Rafer the scapegoat for everything that is weak about our team here. But his shooting effects other players, primarily McGrady. McGrady is extremely smart. He knows when Rafer is shooting bad and he starts forcing more shots, thinking we will be more effective with him forcing shots than Rafer missing shots. Don't know how many ways to say it. I do not trust our point guard play for the playoffs. See my signature.
Looking at this team realistically, I think this team at best gets out of the first round and thats it. Too many players have too many glaring holes in them. Our starting PG will get torched on defense and cannot consistently hit a wide open shot. He is playing his best basketball of his career and he is still average at best. And history tells us his run will not continue. Our two best PF are both rookies. We don't have many guys who can create their own shot. We go thru too many lapses on offense. Our best wing player rarely dribble penetrates anymore. Our best bench players are rookies, another recipe for playoff disaster. With Yao drawing constant double teams, we should have ATLEAST a couple of guys shooting 40% from 3 pt land. We don't have 1. I hope we are somehow able to disguise these things in the playoffs, but usually the playoffs magnify deficiencies more than ever.
We'll have to see how we play against the teams in the west before we can make any bold predictions. I mean yea were on a winning streak, but they're against crappy teams that we should be able to win. If we can win against the Lakers, Phoenix, Utah, then we will have a good chance. But there is the Green Beast from the East if we do get to the NBA Finals. Man the color contrast would be great if we were to play against the Celtics.
I'm thinking less and less that the Celtics make it to the Finals. I really think Detroit is the team to beat. Billups is too dominant.
An "on the money" analysis. This is a GLARING problem that the Rocket's organization just can't seem to address. They bring in every PG and their dog in the off season, and we are right back where we started; stuck with a poor shooting undersized PG who has serious issues. He oversells himself effectively in stretches in the regular season and then craters the team in the playoffs. This is very, very frustrating. Morey has got to come up with something in the next two weeks. If not, same ole, same ole. Hey, Rockets I am no longer buying the hype, either do it or can your ad campaign.
Billups too dominant. 2 words I never thought would be used in a sentence. He is not even a top 3 PG in the NBA
No, we are not going to go all way. They still need to work on their system. I believe they can get out of first round this year.
Doesn't matter. He is far away the best point guard in the East. He's gonna be a huge difference maker against Boston if healthy. And you can get quite an argument that he's not a top 3 point guard, because the top 5-7 are so close. Do some polls to find out.
It seems highly unlikely at this point, but it's too early to give up completely either. Right now, I'm satisfied with watching this group trying to gell and learn the Adelman way. At the same time, I wouldn't be opposed to a trade if it's the right one. After about a month, we'll know better what we have.
who knows. it's so hard to have a sense who will go all the way this year. this season has been great, and different from so many. even though we're technically still #9, we're a mere 4-5 games out of the #1 seed. another 7-8 game winning streak will get us a lot of momentum...
For Matchup problem, I think Utah has advantage to Rockets. They have two big men can shoot outside. It cause yao's defensive problem. The other centers, like Orberta, Bymum, Tyson C, Shark, Dampier, Camby are only low post offensive players whom Yao can handle very well.
