Chron, Blinebury: Rockets must either put up or shut up

#2 in '94 and #6 in '95

 

wait..let's be fair...if this is true, the entire sports media should just quit....men like marino and barkley, who never won jack didley damn, shouldn't be telling us about what it takes to build a champion.

and it means that all of us here can't watch sports and make any commentary at all that is anything other than positive, because certainly none or very few of us possess the skills of the athletes we watch.

 

I thought it was a good article, even though it does mirror a lot of what is posted on this BBS. I can see why Blinebury gets paid to write about the Rox while most of us here don't.

Blinebury IMO right to call out these guys. What he is talking about is heart of a champion. The will to perform consistently well and not only take advantage of opportunities but to also create them. Its true there's such talent level in the NBA that any team has a chance to beat any other team but what separates the good teams from the bad is that they play consistently well over long stretches and win close games.

So while its easy to dismiss the Nuggets and Grizzlies loss that Blinebury mentions the difference is that good teams don't make that last second foul and will grab critical rebounds at the end of the game.

Think about the championsip Rox games and how many close games they won. If you are a Suns, Jazz, Spurs, Magic or Knicks fan you could argue that the Rox got some lucky breaks in most of those games and they could've easily gone the other way. Still the fact that those Rox won those close games consistently tells me there was something more.

We have yet to see this out of the current Rox. They show occasional brilliance but in a conference as tight as the West where Memphis has beaten us twice already and the Nuggets are hot on our heals occasional brilliance might not even get us into the playoffs.

 

If we were to make the playoffs, it would be a huge accomplishment, regardless of seed. Everyone knows -- on this board, in the media, and the players -- that the Rockets play a style of basketball well suited for the playoffs. It isnt out of the realm of thinking for the Rockets to advance far in the playoffs -- it's not just wishful thinking on our part.

 

"luck is the byproduct of hard work"

I would be happy to make it as an 8th seed I dont see anything disappointing in that, since we've missed the playoffs for how many years now? Fran might be like some of us, expecting the world from this team because of glimpses of brilliant play. Kind of like a kid of who shows certain levels of intelligence but constant underachieves..

Maybe the Rox are dyslexic? hehe

J

 

The Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth. But some "can't handle the truth." Nevertheless, the Truth remains True. Fran, your the man!

 

Very nice article.

The Rox just can't beat a team like the Lakers/Timberwolves/Nets and then lost to a Utah Jazz or Portland Trailblazers.

In order to make a "huge win" count....you must back it up with another strong showing. Hope that made sense.

 

lose*

 

Good Gosh. I can't believe the Fran-love going on here. I've been in Houston for over 30 years and I'm really getting sick and tired of his diatribes.

 

Sadly Fran's diatribes match the attitude of many posters on the board. You and I both pointed out Feigen's article which covers basically the same topic in a more impartial view.

Fran just goes for the reactionary sensationalist types, and thus his article resonates with those.

Feigen's article actually offers more quotes by players and coaches and the kind of evidence that journalism might be expected to include.

Meanwhile Fran talks about the whole team having to be prodded into practicing hard without one quote or witness to back up his claim. Fran might actually be correct, but his journalism in presenting the point is severely lacking.

Fran's article is a joke.

 

you cannot accidentally win a championship. you have to set your sights high. if you don't attempt to win it all, you won't.

 

There is still a possibility that we might miss the playoffs again because of our remaining schedule and our inconsistency but the last few games has given me some hope for the latter half of the year.
If we make it as a 8th seed it will be a big achievement. We will have nothing to lose if we make it to the postseason and I think we will be able to give a tough fight to any team but getting to the playoffs is going to be a very hard job.