I keep telling myself that we were 3 points total away from having a 3-1 series lead. It helps me sleep at night. My initial hopes were that this series makes it to 6 games, so I'm still shooting for that.
That's the thing that hurts me the most. I really didn't think we would have much of a chance to win this series, but when we played this well against them I starting thinking what if....what if. Man, it would be so great to see the ESPN guys eating their crap if this series was atleast tied. Go Rockets!
I think if you told anyone this series was going to be this hardfought and close a month ago they'd laugh at you.
Let's put it this way - *IF* the Lakers were playing the way they SHOULD be playing - ie a great team with a great coach, 4 HOF'ers on the floor.. they SHOULD be wiping the Rockets completely off the map.. So, in that respect, no, I did not have expectations that the Rockets could realistically win the series.. However, with the massive number of injuries LA had going in, plus the TOTAL lack of chemistry they still exhibit, and the fact that they still play like guys from different teams instead of guys on the same team... there was actually some hope that we could do some damage.. it even looked like the Lakers were tailor-made for Houston in the first round, even more so than Minny.. heck yeah, we should be up 3-1 right now. in any case, LA, when they win, will get absolutely slaughtered by San Antonio in the next round.. But at least Francis is seeming to be experiencing an epiphany, kind of like what Bibby went through in the playoffs a couple years ago.. the guy has been top-notch ever since, but wasn't much before that.. hopefully this will be the turning point for SF.. (geez how many times are we gonna say THAT??)
I know I didn't have a feel for how the play off series would play out. I believed because I wanted to believe, but I also believed it could be bad, tho not a Boston-esque embad-arrassment. JJ for threeeee. OK, 'we' got the shot we wanted. Francis for the win -- hit on the elbow but no bail out with the clock where it was (altho I just don't believe in that, regardless of the fouler/foulee). Sure it could be 3 - 1 instead of 1 - 3. Sure EG could have worked out and sure lots of things. I am happy enough with the competitiveness, and happy that four guys have improved their 'summer stock', Stevie and Cat and Cato and Boki. (I am not advocating moving any but if a move is to be made as Will said, 'sell high'.
I still think we can win the next three games. You're not the only one surprised by their play, DD. It's strange sitting here thinking they can still win the series, down 3-1, and be surprised that they've played this well at the same time. Francis has really surprised me. It's almost surrealistic. Everyone else, including Yao, haven't knocked me over as far as my expectations, but Francis has. It's maddening that the Fakers look so damn beatable. We just haven't squeezed enough out of the team, I guess, and it could be explained away as inexperience. The problem I have with using that excuse is that I saw another inexperienced Rocket team beat a much better Laker team in '86. Two different teams, to be sure, but the Rockets didn't match up "on paper" back then, either. It was supposed to be a Laker blowout. And I'll repeat it, that '86 Laker team was a much better team than the current version. Hell, we'll see how this plays out. I still think the Rockets can win.
WOO! Stand by your ma...er...Team! I'm with Chance on this one. Obviously, I'm proud of this team. They showed heart and for the most part have been in 3 games against these Lakers. The FAB FOUR Lakers (well, 3, Payton is basically DFish without the headband) No one anywhere gave the Rockets a chance outside of Houston. Rockets could easily be up 3-1 as they are down 3-1. We are holding our own against them. A few mistakes at the end of games are what has hurt us. That comes from inexperience. Not a single Rocket (save Mark Jackson) has any significant Playoff experience. Even if we lose this series, the rockets have shown that they can take the "best team" to the wire. The way they are playing now, it's not impossible to think they would win the next 3. Francis has played a GREAT playoff series. Take away the first 24 minutes of this series and Francis has been as good as he has EVER been. With these games under their belt, the Rockets should come back strong next year, and hopefully compete for a top 4 spot. I find it insane that we are 2 shots away from being up 3 to 1 in this series. Anyway, Rockets can take this to 7. I believe they WILL take it to 7. Once they reach game 7...It's up to who wants it more. Malone/Shaq/Kobe/Payton or Yao/Francis/Mobley/JJ I seriously do believe they can take it to 7 though. Call it blind fanboyism...call it stupidity, but I BELIEVE!
Truly, Honestly, I believe we can win this series ever since we're in the playoff (I said it so many times in the GARM). Maybe I'm the only one here. Besides experience, we match up with the Lakers really well. Plus Lakers are old and worn out by the end of season with lots of internal turmoil going on and Kobe's legal trouble and Shaq is getting old and declining. For the Rox, they're just beginning to jell. Francis playing smarter, Yao emerged as a legitimate Franchise player, Boki emerging, our defense is ten times better than last season. Everyone is pretty much healthy the whole season. There's a tons of good reasons to really believe Rox can win this series. I still believe we can win this serie even though we're down 3-1. All we need is 3 more wins.
Believe or root for the Fakers. We're the underdog and we've been since game one. If you don't believe why not just join the Fakers fan club. One game at a time guys. I'd say we've outplayed the Fakers but we've caught some unfortunate breaks. I'm sure the refs will continue to favor the Fakers, but I believe we can shock the world.
I still have a smidgin of hope that the impossible could happen. The Rockets are quirky and unpredictable enough to pull off something really strange. Not likely, but just maybe. If they win game 5, whoa, if they win game six, look out. The Lakers have really surprised me, they look very beatable. And where would they be without Malone? If they get past the Rockets, the Spurs are going to kick their butts. DaDakota, Dallas Rocket, et al, you guys are right about the playoffs being a microcosm of the season. The talent is there, sort of, but the tragic flaws are soooo obvious. This team has a built-in self-destruction mechanism and it has been operating well before the arrival of Ming. Retooling is still on tap. I am not surprised that Francis elevated his game (he typically gets up for TV and LA), but he can not rise above his poor decision-making, mediocre shooting, and mental lapses. The guy has plenty of heart, but he is simply not a fit in JVG's system. I have seen nothing in the playoffs to change my mind about that. Turnovers just kill this team, 18 in game four, ridiculous.
Based on how they played right up to the very end of the season -- no! After Game 1 I thought "No!" because it seemed to be a continuation of the the regular season. But after Game 2 I began to think it was possible. Because the Lakers DO look beatable by the Rockets. We just happen to match up pretty well with them. Of course Game 3 swung me back to the "before Game 2" mentality. After Game 4 I don't "believe" they can win the series. The only belief that matters now is do they "believe"? If they come out with a Terminator-like mentality, i.e., don't "reflect on" or analyze too much as they play just keep boring ahead, then they might win Game 5. I just think it's a lot to ask of them. Wouldn't just about anyone who had lost two games by a hair AND the way they did be susceptible to mind weakness creeping in the minute something goes awry on Wednesday?? I think a very clear example of that effect is the way Orlando never really recovered from the loss of Game 1 in '95 because of the bad way they lost it, with those missed free throws. So from this perspective Game 5 will definitely tell a lot about the mental toughness of this team. If it's close and competitive, then I think there will be no doubt about the growth factor this will represent. I definitely think it might act as a motivator the same way the Seattle series did for the '94 Rockets. Once the players start to believe based on their experience they won't be satisfied to play the way they did this season.
Oops! I meant AFTER Game 4 I swung back to before the Game 3 mentality. After Game 2 I definitely didn't think they could win! I didn't even finish watching that one.
I never expected them to beat the Lakers. I was hoping for a long series, however. Not a quick five game rout, as it appears this will turn out. Give me six or seven games, not this near sweep, thanks. But it's probably too late for that. If the Rockets lose by less than 25 in Game 5, I will be stunned.
