Do you really see us beating Portland/GSW in the playoffs?

I rather Portland. They have an all-star PG and PF. We counter that pretty well when we put Dwight on Aldridge and Bev (Pls come back) locking down Lillard.

We have the best Center and SG. I feel we can beat Portland in 5 games.

 

Not scared of any team below the Rockets in the standings. I'm just not.

The Spurs may continue to be steamrolled, or may be a different animal. I'd still rather the Rox face them than the other two top Western teams.

Hoping not to see LA or OKC short of the Western Finals. That will be a job of work.

 

My biggest hope is fighting Portland -> Spurs -> OKC -> Finals.

I really don't wanna see LAC. They just... Counter is badly. CP3 kills us everytime we play it seems.

 

True.

 

There's only 1 team in the lower play off race that I wouldn't want the Rockets to play, and that's Memphis. Not because we can't beat them, but because they're so physical that by the time we're done we would be bruised and exhausted.

After that I'd prefer to avoid Dallas because of their experience and Dirk. The guy is just too hard to stop when he's on, and he's the kind of player that can literally grab a series and steal it from you. Toss in crazy streaky shooters like Monta Ellis and that's a recipe for a highly unpredictable outcome.

At least with Portland, GSW, and Phoenix you pretty much know what you're getting... streaky jump shooting offense, which may or may not include defense depending on the match up. :grin:

 

It's still a toss up between Por and GS for the #5 spot. GS has 5 games including 2 sets of back to back games remaining. Por has 4 games remaining with 3 of 4 at home but have to play GS and LAC. LAC now has a legit shot at the #2 seed so that final game might mean something to them. I think Portland edges it out for the #5 seed.

I think Portland is a less talented but more cohesive team than Golden St. The Jackson administration has had an unusually high amount of turmoil for a successful team.

If Howard is back, Houston should be able to beat either of those teams. I think I would still take Houston even if Howard is not back. The additional minutes that Lin, Garcia and Casspi are getting right now will help the Rockets in the playoffs.

 

Coaching / system really come to the fore in playoff series. If we do the same thing as we've been doing in the regular season and don't bother making adjustments, it may be hard for a team as talented as ours to win on skill alone.

 

Welcome to the Western Conference....

 

It IS the mentality I want our coaches to have. IE, big picture.

There is really only 2 reasons to get a high seed.

1. HCA. We have that against Portland and GSW. We're not going to get it against the Clippers.
2. Play weaker team in the first round.

So, since HCA is already sorted, then we should shoot for the most favorable match up otherwise why bother getting a good seed at all?

 

I don't see us beating the Clippers in a 7 game series barring injuries, they just match up horribly against us and we always seem like we are playing their game and losing.

 

The playoffs are a different beast. And fortunately the Rockets will not be seeing OKC or LAC until the WCF.

 

We have no PFs that can stop the Alleys/Transitions. Their PG rapes our PGs. So all you have left is 2 dominant C, that are usually questionable on their post, and a super saiyan SG. All we need is a viable PF that can stop the post dominance and we have a fair game.

Basically it's 3-4 scoring option for Clips vs 1 scoring option for Rockets.

 

Absolutely, I think we have a chance at winning the chip. We can beat GSW or Port then proceed to beat the Spurs and would like to meet OKC since we have no clue on beating the clips.

 

We are going to beat Portland or Golden State in the first round. It has to happen because I bought tickets for Game 1 of the Conference Semifinals in San Antonio.

 

For a second there, I thought you were talking about the Rockets.

 

Yes we will beat either one of those teams. The only three teams that have a great shot in beating us is the Clippers, Thunders and Spurs.

 

1. Steph/Klay get in one of those zones when they are unguardable. They do it twice in the series and basically you are starting in a 0-2 hole. POR shooters are consistently good, but they are not the type that can get insane. (Memories of Max, game 3 vs Phoenix in 1994 here)
2. For some reason The Rockets have had a lot more trouble guarding D.Lee than LMA. Omer on LMA has been very good for us in stretches, while we have had no goud cover for Lee.
3. I get a bad vibe of the following parallel coming: J. O'Neal vs. Dwight :: Charles "The Legend" Jones vs David Robinson
4. Steve Blake: Rockets killer.

 

The real question: is anyone really scared of POR/GS?

 

I think we will have more trouble with GS than with POR