I believe too. This is a team that won 22 games in a row. we'll get Rafer back and if he plays on a high level, he might be the difference maker. And look at history, Utah vs Houston is always a tough series. no one ever sweeps.
Look on the bright side... we've lost series up 2-0 against Mavs and Jazz in the past... Okay so that's not too much of a bright side , but it shows that it ain't over till it's over.
this team won 22 games in a row and made NBA history. if you can't support this team cause what.. they are down 0-2? why be a fan? why be a fan when down 0-2 going to america west arena against KJ and Barkley? why be a fan when facing elimination against Utah, and the Knicks? this team doesn't give up. regardless of how many missed shots Tmac shoots or how many free throws Scola bricks, they don't give up.
its up to rick and tmac now to motivate the team. down 0-2 is nothing. 0-3 is not good. some has to get angry or mad and spark this team to victory.
QUEUE ROCKY MUSIC!! dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun duuuuuun!!! OP didn't say this is the 94/95 rockets. he pointed out that 0-2 isn't a death sentence and quit crying. houston is down but not out. they gotta win the next game else it's over.
http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1994_1201582 Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE Date: THU 05/12/1994 Section: Sports Page: 1 Edition: 3 STAR Suns 124, Rockets 117/CHOKE CITY/Rockets lose 20-point lead in fourth quarter to Suns By EDDIE SEFKO Staff The fans came back. Unfortunately, so did the Phoenix Suns. What was supposed to be an all-for-one show of strength turned into one incredible fourth-quarter collapse Wednesday night as the Rockets blew a 20-point lead in the final 10 minutes to lose 124-117 in overtime at The Summit. No team has lost a bigger lead in the fourth quarter of a playoff game. It was a gag of the same proportion as the Oilers' 41-38 overtime playoff loss in Buffalo 16 months ago when they led 35-3 early in the third quarter. "Everybody feels terrible about this," coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "It's a very hard, depressing thing to go through." The Rockets fell behind 2-0 in the Western Conference semifinals, which continue Friday night at America West Arena in Phoenix. Only one team -- the 1969 Los Angeles Lakers -- has rallied to win a seven-game series after losing the first two games at home. Charles Barkley had 34 points for the Suns, who relied on Barkley, Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle to bring them back from an ominous 104-84 deficit in the final 10 minutes. But it was the Rockets' faulty execution offensively that opened the floodgates and left a wildly enthusiastic sellout crowd frustrated. The Rockets, who got 31 points and 17 rebounds from Hakeem Olajuwon, were outscored 26-8 in the fourth quarter, shot 3-for-18 from the field and had five turnovers. They went cold and played with the common sense of a sixth-grade team down the stretch, which might be an insult to sixth-graders. In a span of just more than seven minutes, they scored one point as the Suns chipped away at the lead. Even the Rockets admitted they threw their savvy out the window in the fourth quarter. They resorted to outside jump shots after trying to force the ball in to Olajuwon, who had only three points on 1-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter. "They collapsed very strong inside," Olajuwon said. "That's why we needed to penetrate and try different things. We cannot depend on outside shots. They wanted us to shoot outside shots, and that's what we did. We played right into their hands." Added forward Robert Horry: "They were keying on one play, and we still kept running it. That's just my opinion, but we got too predictable. "It's ridiculous. Here we are with some of us talking about how much we want the fans to get behind us. We talked too much about that and didn't focus on winning the game. "I don't blame the fans. I wouldn't show up for the next game either." There might not be another home game unless the Rockets can win at least once in Phoenix. As for the fans, they put aside the feud that started when several players lashed out at them for failing to sell out Game 1 on Sunday. The crowd did everything it was supposed to Wednesday. So did the Rockets, until the fourth quarter. The Rockets missed 14 of their last 15 shots in the period. Cedric Ceballos and Barkley combined for eight Phoenix points as they climbed within 105-92 with 5:30 to play. When Majerle hit a 3-pointer with 3:25 to go, the Rockets' lead was down to eight points. Were it not for Sam Cassell's prayer of a 3-pointer with 2:34 to go, the Rockets would have gone scoreless in the final 6:48. Cassell's attempt came just as the shot clock was expiring. Up 108-97, the Rockets kept doing the same things that had eroded their lead -- chunking up outside shots with time left on the shot clock and turning the ball over. When Barkley converted a three-point play, then hit two free throws with 1:28 to go, the Suns had pulled to within 108-105. The Rockets suffered a senseless turnover when Cassell tried to make a pass in to Carl Herrera but had it stolen. When Danny Ainge hit a 3-pointer with 32.9 seconds left, the game was tied. Both teams missed shots to end it in regulation as Olajuwon had a baseline jumper rim out and Barkley missed from 18 feet at the buzzer. Somehow, you just knew the Suns would romp when they forced the overtime. They did. The Rockets got a three-point play from Olajuwon to go up 111-109, but Johnson scored and, after a Cassell turnover, Majerle got loose on the break for a layup and a 113-111 Phoenix lead. Cassell missed two shots and had a turnover. When Barkley hit a 3-pointer, the Suns went up 116-111, and the lead grew to nine before the Rockets made a couple of late 3-pointers. It was an amazing turnaround from early in Wednesday's game, when the Rockets had won back their fans, with whom players had had a two-day feud about Game 1 not selling out. The fans were as loud as they had been all season, providing a wonderful atmosphere and a legitimate sixth-man inspiration. The Rockets rang up 40 points in the third, but it was simply a setup for a crushing letdown. .... Choke City The Rockets' NBA-record 20-point fourth-quarter collapse against Phoenix on Wednesday night was just the latest in a long line of blown leads by Houston teams: The Oilers: On Jan. 3, 1993, the Oilers blew an NFL playoff-record 32-point lead against Buffalo in a first-round game. The Bills came back from a 35-3 second-half deficit to win 41-38 in overtime. The Astros: On Oct. 15, 1986, the Astros lost a 3-0, ninth-inning lead in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series with New York. The Mets won a series-clinching 7-6 decision in 16 innings. The University of Houston: On April 4, 1983, the No. 1-ranked Cougars tossed away a five-point lead late in the game and with it the NCAA championship when North Carolina State's Lorenzo Charles slammed home an airball at the buzzer to give the Wolfpack a 54-52 win in Albuquerque, N.M. The Astros: On Oct. 12, 1980, the Astros, with Nolan Ryan on the mound, coughed up a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the NL playoffs. The Phillies scored five times in the eighth and went to the World Series after an 8-7, 10-inning win. The University of Houston: On Jan. 1, 1979, in the Cotton Bowl, UH built a 34-12 lead on a frigid, windy winter afternoon. Operating with the wind at its back in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame scored three touchdowns -- the last as time ran out -- for a 35-34 comeback win over the Cougars.
We maybe able to come back if our rookies start to show up big time. Unfortunately, rookies always go MIA (missing in action) during playoffs because of the aggresive plays during playoffs. Even Head who is not a rookie anymore goes MIA and he was MIA in the previous playoffs.
Dumbest thing these fans here say is.... "this isn't the 94/95 Rockets" Word?!?!??! Really?!?! You lyin'....you mean to tell me i been watchin another team? <<< sarcasm LMAO talk about stating the obvious...just let the optimistic Rockets fans like us keep hope alive... Thanks, The Management.
of course we CAN. but WILL we? if i have to bet money on whether we WILL or WILL NOT, what am i gonna do? a tough one for me...
Strong work as always, tinman Tracy historically plays better on the road in the playoffs than at home. Rafer will come back. Jazz will not be sharp. The Monocle will raise his game to new levels. I am down with a good vibe for Game 3.
i like this this team, more than any other team since francis was traded. and by like, i mean i have respect for what they did this season, especially after yao went down, and btw when t-mac went down. that being said, they ain't coming back. I know outmanned when i see it.
