[ESPN.com] Tim Legler: Which Rockets Team Will Show Up In The Playoffs?

Seems he either doesn't watch the games or manufactured some weaknesses for the Rockets. The only real issue is our lack of a illegitimate center under the age of 40. I noticed he never mentioned that.

Sure, Tmac is the only star on the team but Rafer, Scola, Jackson and even Landry, Head and Battier are capable of pretty impressive offensive performances. The fact that we are now getting something around 26/12 consistently from Scola and Landry is huge but he never mentioned that.

Sure, we will have nights when nobody is hitting but that happens to a lot of teams. Recent history has shown that we always have 2-3 guys who step up and produce big every night. The fact that Tmac isn't putting up a lot of points and we are still winning neutralizes Legler's point. Adelman's ability to put out unorthodox lineups that produce is also something not to be overlooked. Adelman has won this team quite a few games lately by throwing out some strange lineups that flat out produce wins.

At the end of the day I doubt we can get out of the West but the reason for that Yao being out. You need some size to compete in the West. Most of what Legler said sounded like he was trying to meet his minimum word requirement.

 

He's right on about us for the most part, although I think that Scola/Landry (when you consider them together) are incredibly consistent with 20pts and 10rebs every game with the ability of one of them breaking out and having those stats on their own in any given game. Any game that Rafer goes off will be a sure win, so if he has 1-2 of those in a series we will have an advantage.

I think it's interesting that it is possible that we could play Dallas/Utah/Denver/GS in the first couple of rounds. We match up well against them, and we would again have to hear about how "lucky" we are rather than how good we are.

I see us making it to the second round, but getting past that will be hard going against the likes of NO/Lakers/Spurs/Suns in the second round. It should be fun though.

 

I would say that everyone on our team is relatively consistent with the exception of Alston and McGrady. However, since those two handle the ball and facilitate much of our offense, our overall performance lies in the hands of those two. It's a pity that our fate in the playoffs depends on Rafer.

 

I think that while he is right in that there is nobody besides T-Mac that can create for themselves and be consistent, the other guys are just too plentiful and too good to all be shut down in the same game. No matter what the other team does, if they cheat on T-Mac(that is bring extra defenders or shade toward him) Adelman will pick up on it and exploit the mismatch. No, it wasnt as easy as it was when Yao is down there, but the team has played pretty well offensively save the Boston/New Orleans games. And had a nice lead on NO and was tied with Boston at halftime.


The team is also 13-3 since Yao Ming went down. That includes victories over @GSW, NO, LAL, and @DAL.

 

Hey can I atleast deserve some credit for discovering this article in the first place? (I put it up in the game thread). No biggee but I would just like some props

 

I will not be supprised at all coming playoff time Rafer will play much less than BJ.

 

realistic outlook.

wouldn't post this in Clutch's new 'Doomsday' thread.

 

He said it himself. Playoffs are about adjustments and adaptations to win a 7 series game. So I have confidence in Adelman in doing that the right way or finding the right way to win with the players he got.

 

Legler's a hater, he just doesn't want to admit it. If you say that the Rockets can only beat Dallas, Utah, or Denver then you are a hater.

I would say we have just as good a shot against SA and NO also, and if the Lakers still don't get Bynum and/or Gasol then they are merely the same team they were last year, namely a 7 seed and not a 1-2-3 their record indicates them as.

Phoenix I was ecstatic to face after they got Shaq. Then Yao went down. The irony burns, but they pose the worst matchup for us again, but for the completely opposite reason. We just don't have the bigs to take advantage of their poor interior defense. Next year we will.

Have faith!

 

Also from the Thorpe article:

• Carl Landry isn't tall for his position, but he knows how to shoot and score with his arms fully extended. Combined with excellent athleticism and an almost 7-foot wingspan, he can play much taller than he really is.



DD

 

I want them to win it all, but I'm realistic and don't care where they finish. They've (EVEN MCGRADY) played their hearts out this year.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3310778


Ric Bucher apparently thinks every team wants to match up against the Rockets in the playoffs.

 

This is where all of his point becomes irrelevant. The winning in playoff is all about fundamentally sounded defense, not great offense. That's why the Pistons, the Spurs, and the Heats have won, but the Suns and Mavs lost.

On second thought, DEFENSE was never in Legler's dictionary, so that explains all this garbage.

This is exactly what have/will cost this team. The team will not win with individual 1on1, but with the players and the ball movement. If we can execute the offense, it will generate enough opportunities, then a matter of capturing those opportunities.

The order of the teams I like the Rockets to meet is as following, I think it's a toss up if we meet any team outside the Suns, the Lakers, and maybe the Spurs.
Denver --> Warriors --> Jazz --> Dallas --> Hornets --> Spurs --> Lakers --> Suns

 

I choose not to state my opinion on Bucher's predictions. All I have to say is "hater."

 

Ric Bucher is an idiot and I cannot believe he has the same last name as me.

NO RELATION though.

 

Im only worried about the Suns and Jazz in the playoffs.

 

The Spurs and the Lakers are the only two teams that I think Houston would really struggle against.

That's not to say that we'd easily take out anyone else, but I think we would beat them... but then we'd probably have to play the Spurs or Lakers in the 2nd round.

 

team chemistry = the rockets secret weapon...I think we'll do ok against any team not name phoenix or boston.


no team chemistry = FAIL

 

Today's game against San Antonio will go a long way towards showing whether he is right or wrong.