Here comes our signature late season collapse...

spurs without starters = blow-out playoff caliber teams
rockets without starters = incapable of guarding the 4th or 5th best offensive option on a lottery-bound team, when the lottery-bound team's top 3 or 4 options aren't even in the game

that's the difference between a contender and a pretender. rockets are pretenders until they prove otherwise.

 

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned regarding these late season collapses is that last year's extended into the playoffs. Remember, the Rockets were a Durant jumper away from losing Game 4 and getting swept out of the first round. They arguably played only one overall good game in that series(Game 5, although Game 2 wasn't too bad despite being a loss). So even if they hold on and clinch home court, it's not like they're gonna magically flip a switch and become the Rockets of January through March vs the Blazers. It wouldn't surprise me if this poor play continued into the postseason.

 

Before we get all crazy let's not forget that in the past week this T-Wolves team has also beaten the Spurs and Heat. Both teams were missing key players but so were the T-Wolves. Pre-season the Wolves were picked to be in the playoffs but for whatever reason just collapsed in the middle. This team is now playing up to what was expected of them.

This wasn't a good loss (if there is ever such thing) by the Rockets but it might not be the harbinger of doom.

 

No loss is a harbinger of doom. This is just typical Clutchfans knee-jerking over a blown game. It'll all blow over soon enough, especially if we win tonight.

 

Morey's gonna regret not trading Parsons to get Rondo...

And we need to stop rolling out Casspi and Garcia, esp if they can't hit shots.. it's the ugliest thing to watch. At least give Daniels or Covington a couple of minutes.. I mean it was the T-wolves for f sakes.

Jeremy Lin... can't stand watch his D.. he screams at TJones for help before his man even blows by him... he anticipates a blow by. There's not even a remote effort to stay in front of his man.. and move his feet.. instead he either plays matador D or fouls. HORRIBLE!!!

 

We were also perhaps a Perkins foul non-call away from forcing a Game 7.

 

No excuses. Must win game tonight.

 

That reminds me, I had a chuckle when I saw Lowe complaining about the hand grab technique a while ago.

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Well, I have to agree that we are barely contenders are probably closer to pretenders. The end of our rotation sucks. Using the Spurs as a comparison is like playing the Hellen Keller/Anne Frank card in Apples to Apples. No team in the NBA is as good at the "next man up" mentality than the Spurs. Popovich for MVP.

 

So true. This team is missing it's BEST 2 defensive player. I content that if we'd had won the game we'd still be the exact same team we are. Behind Spurs/OKC/Clippers and a little better than Portland and the rest of the West. Our real chance at getting out of the West hinge on health and match-ups and somebody getting hot a few games. We should beat Portland IF Beverley is good to go. Spurs should win against the 8th seed. So that will be our test. Prove we can play good against the best team in the NBA. We match up well with them so lets see what happens. It would be a fun series to watch and if we win then it will be gravy in my book to be in the Western Conference Finals considering where our roster was just 2 short years ago and the age of this team. Maybe we get a little luck and a Rocket plays out of their mind against OKC/Clippers to help out the key guys. (I doubt there is a suprise team here but you never know.)

Clutchfans need to learn to enjoy the ride, have some perspective. Harden is still getting better, learning to be the leader. Parsons has just figured it out, Jones is getting closer, even D-Mo looks more confortable on the floor. Beverley needs to be healthy and he'll improve. Howard will shine in the play-offs if healthy. The roster is going to get even better. This team is going to go far, maybe not this year but soon.

 

His D is non ficking existent at the moment....he's completely not bothered about letting his man score.....I know he can play better D, as his effort level has plummeted...before all star break he was playing good D (despite what some of the fans here would say....) but now he's checked out....

Plays that fake D....always getting there but a good minute late.....not fighting through the screens....undercutting the offensive player as well....

One thing that really bugs me about Lin is that he has always had this issue with thinking he needs to help his team mates out.....how about locking down your man...so sick and tired of seeing him help out, and then his man knocks down an open jumper - again and again....dude, your help D isn't helping.....

I couldn't believe the way Rubio was blowing by him.....FFS Rubio can't shoot....just back up....

 

Tonight's victory will be like a bird in the hand for the Rockets. Portland can find their own bushes to piss in.

 

You guys hit the nail in the head.

I'm starting to think those careless games that we lost heading into the postseason were a foreshadowing of what was to come. Injuries and those awful lineups during the last few season games might have messed with the chemistry.

 

This is 3 straight seasons under McHale with a collapse in April. And each one has cost the organization dearly. 2012 may not have seemed like a big deal at the time, but it prevented young guys like Parsons from getting valuable playoff experience and it certainly didn't help the Rockets' cause in keeping Dragic. 2013's collapse also may not have seemed that bad on the surface. After all, the Rockets did make the playoffs and they took OKC to 6 games. But imagine what might've happened had they not choked away the 6th seed and got Denver in the first round. That would've been a far easier opponent than the Thunder.

And now we have this year's collapse which has carried into the postseason. If the Rockets go on to lose this series, it will be a major step back for the organization and a potentially huge missed opportunity. The winner of this series will face either an aging Spurs team or an overachieving Mavs team(and have home court over the latter). And who knows who the opponent would be in the Conference Finals? The Thunder may not survive against the Grizzlies and there's no guarantee the Clippers will make it that far.

Instead of a long playoff run though, the Rockets are likely to be sitting at home yet again by late April/early May wondering what might've been.

 

Is this really a coincidence? McHale needs to go

 

What do you expect, it's a Kevin McHale staple.

 

^^ agreed. First round exit. Team is TRASH

 

3-2 in their last five
7-3 in their last ten
10-5 in their last fifteen
12-8 in their last twenty

 

Morey should be held accountable as well.

All hype and bravado, but when rubber meets the road, his teams go --- puff