Yes, it is brutal. But it's a good test. Thankfully there are no B2Bs in this stretch. The Cavs will be without Love(although they may be WITH Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut). And 4 of the 7 games will be at home. I'm hoping for a 5-2 record(lose at the Clippers and Spurs and win the rest). Anything worse than 4-3 will be cause for concern.
No, this won't determine our season. It will serve to give the team an idea of where they are and what they need to work on. This stretch of games is coming at a good time. Let's see what the Rockets are made of.
We still don't have a solution to go against Gobert. Nene is not scared of old Pau and David Lee is only 6'7". Plus, Dedmon is frailer than Clint. Beating SA comes down to LouWill/EGo winning the matchup with Green/Ginobili, Mills/Parker and Ariza keeping Kawhi from taking over in crunch time.
Not predicting a record here, but feel the Rockets match up pretty well with all the teams in this stretch, except Utah. The only team that still gives me pause are the hated the Warriors. Yes, that happens when you add a top 2 or 3 player in the world to a 73-win team. A 7-game playoff series against them will tell Morey exactly what is needed (or not, lol) for next season.
We need better perimeter defense against the Utah shooters, and a combined team effort on the boards. We can't only rely on jumpers and 3 pointers. Indeed, this stretch is very important against all these teams. Better defense, rebounding, and reducing our turnovers is key to get us in better position for the playoffs.
I think Morey knows the score when it comes to the Warriors. We are not going to ever be able to out-talent them. There isn't a way to put together a team with 4 hall of famers in their prime to compete with them plus all of the veterans latching on for peanuts. The only way to beat them is to drown them in 3s. It isn't LIKELY to work, but realistically it's the best shot you have.
I'd say Memphis has a better blueprint to beat GSW. Pummel them inside and get physical with them on the perimeter.
Well we will see. Either way, that wasn't a feasible way for Morey to put together a team. He couldn't suddenly turn this into a team with a bunch of old, slow powerhouses.
Anyone know how many of these games are nationally televised?? All of them should be... I see a couple more monster triple doubles for Harden in the near future
I too think this will be a good stretch for the team to see where they are against the other better teams in the league. This will give Lou a chance to really add something that was missing before he got here and I think that will make us better against a lot of these teams. We are 'new' now and those teams are not. They have not faced THIS rockets team. We get off to a good start tonight against the Pacers who now have a leader that is not sure if he really wants to be there anymore. Clips don't scare me anymore, I think we have them figured out and now they can't match up with our depth. Memphis, SA, and Utah will be great tests against good defensive teams. Bulls are done Good matchup with Cavs
