That this team can still win a championship. And that we haven't seen the best yet - we're seeing the worst. This is still the best Rockets team since 1997, and it will get healthier, and it will get better. T-mac's game will recover, and the guys will figure it out. Why am I so optimistic? Because I've seen this all before. It's almost the Rocket's MO. We struggle early on, and then we finally piece it together for a remarkable run. And this year, we had a better start, and our struggles happened a bit later.... Tomorrow night, we might get pummeled. And we might struggle and even drop down to the 9th seed for a while...but all that doesn't matter. What matters is that we have a team you can get behind and root for. With experience vets, hard-working glue guys, fiesty young players, and an old man playing back-up center. A nice guy Yao who's a complete gentleman, a fallen but tru Warrior, and of course, an enigmatic star shooting guard who's never tasted playoff success in 7 tries over 12 years...perhaps the cruelest excercise in the agony of defeat - the biggest monkey on an athlete's shoulder we know of today in modern sports. How can you not root and love these guys? They are a bunch of bad news bears. I for one love this team, with all it's dysfunctional problems right now....I think the best thing to happen to this team, is to get embarrased tonight by the toronto raptors after losing to the wizards at home....and yet still finding ourselves at 21-13....This team is better, and will play better. And T-mac will regain his form...but he's not the only one to blame for these loses...nope, it's the whole team. But these are a good group of guys...and that means they'll figure it out. So don't stress too much....it's always better to be counted out than to be over-hyped. We will win our first playoff series in 12 years come May 2009.
The only way this team wins an NBA championship is if TMAC and Yao both play as one of the top ten or twelve players in the league. Right now Yao is about the 15th best and TMAC is in the forties or fifties........Hint hint
There have already been a couple threads about this posted in the last 24 hours. But yes, I agree with you 100%
yeah if somehow T-mac can play like LBJ and Artest can hit a 2pt shot. and Yao can finish at the Rim.
Belief is an excuse that we all come up with after a blowout and then just hoping the next game we play is gonna be a big turnaround. I got fed up with all these BS.We ain't gonna win a ball game unless we learn how to play effectively and aggressively on both ends of the floor. And for me,the priority of Rockets is bench T-Mac,sub in Von for Head if RA like Head over Wafer,I'm cool with that.Before T-Crap gets his head straight and at his full capacity,he ain't deserved no minutes on the court.He should stop embarrassing himself and others in red jersey.
I still believe that this team will not fall to the depths of the 1982-83 Rockets. Recordwise, it can't, because it already has 21 wins (it needed to not already have 14 wins at this point of the season).
I *firmly* believe we are headed for the lottery. We've seen signs of the wheels falling off during the last six games, but the Toronto game has definitely nailed it. Losing streak and falling out of the playoffs ... here we come. Book it.
I still believe Dows will rise as high as 20000, Hong Kong Heng Seng Index 40000 and China Shanghai Index 8000 - it's just a matter of time. Until I see a positive change in TMac's attitude, I don't see any hope of Rox having any success in the playoff.
T-mac might have quit tonight...but I think people make a big deal out of this stuff. He's having a horrible strech and it's going to affect him, but he will get his groove back. He's too good not too.
what on earth are basing this belief on? repetition? tracy hasn't looked this bad ever, even when he quit in orlando, even when he quit in 2006, he hasn't looked this bad sorry but i still believe we will lose in the first round
You just said in another post to bring back Van Gundy. Thats not a sign of belief, thats says SCRAP this current junk they're putting out on the court. But whatever Its happened before, team full of good players dont always mesh well together and have a good W-L record... McGrady (that guy again) needs to stop talking about both sides of his ass for the 90th time. The "fiercer" Tmac this year...Artest deal the "best thing thats happened to me in my career"...being a facilitator then wanting shots.... BUY INTO the system, dont make the system fit you. A multi dimensional player should be able to fit into any scheme. McGrady isnt an option quarterback drafted to run the Colts offense. McGrady wasnt playing Van Gundy offense the first 6 years of his career, how come all of a sudden he's averse to motion offenses? *edit* What a B!TCH
To sum it up, when the buzzer sounds at the end of the 4th Qtr and we have more points than the opponent we might have a shot at winning.
My thing is... didn't we basically have the same situation last year? Tmac was playing like crap, the team wasn't on the same page... people were talking about wanting JVG back. And then one 22 game winning streak later and we were back in it. Had Yao not gotten injured... with the way we were playing, who knows what would've happened. I'm not saying its going to happen this season too, because that streak was pretty amazing. I'm just saying it CAN happen. Tmac just has to get his head out of his ass.
I think JVG is a better coach than Adelman - always did. But anyway, this team will get back on track...t-mac will be fine. The whole "he quit on his team" thing is overdone. The guy isn't a kobe or jordan....but hey, why try to make him into that. Did he give up last night - sure...he did. I wont' dispute that. But he is what he is...and you have to accept it. Not force ideals on him because he doesn't live up to his hefty salary. Unfortunately thats the way it works. Hopefully he'll get hit butt in gear and play better...i have no idea why he's playing so badly - something is wrong though...maybe mentally, physically or emotionally - but it's useless tos peculate....and get frustrated. Just wait and see what happens. In the meantime, I still beleive.
I believe that this is a very dysfunctional team that has not only physical but mental issues and will likely experience erratic ups and downs, but in the final analysis, is too small, too unathletic and too mentally passive (lazy) to get out of the first round of the playoffs if they make them. Championship is not even on the table. Portland will win it before this bunch does.
