Its not a PERIOD because you say so. We had to have had some semblance of a defense in order for us to win games during the regular season and especially the playoffs so your stats means jack when it comes to TEAMS winning ball games. This current team has NOT accomplished anything yet since it is too early but you've already crowned them as successful. You keep providing individual statistics which only shows that you are more interested in individual success than the team.
Our 56 win, tied for 3rd best record in the league 2014-15 team was elite as well, but still oddly inconsistent to where we could loose to lottery teams anynight. So far this season the consistency has been amazing (after the first 5 games or so). Putting away the teams we are supposed to.
I'm happy. This is fun but that 2014 team got us a WCF appearance. This thread totally pushes that success to the side.
We became the Warriors overnight with blowouts and high FG attempts. We went from Mark Jackson to Steve Kerr like Kevin McHale to Mike D'Antoni. A change in coach, the whole team changed especially the leader like Curry to Harden. We ain't the Warriors, we are the Rockets.
I don't think that's the mark of being an equal to or lesser than team than our WCF team. Also, not for nothing, we're 1-0 against GS and 1-2 against SA (played them right up to final minutes and that last loss could have gone either way). I don't say we can beat GS but I do think we can beat the Spurs and I think we have WCF potential. And if we make the WCF and are healthy, I think anything could happen. I expect our roster to be somewhat improved between now and the deadline but even if it isn't, I really think this team can play with anybody now. I'd say we're the 4th best team in the league and I think we can surpass SA. They're reliably great but we haven't necessarily met our peak potential in this system yet. And however great our chemistry is, players always play better together after playing together for more time. By the time the playoffs come around we'll be an improved team from what we are now and what we are now is damn good.
I don't think it does. IIRC we weren't great all year. We fought for that 2 seed and came to it late, didn't we? I honestly can't remember. My memory is not what it was. We're not even at the break yet and we're threatening for the 2 seed and putting distance between us and #4. This team feels like a lock for home court very early on in the season. Anything could happen (injuries, knock wood, I just did) but I only see us getting better. I loved the 14-15 team but we felt like underdogs that were overachieving. That was the fun of that team. This team feels like it really belongs in the upper echelon and like it could be in the really upper echelon.
True. If only we made the decision to can McFail sooner we would have been the Warriors before the Warriors.
Rockets are exceeding my lowered expectations for this season, but I still don't think they are a legit contender yet. However, I'm not tired of winning, just like President Trump.
I don't understand the whole strange feeling idea but I guess in a similar vein, up until very recently I was still kind of feeling like we are just on a hot streak and I wasn't entirely sure we are as good as our record suggests. These guys don't seem like they are slowing down and I'm fully aware that this team will still hit some walls, hit some rough patches, have confidence issues when their overall shots stop falling a while (statistical inevitability I guess). Still, I'm pretty confident we are a top 5 team in the league and I find it incredible I can say that right now. We only added Nene, Ryno and Gordon, and most people saw that as a let down. People were very negative towards MDA and that made me temper my expectations a lot - although I was rooting for a Darth Vader-like emergence of MDA from the shadows, I was also constantly reminding myself that he has weaknesses and that our roster is not fantastic. I have to think that Kerr and Popovich are looking at this team right now like "holy hell, thank god they don't have a second star or multiple elite defensive players." I think those guys know right now that it's ON for the long term with us. It's the exact opposite of last year for me. I really appreciate these guys. I'm a grown ass man giddy as hell to watch these games. If anyone from the Rockets is reading, great f'ing job guys, top to bottom.
