As a long time Houston sports fan (and I mean looooooog) there have been times (Luv Ya Blue) when the "buzz" around the city was tangible, you could feel it in the air. Everyone was talking about the Oilers, the Rockets, the Astros, etc. There was a perceptible "energy." A mix of confident anticipation and visceral excitement. Do you feel it now? Me neither. Did the lackluster, sloppy sleep walk of a first game kill it or was it never there in the first place? Discuss. Personally, I think it has a lot to do with the Rocket's general lack of "fire." There is no charismatic personality on the team. No energizer bunny (Brewer comes close), no enforcer, no fiery motivator (where are you Bob Sura?). Maybe that wouldn't matter if the team was on a hot streak, a roll, playing like a well oiled machine. No doubt, the Rockets have accomplished a lot, had a great winning season, won the SouthWest Div., finished second in the West. Isn't that enough? Maybe it is, and that could be the problem.
This city is as front runner as you get when it comes to "buzz" So many letdowns a have tamed the city when it comes to getting excited about their basketball. To be honest the Rockets haven't been convincingly better than the Clippers in this series yet. Wednesday's win was more about the Clippers bad play than the Rockets. Still turning over the ball and still letting Blake Griffin make you his b****. Now if we steal on in LA and keep the other close I think game 5 will get the city going.
I did notice that there was less Rockets fans at the local Buffalo Wild Wings I usually go to watch the games. I agree, I think it had to do with that stinker in Game 1 Round 2. I don't really care if the so-called fans don't show up at my favorite watering hole for the games. I guess it has to do with the whole bandwagoner/ fairweather mentality that is associated with Houston sports. I remember 3 years ago when the Rockets were stuck in mediocrity there would only be a handful of guys at the BWW watching the games. Then the Rockets have a stellar season and all these "fans" came out and there were no tables at the BWW.
Let me ask you this: Was there buzz in 2009 when the depleted Rockets to the Lakers to 7 games? I think yes. Now compare both squads. One of the things that disgust me most with pro athletes is lack of fire, thats why we love JJ Watt so badly. We need this kind of leadership, passion and fire: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V5tV9LKFJWs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hb9CWnqaASQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9UbROQUsHNY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
You have to realize - a lot of new Houstonians are expats from other locations of the country. This is due to the great economy in the greater Houston area. But you must also realize that just this season, majority of folks could not watch local broadcast of the games. So of course, there isn't much excitement when you consider these limitations.
I went out to a bar for Wednesday's game just off Lake Conroe and only 2-3 other people were actually closely following it. The rest were carrying on or just casually watching it. I live north of the Woodlands, I guess I need to travel farther in to find a decent place to watch the game. There is definitely no buzz for the games especially when compared to a big Texans game.
Completely agree. That was the last time I felt it so far as the Rockets are concerned. It is a combination of factors not the least of which is the media "blackout" that has been a consequence of ditching Fox Sports SW for Comcrap. Thanks again Les for screwing your fans. Now Root Sports still has a relatively small viewing area compared to the "old days."
Just win and the buzz will come. It's like every other sport/city. I remember back in the 90s after the championship runs I would see billboards saying Believe It! and the Bank United's gold dome near the Summit would be covered with a plastic sheet that made it look like a basketball whenever the Rockets were in the playoffs. Those days could come again if the Rockets win.
game 1 really took it out of the city...a win tonight and I think you will start feeling that buzz in the air
I have to admit that this year's team doesn't elicit the same playoff passion as in years past. I don't know why. Maybe it's because our expectations have subtly shifted that much? Getting out of the first round is no longer a monumental milestone. But part of it is that underdog effect. The '09 team was easy to get behind. Every bounce that didn't go our way, I was upset. This team, most of the bad bounces feel self-inflicted.
Not just game one, but the unconvincing manor in which they won game 2. It feels like the Rockets are just waiting to be eliminated and not a real threat. Hopefully we make a statement in LA, that will get fans back on board. I'm not a give up easy guy, but even I have to admit the wind is a little out of my sails at the moment.
I'm trying to think of good reasons why... but I can't really think of anything. You are right that I don't feel the same buzz, but I can't figure out why.
Ppl are worried about dying on their commute to work and then losing their shale oil jobs They don't have time and energy to be excited about fun things like Rockets basketball
I have a theory about the power of sports radio. The average fan (the primary generator of "buzz") is going to get excited not just by wins but also because they are "supposed to." What I mean by that is, when the bandwagon starts rolling, they'll hop on. This is where sports radio comes into play. If folks are driving to work and have to listen to talk about adjustments or poor effort after a loss, they won't give a damn about the team. On the other hand if they wake up to talk of dominance or inspired performances, they'll buy into the hype. This is why I think a game 4 win (on Sunday) is even more important than game 3 (in terms of generating buzz). If people are able to wake up Monday morning and drive to work while listening to talk of our resilience, domination or whatever after a victory, I guarantee people will be more excited for the prospects of the series/team. In other words, I agree with you guys saying a game 1 loss was so detrimental to the buzz. All the Monday morning hype was rendered useless by Tuesday.
I agree we've lost something as a city. I do not agree that it has to do with the team's makeup or attitude. It's a function of something else. I think the Howard Rockets are the best team we've had since the city got a taste of the NFL Playoffs. Since then... different landscape in Houston.
I shouldn't have watched the "Bad Boys" documentary on ESPN last night. It was so exciting to see those old films of the Pistons, Lakers, Celtics fighting it out (literally) in the playoffs. The crowds were near hysterical. I know the rules have changed, but still looks like serious "sports fun." There was such anticipation before every game.
There was a buzz at the game Wednesday night. People were standing for almost the entire 4th quarter. People won't get interested until something extraordinary happens. 3rd round of playoffs. 22 game win streak etc... The astros won 10 in a row recently and nobody cares...yet.