We are 8-0 against teams below 500 and 3-6 against teams above 500. For comparison we won 40% of the games last year against teams over 500. However we lost more against bad teams.
The Rockets would have to approach their 2014-15 win total for D'Antoni to have a prayer. And even then, it'll probably go to someone else. If they had a comeback coach of the year award, he'd be a shoo-in.
So no credit for all of the .500 or better teams the Rockets have beaten? No credit for having a top 4 Western Conference record despite having 11 of their first 17 games on the road? No credit for beating SA, NYK, UT or POR on the road who would all be play-off teams today?
MDA is the only one of the 4 to take over a team that made the playoffs last year.... so I would expect him to have the better record of the 4... at least at this point...
So you are saying this team will make it to the Western Conference Championship series? Just like the 2014 / 2015 season? A team that had the 2nd best record in the Conference? A team that won the Southwest Division?
Not to mention 6th best point differential in entire league despite 11 away games. 4th in the West No matter how you slice it, a 7-4 away record is bigly. Both of those indicators are proven predictors of playoff seeding Everyone here knows Rockets are outperforming all November predictions ,,, and with Bev out for most of it and DMo all of it
I think you might be in luck, the Rockets are currently on pace to win 53 games after starting the season with 11 of its first 17 games on the road. Thats pretty close to the 56 games they won in 2014 / 2015.
So now exceptions are that he should absolutely coach the Rockets to the play-offs? Just a month and a half ago the Rockets were supposed to struggle to a .500 record and be lucky to get the 8th seed. So if the Rockets are on pace for a top 4 play-off seed after the all star break are people going to spread the narrative that it was expected all along? Expectations for the Rockets entering the season were exceptionally low. If MDA coaches the Rockets to a top for 50+ record or even a top 4 seed in the play-offs he should be judged appropriately and not as if it was expected all the time.
But that's not gonna cut it with the way some other teams are playing. The Rockets would have to win close to 60 games for D'Antoni to get serious consideration.
Hell yeh they SHOULD make the playoffs.... The narrative was that Dwight was this huge cancer that got extracted... then we added guys that are supposedly suited to supporting Harden (EG, Ryno)... why would you expect the team to regress? I would hope that MDA could outproduce JB Brewerstaff... I don't have high hopes for the season... I think we will beat the lower level teams, have a respectable record, get in the playoffs at the 6-8 seed and get blown out like last year.... If we finish in the top 4 of the west - I'll give MDA props as overachieving in the regular season... win a playoff series and I'd call his first season a success...
So winning in San Antonio doesnt count as bigger competition? Neither does winning against Portland twice or Utah? both teams that before the season started were supposed to be better than ours according to most people?
McHale should have won COY that season. And then he got shafted 11 games into the next season. Just shows you how meaningful these things are.
My take on MDA being a good coach: http://www.chron.com/sports/rockets...h-D-Antoni-supports-Corey-Brewer-10619541.php Though Rockets guard/forward Corey Brewer has struggled badly with his shot, going 0-13 from the 3-ppoint line in November going into Wednesday's game, Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said Brewer is doing enough things well to ride out a shooting slump. "Just trying to help him," D'Antoni said. "I've been there. A lot of guys have been there. He just needs to get some confidence somehow and keep playing and it'll work out. "I don't have any problems with Corey. He puts everything into it on the floor every play. Good things usually happen for good guys. He's been a great guy. We're sticking with him. I think he's a positive for the team whether he's in a shooting slump or not." _____ My additional comments of the effect of MDA's confidence in Brewer: This article is from November 16th. Here are Corey's stats since that game over a 7 game stretch: 6.9 points per game, 59% from the field, 45% from 3pt range, 2.9 rebounds, and that comes in about 14.5 minutes a game. It's not amazing, but there is a positive difference. He's shooting 46% overall for the year and 25% from three for only 4.8ppg. That is coaching a guy out of a slump.
