Next year: Can the rockets make it to the WC finals?

great quote....

 

that the Rockets gave the 15th to Memphis and really wanted LeBron James.

 

02/03 Make the Playoff
03/04 W/c Finals
04/05 NBA FINALS and Champions

Francis- Simon-Norris
Mobley-Dixon
K.T.-Nachbar-Rice
Taylor- Griffin
Ming-Cato I/R Torres-Collier
javascript:smilie('')
cool

 

2001-2002 Season

Portland L13 L1 L9 W7
1-3

LA Lakers L16 L24 L6 L1
0-4

Seattle W2 L30 W3 L18
2-2

San Antonio L24 L2 L10 L4
0-4

Dallas W3 L4 L6 W27
2-2

Sacramento L27 L23 L5 L36
0-4

Utah L4 W3 W7 L4
2-2

Minnesota W1 L6 L10 L2
1-3

Total:
8W vs 24L (this includes the tanking too...)

12 losses by 6pts or less.

w/o MoTay, w/o Francis, w/o Rice, w/o Yao

Are they collectively worth 6pts? What seed would we be if we are 20W 12L against the West's PLAYOFF teams?

here we're talking about the strongest teams in the NBA (who've basically steamrolled the rest of the league) and they were coming to the Laptop scared.

Utah, Seattle, and Portland are falling apart.
Minnesota is moving east.

That leaves Dallas, Lakers, Kings, and Spurs.

We split with Mavs last year. We should be able to beat them with Yao's defense.

We had two losses to Spurs by 2 and 4 respectively. I would say a center (and Griffin) who can stop Duncan should change that?

That leaves Kings and Lakers (the Kings worry me more than the Lakers). Call me optimistic, but hey I say with confidence, and another year of gelling and experience, we can give them a serious run for their money.

come on! you're all rockets fans (or why are you here?)! if even we ain't got the faith, how can we expect anything but mediocrity from the team?

 

The Rockets will take time to gel. That is why we can't expect more than 5th or 6th seed at best. However...

With a decent center combo we have a great chance to beat any of these teams:

Twolves: not getting any better
Mavs: we played them even last year with Cato and no 3
Phoenix: just not a really good team
Seattle: both the frontcourt and backcourt will be better than theirs
Utah: too old
Spurs: one-man team getting older and less athletic
Clips: dangerous, but still young? they frighten me
Blazers: chemistry and age limit them
Lakers: we will have the perfectly designed team to beat them
and last....
Sac Kings: will destroy us for one more year, esp. with Bibby's new level of confidence

In my mind, one thing stands between us and a possible miracle run to the finals - someone else must beat the Kings for us.
I also don't believe that we could take the Lakers in the first round. We would need one round to get our playoff mojo going before facing the Lakers. Then we might have a chance.

Because there are two teams in the top 4 that would beat us easily in the first round if we drew them, we absolutely must try to somehow get a 4th seed or better. I hope the team will be driven enough to do this. If both Griff and Ming are threats enough to prevent double teams on our backcourt or Rudy's trapezoidal offense can be run, we will be a scary team on offense.

Defense is what worries me.

 

I'm as big an optimist as anyone but I like to base my beliefs somewhat in reality... It will take us awhile to come around and that's assuming quite a few things fall in place.

1)Ming is the real deal and can take over the starting center spot from Cato.

2) Mo Taylor comes back healthy and in good shape and becomes that many of us believe he can be.

3)We somehow improve at the small forward position... either by trade or drafting an immediate impact player (longshot) or Rice comesback and plays at least as good as he did with the knicks (even longer shot)

4)Francis is cured of his Migraines...

5)Mobley continues to improve, Griffin bulks up a little and develops a consistent post up move, and also learns how to dribble, Moochie learns how not to dribble, or 15th pick is a contributing role player by the end of the season.

If all of those things happen then I think we have a legitimate at competing with the big boys... but I still think we would have lost too many games early on to break the top 4.

Also part on moving up in the playoffs is about experience. And we don't have it. So it would be difficult us for us in our first year back. We still might surprise somebody in the first round but not likely.

 

Yeah, but that assumes that Taylor wouldn't blaze up and eat the donuts first.

Back to your topic, whether or not the Rockets can make the WC Finals, I think if they shore up their defensive midfield and get good solid play from their keeper, they will have a good shot at qualifying from their region in '06.

 

Is it realistic to think Yao's impact to the Rockets will be as great as Duncan's to the Spurs?

 

i didnt want to read this whole thread, but i just wanted to make the point that the Kings are a better team than the lakers. or at the very very least equal to them. Its not a lock for the lakers to win four in a row. that series could have gone either way so hardcore. man....
anyway dont think of the lakers as all high and mighty i think the kings deserve as much respect based on that series.. so if you say the rockets cant copete with the lakers, at least say lakers/kings...in my opinion its kings.
what a crappy finals...
as for the rockets with ming getting to the WC next year. none of us can no for sure...chemistry and all that garbage has yet to be determined. but anything, ANYTHING is always possible. otherwise i wouldnt watch sports..

 

Only a handful of the current players is playoff tested. Among them Rice, Willis and Cato are not deciding factors. The key players have no playoff experience except Mobley. The muturity level of the Rockets is simply not there to beat the elite teams like Mavs, Kings and Lakers in their first playoffs appearance. Highly unlikely to the WC finals.

 

If the Rockets don't improve their defense, they'll be lucky to be .500. Ming will help in the middle, but they have a lot of guys who need to step up their effort and intensity on defense. The Rockets can be a decent or even good defensive team, but they have to decide they want to.

 

Yes.