Older Rockets fans how memorable has this season been?

This team definitely has its unsung heroes like Brew, Smooth & even Bev. I just hope we have a strong playoff performance this year. If not it was s wasted season

 

The thing I remember most about the championship years is the team chemistry. It didn't seem like anybody had an ego that they put ahead of the team (except Mad Max at times). I'm starting to see that chemistry in this team, too. I hope they keep this team together beyond just this season so they can build on it.

Another thing that is similar to the 1990s Rockets is how we lose big leads, but usually pull things off in the end. Still, when the Rockets of the early 1990's were hot, they were literally unstoppable. I don't think I've seen this team catch fire like they would back then, but that may be because of all the injuries. I think the potential might be there; we'll see come playoff time!

One really big difference is that back then we didn't have any hack-a-Shaq players. These guys seriously need to work on their free throws.

I grew up in Houston watching the Rockets--I moved to Utah in 1996 for college but I continued to follow the Rockets closely until about 1999, around the time we got Pippen. (I never liked him). I've started following closely again over the past couple of years. I still live in Utah but I'll NEVER be a Jazz fan. I don't think anyone who was a true Rockets fan in the 1990s could ever like the Jazz .

 

It's all about the playoffs. If we lose in the first round the season won't matter much. We have to learn what it takes to win in the playoffs. The manner in which we lost last year should have taught Harden and Howard a lot. We'll see if they've learned from it.

People always talk about the titles but those teams learned together by losing in the playoffs. The Rockets lost a game seven on the road by three points against Seattle the year before they won the first title. If I recall Kenny Smith had a three at the buzzer that missed or we would have gone to overtime. That loss really stung. Of course they came out the next season on fire but I think they learned a whole lot from the playoff experience together the previous season.

 

This team is the best we've had since the championships.

If last summer I told you we would lose Parsons and not have Dwight for half the regular season (the only guy who showed up in the Portland series), and then told you we would be second seed in the the most competitive conference ever with six games remaining, you would have said I'm crazy.

How many different starting lineups have we trotted out there and still kept winning?

In the end of a tight playoff game, defenses clamp down so hard you can't run your bread and butter plays anymore. That's when superstars, elite one-on-one players step up, because the isolation is the safest, surest offensive set you can call with one minute left in a close game.

There's just two questions for winning the important playoff games:

- in the last two minutes, do you have the personnel and defensive scheme to get an important stop?
- in the last two minutes, do you have the go-to guy to get you that bucket you need so desperately?

When it comes to answering these two questions, in the entire league, the Rockets are in elite company along with GSW and Cavs (and OKC if Durant was healthy). In that sense, we are contenders.

Will our turnovers continue to hurt us? Yep.
Will our 3 point shooting continue to be streaky? Yep.

But if we defend well enough in spite of that to keep it close, we have what it takes to get the stop and a hoop, a stop and a hoop in those last two minutes. We've done it all year long, with god knows how many different starting and ending lineups.

 

By the way, if the present Rockets team played in last year's series vs Portland, we win in five or even sweep.

 

The good news is we don't have to get by the '81 Celtics.:grin:

But there are similarities with the Championship teams in that we have 1 super star and a strong supporting cast that extends through the bench.

As to memorable, yep this regular season is an equal to the best years. You get to watch the budding of a potential top player of all time. If Harden competes for a couple and wins at least one championship, he can approach Hakeem status, though he won't have the background story and college career in the same city.

The depth of the bench is really fun to watch. I love it when Brewer comes in like I loved it when Ellie came in. I've got more confidence in Josh Smith controlling a game than many of the past bench bigs because of his D, though he won't ever shoot daggers like Horry and Bull.

This team has had a "never say die" come-back ability equal of any, though they seem to fumblefart more first halves. Maybe I just forget doing that in the past because my lasting impressions of good Rocket teams are definitely about the 'fight'.

This has been entirely enjoyable experience since we signed Harden, really building something. But it will all be forgotten if we don't win in the playoffs, at the very least one series win and a competitive second round.

 

I was a fan during the years Rudy played, so I have seen more Rocket's basketball than most. The playoff teams with long runs had another gear for the post season. This was especially true of the championship years. Hakeem flipped a switch when the playoffs started and took his game to a surreal level. I haven't seen that with Harden yet. In fact Harden has seemed to "fade" during the second season. Last year, Howard appeared to come alive, but this year we have so many new players it is hard to predict. My greatest concern is the PG situation. We don't match up with anyone.

 

I turn 40 in August. I remember staying up late and watching Ralph Sampsons buzzer beater to beat the Lakers in '86. This season, like that one, will be remembered in 30 years if we advance deep into the playoffs. Great regular seasons aren't remembered as well as late playoff runs are.

 

Not hating here, but can people actually see us winning it all?
I just can't. I can only see us getting past the first round if under the right circumstances/matchup, but I would say most matchups favor us losing in the first round. Definitely can't see us beating the clips.

We lack playoff discipline. Players like Jones and Smith, while both have been great, I still think they have low basketball IQ and that hurts in the playoffs. Bad offensive plays can really hurt (Jeremy Lin against Portland). Ariza and brewer, again both been great, are just streaky shooters. If their shot is off, especially Ariza, we can suck. Don't know what to expect from Dwight, he just came back, but until he actually does what he plans to do on defense and rebounding every possessions, I'm hesitant to believe. And Terry and Prigioni are 37.

Yikes

 

This has been such an enjoyable thread...free of the usual rancor and negativism and nitpicking.

You can not dispute that the Rockets have lost more player days to injury than any other playoff team. That's a fact.

Further, at his peak, Dwight was certainly one of the very top players of the game and by far the best big man in the game. When DM signed him, I'm sure it was with the expectation and hope that D12 would regain that form that lead him to be feared by every team in the NBA. Sadly, additional injuries have precluded that...and in fact Dwight may never be the player he once was. That loss is huge and maybe not as great as loosing Durant, but without doubt it is huge this year and future years.

This team has found a way to win, in spite of all the injuries, while Thunder fans only make excuses while their team slips to the edge of lotteryville.

I'll never forget the magnificent play of this team under that adversity...the recent 4 games in 5 nights, for example. Its always great to be a Rockets fan, but this year its special, special indeed.

 

Pretty much this.
DD

 

WOW! I can see that you're a "glass half empty" fan, whereas I'm a "glass half full" fan. Don't get me wrong, I have several "AARRGG!" moments when they play; but my meals stay down.

Cocky - they're pro players on the big court, but not any more so than anyone else. Lazy & undisciplined - at times. What's the "gimmick" in our offense? As of this morning, Only 2 other teams have more wins than our "stupid ass offense". Which will only get better now that we're getting our rim protection back in game shape.

If you barely squeeze out 16 wins in the playoffs, then you are the champions!

 

this is how i feel. howard needs to step it up like he did last year against portland. from what ive seen this season, and i know he has been injured a lot, im pretty worried about our chances.

the younger players are going to have to step up and take it to the next level if they want to make a name for themselves. im with others, the regular season means absolutely nothing. its been a fun ride, but the 2 1st round exits we've had were not fun to watch...

 

The Dream was the summit of hoops.

Last year's edition reminded me a bit of the '86ers; this year's the '93ers.

I am hoping for the '94ers. But, there will be nada easy outs in the Left Conference.

And yes to this year's resiliency. That's kept a fan smile upon mine ugly face.

 

Fan since stockton ended our contending years. Best feeling i had for a team sinc3 the artest squad but infelt more confident with that artest squad.

 

I'm 23, I first started watching Houston Rockets basketball when I was 8 (those dark Steve Francis dribble till the shot clock went down to 1 every play days) but didn't really become a diehard till 04-05.

With that being said, I'd expected deep playoff runs every year since those Yao & McGrady years but with all those injuries and first round choke jobs, I've become somewhat used to disappointments.

There were 3 seasons where I expected a deep playoff run: 06-07 when we lost to the Jazz in 7; 08-09 when we lost to the Lakers in the 2nd round despite no Yao and McGrady so not really disappointed by that one; and last season, which I'm sure the bittnerness still lingers among all of us.

This year's team has shown great resilience and I truly believe that if Dwight plays like he did like he did against Portland last year and Harden keeps up his MVP level play while the Band of Brothers keep doing what they're doing that we're poised for a WCF run.

All in all, this has been one of my more memorable seasons as a diehard as I've seen a legitimate MVP candidate put on for our city day in and day out all year.

Sorry for the long post :grin:

 

Well said, and this is why I believe Harden is the MVP.

 

I've been watching since the Francis days, and this is definently as good as a team we have had since then. I am cautiously optimistic after witnessing Yao go down year after year. The most excited and most love I had for a team was McGradys 22 in a row team. Get out of the first round and this will be my new favorite team.

 

All our regular season wins have been necessary for the guys to build chemistry, to gain confidence in our system, and grow into their roles.

We may not be the best team, but we have a certain poise even when the other team is making its run. This team has the ability to come back because we can play different ways.

 

Is this the thread where we all date ourselves? I'm 35 in a couple of weeks. I remember watching the Rockets in the 80s. I thought John Lucas was the man. Big fan of him for some reason when I was little. And Sleepy Floyd. As a little guy I just thought it was cool that his name was Sleepy. I remember randomly meeting Ralph Sampson at the Foot Locker in Sharpstown Mall when I was maybe 7-8 and I was starstruck. I'd try to mimic Hakeem's moves at school. (Who didn't?)

1st championship was a roller coaster of stress and emotions. 2nd one really felt like we had it all the way for some reason. 2004 playoffs was tough cause we just didn't have enough. The 22-game win streak was probably the coolest feeling since the championships. 2009 was a gut punch, advancing to the 2nd round, really giving hell to LA only to have Yao's foot break again. So much bad luck between 95 and 2015. Even though we haven't had a huge streak, this season is as exciting as the 22 W streak cause we are playing at a really high clip and just like that historic streak, we've had to deal with so many injuries.
If we can all be healthy come playoff time, then I'll have a real good feeling about our chances this year, Golden State be damned.