I think best scenario is rockets get either 2 or 3 and okc stays at 4 or 5. this way okc plays gsw and hopefully the winner has to go game 7 and is worn out against the rockets in the western conference championship. 1 seed could mean having to go through both gsw and okc
We easily have the longest streak in the Association at 9 games. The nearest to us are the Clippers and the Spurs, each with 5 in a row and several games behind us. Let's make it 10 in a row. That's a nice number. Then let's move past 10 and into the sunlit uplands. We have to be making the 2 teams ahead of us very nervous. The two behind us look like they'll be fighting for the 4 spot, and that's puts us in a good spot. I'm overdoing my optimism, but I'm feeling kind of optimistic right now. Let's keep it going.
yes he's better than gordon, but tucker has been playing like a boss too. He's not better than both of them.
Playing down to the competition before turning up the D in the 4th. Rockets seem to consistently mail it in during the 2nd or 3rd quarter.
And yet we get no hype from the media...... L.A. runs the media on the west coast, New York on the east coast. It's time that a third media hub opens up on the southern coast and what better big city for it to be in than Houston. One can dream.
I would like OKC to play Warriors in 2nd round and maybe dethrone them somehow. If not, maybe bruise them up a bit? Ideally would like the Rockets to avoid OKC too.
We own the tiebreaker against GSW too. That Nuggets game on the 29th could be huge, obviously a chance to make up ground, but also to clinch the tiebreaker with them too.
1-point victories against the Mavs will do that. Honestly though, it's due mostly to the early season struggles. Post All-Star Break, they have a 6.9 point differential.
fwiw: Morey's "Pythagorean Expectation" formula concurs. Predicting wins via Points For and Against (that famous formula from the picture of Morey), we should be .586 not .627... looking at 48 Wins vs current 51.4 win track. Spoiler: This Morey Formula Except updated to use 13.91 vs 14 as exponent. That formula should reduce the effect Pace (HOU has very slow Pace) has on creating higher scores and thereotically wider differentials/scoring gaps via more possessions. So, I don't think we can make a claim wrt Pace.
Extremely shaky start. Injury riddled middle with Harden scraping to get us through for wins. But. Since the all star break, when the team finally started to get healthy, the rockets are as followed. Ortg - 113.4 (5th) Drtg - 106.4 (6th) Net - 7.1 (2nd)
Why would you be more worried about OKC than GS? We're deeper and more talented.... If healthy, we would be favored to beat OKC If healthy, we would NOT be favored to beat the Warriors.