Houston Rockets 08/09: +60 wins team. We were in 14 victories in last December 29. With injuries, we won finally 55 games. Now we are in 20 victories. For 2009 we have already the offense, the rhythm, hopefully the backup center, the Barry, the Artest, and is expect that the health. McGrady will improve his physical status over the season, like he always does, and will become the great player of last playoffs. Team will be a basketball machine and we'll see some blowouts at the Toyota. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IzEAgmoPeG8&hl=es&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IzEAgmoPeG8&hl=es&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Please, stop criticism and take some optimism, let's help our team. We have been waiting for a decade, so get ready because now for sure, it's time.
I hope you're right but it's all up to mcgrady and right now we do not seem to play good with out artest in the line up
Yeah, we also went on a 22 game winning streak last season to win those 55 games. I don't think we could have done that again with this team. That's hard to do, especially with the way we were playing. Another thing, we had T-Mac, this team always wins when T-Mac is on the floor and at least 75% healthy. Yao can't lead us to 60 wins IMO, he's not even clutch, there are going to be some blowouts, but against mediocre teams. That's expected, I mean the Jazz blewout a team not too long ago at their place when they were injured. It means nothing though if we can't do it in the playoffs. As a ROCKETS FAN, I'm saying TODAY, we couldn't get out of the first round, not with this team. There's 3 things that we are missing in order to have success in the post season - 1) You need to have scoring, we're a team that scores below 98 pts (sad compared to other contenders) 2) Need a clutch player in the playoffs (like a Pierce or a Johnson or someone that can hit clutch shots, can't rely on Yao, he gets fatigued pretty easily, never really had experience with the shots anyways) 3) A true LEADER, who can bring you up when you're team is down and rally you back in or at least make you compete.
Another thing is, we already played 18 road games while only playing 13 home games. The other teams in our division only played 13 road games so it is reasonable to expect that we will separate ourselves from the rest of the division. (although we do have a 5 game road trip coming up, who the F made this schedule???)
I'm optimistic about the Rockets, but I don't think they'll quite win 60+. They would need to go 40-11 from here. That is exactly how the Rockets finished last year (40-11 from 1-1-2008 to regular season finale on 4-16-2008) but that included a 22-game winning streak. This year the Rockets have a different schedule... March in particular will be tough (two games in Utah, two against the Spurs, Hornets, Nuggets, Pistons, Lakers). In one week in March they have 5 games in a week, and they go home-road-home-road-home (crazy).
It seems yo have 0 trust in McGrady. Maybe this year he's in worst form ever, but every year he starts bad and improves over the season. Yeah, we had that 22 game winning streak, but we also finisihed with a 9-7 in the last 17 games. As was logical, team finally noticed Yao's injury. We have better team this year, to be a great team it's all on McGrady, and he will improve for sure. Clutch players? Obviously we knew since start of season that Yao is a great player to build around of but not a great finishing games. Thats why we have Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady, and players like Brent Barry, Scola, Battier, Brooks or Alston that will help us in playoffs. Other teams they need a player doing it everything, but we don't, because Adelman has built a very good offense with lot of options in which is easy to find a good shot. If Tracy is fine and we sign a defensive PF-C, we have everything to win anybody. We should trust in this team.
I may be wrong about this, but I believe they also have *yet another* four games in five nights situation coming up in January. This is one of the most brutal schedules I can remember.
True, but 21-1 or 20-2 streaks happen all the time with teams like us. And besides, when Yao went down we went on a 19-8 run, playing at almost the same clip we are playing now. If we can get hot at the AS break like usual I think we still have a solid shot at 60 wins.
So 9+7=16. I'm sure we can win 60... enough to reach the first seed? I don't know, but lets do our season and see who can follow our rhythm. Anyway, is nasty this permanent negativism, we have reasons to be much more optimistic.
I don't have any trust in McGrady because he's never been injured/lazy like this ever before. Look at him, he keeps going up and down, he was never like this in the past. What does 9-7 have anything to do with anything? I'm talking about 22 games without ANY losses, that's going to be really hard to repeat if we have injuries... About the Clutch part, it's not that way in the playoffs. Look at the playoffs, you have to have a creator then or a player than can make those clutch shots. McGrady is that guy but again, I don't think he is healthy enough to do that anymore. If he proves me wrong, more power to him, that's what I'm hoping for, but for NOW, we don't have one of those players. Role players cannot be relied on the playoffs to make clutch shots, not with this team, we haven't had much experience with it, you have to have a situation like Boston where you have 1 or 2 players to make those plays. Ron Artest isn't really one of those players, but he can create havoc and draw fouls. He's not a McGrady, if you know what I mean, he doesn't have that instinct to make clutch shots to win games or to create a play for someone. Obviously we can be better, but for NOW, we aren't so I'm standing by what I've said.
The Rockets can beat all those teams.....'when healthy'.<<<< Sigh.....thats getting so old to say now.
Yeah they CAN beat them, but we've said that early on and we've lost to some of them. Those aren't just handed out victories, some will be close but it comes down to execution, we haven't had any good execution games this season.
Man, you can't be that homeristic. We aren't the best in the west, even healthy, everyone knows that. We won't win every one of those games, injuries or healthy.
lulz. Anyway, reaching 60 isnt impossible but we have to improve our play for that to happen. We cant keep blowing teams out in the first half and let them come back in the 2nd..
Yep. 6th and 7th of January at Philadelphia and Boston followed by an off day and then to Oklahoma City for the 9th finishing it off at home against the Knicks the 10th.
