[SportingNews] These Rockets will come back to Earth

Meaning, not superhuman, but a human in superb condition.

 

Stan,

I'd venture to say at this point your inbox is probably flooded with hate mail from Rockets fans but i'd like to make a point in defense of the Rockets, if you care to read.

I'd compare idea of the Rockets advancing in the post season to the Cavs of last year when LeBron single-handedly beat the Pistons. How often would you say a team with 5/6 best players in a series ends up losing? That's precisely what happened. Why? The Cavs played excellent defense, rebounded well and had a superstar leader to quarterback games and make things happen.

Enter the 07-08 Houston Rockets: a team that carries those exact same ingredients. Defensively, they're dominate in every statistical category there is. T-Mac, while not the player LeBron is, plays the role of scorer/facilitator very effectively just like LeBron does. He makes his teammates better and is hungry to shed the playoff monkey. Regardless of his record in the playoffs he is a proven winner that plays smart and knows how to win.

Just like the Cavs were able to do last year, the Rockets are able to slow down the game and force their opponents to play their style of basketball. They have proven they can beat the halfcourt teams. They have proven they can slow down the uptempo teams. They have proven they can copy perhaps San Antonio's biggest strength: their ability to put the clamps down in the 4th quarter and not allow the opponent to score.

The Cavs used this exact same strategy to beat a team they were clearly overmatched with on paper. What happened? Exactly the opposite of what your dozens of scouts, players and insiders would have predicted. Just like those experts would have cried, "BLASPHEMY!" had you predicted the top four teams out West would have been Houston, LA, Utah and New Orleans over perennial powerhouses San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix.

You can only know so much before you start ignoring the unpredictability of the sports world. You should believe in this team. Yeah, they're a little vulnerable without Yao but just as i've pointed out: stranger things have happened. As a basketball journalist, you should be well aware of this.

 

True, but what I'm going to hate even more is when we get eliminated in the first or second round, this board will be as pathetic as it was after losing to Utah. Yeah, we can win a championship without either Yao or Tracy. This board is delusional.

 

I agree

but Kanye ain't great and he wasn't he first to make that statement...he just said it in emonics.

But I agree

 

eboincs...damn...tryin to dis and busted myself.

damns

open for a shot

be gentle

 

Ebonics..damn keys...foiled again

 

Yes, the headline is true Capt. Obvious! I totally expect the streak to continue indefinitely...pfft!