Win or lose, no matter how much this hurts they played their hearts out. No Yao, no Alston, an undersized backcourt and all against a freaking juggernaut who will certainly contend for the conference title. T-Mac played like a superstar, he got tired in the 4th quarter but if it wasn't for his game we would have been blown out. AB is emerging and played quality minutes, Scola has NEVER played under this kind of pressure and we seem to forget that he's a rookie. Landry is merely a shell of the player he was before the injury and Luther just doesn't seem to have it. Free throws I can offer no excuse, but all in all, I'm disappointed in this series but I will never abandon this team.
Rockets fan since 79. I will never switch teams and will always be loyal to the team, no matter what happens I will be looking forward to next year. Please God no more key injuries to the key players on this team, this team has suffered enough.
I know what you mean, I am and will always be a die hard fan. It's not over, just keeping playing for wins and respect, and as fans we should stay supportive. Go Rockets!
I'll always be a Rockets fan, but they've got to trade Tmac and/or Yao. They've caused all the diehard and emotionally invested fans too much heartbreak since the beginning of the 03 season.
Oh yea........Cradle to the Grave.........From the grave to heaven.........From heaven to watching the rockets form the sky........ I love the Houston Rockets..............And would take a bullet for a Rockets t-shirt......... I have my anger moments.......But how could u not when u see things happin like this to a team u love.........U have to get something off your chest..... We will get a championship down the road........... And i will be on this forum to share it with yall And we will not make the playoffs down the road...... And i will be here in agony with yall......... Rockets Fan Forever
Brother, you are my best friend. We can do this, forget the haters, they were probably rooting for the Jazz anyways... Traitors.
Always proud to be a Rockets fan...I throw reality to the back burner for the sake of hope and optimism. This team should have won tonight but they did not and now have to somehow win a game in Utah. This is a difficult task but one I believe they can overcome. Things would have been much easier obviously if they had won tonight. We are just too decimated by injuries to compete with a team like the Jazz. If we were at full strength we would have killed these jokers easily. God, I hope Rafer's return gives us some sort of spark to ignite two road victories.
proud of the way we fought tonight. controlled the glass and didnt give up many offensive rebounds. t-mac played well and thats all u can ask for. the jazz are just flat out better.
They played tough tonight. They fought hard. Proud of them. The team has made great strides this season. 55 wins. A narrow loss tonight. They have not given up. I think there is a good chance they will be back in Houston for another game. One thing we know is that this team will have 3 more players to add to the guys who played tonight. Yao, Rafer and Steve.
The Rockets overachieved this season, so I wouldn't get upset even if they got sweeped. It's evident to me that they're trying with a large handicap, and that's all I could ask for as a fan. We have no starting point guard, we have an 80-year old center, we have a superstar playing at 30%, we have three rookies to rely on, we have a first-year coach, we have distracting cheerleaders..................I'm just glad we're not fighting lottery balls with the Knicks and Sonics right now.
This might get buried, as threads of doom and gloom, of "TRADE EVERYONE" come up. Hell, this post might not even be read in this thread, simply because I'm going to write more than an easily read sentence or two. This year, the Rockets have become my college team. They hustle, they fight until the very end even when overmatched, they cheer each other on from the bench, and they have amazing team chemistry and a home crowd that at least pretends to care (though is willing to leave early, even when there's a very good chance this is the last time they'll see the Rockets this season). They also make stupid mistakes like throwing away the ball, not catching easy passes, blowing layups, not hitting free throws, getting out muscled on the glass, and often standing around and watching their leader make plays until his shoulder falls off and his legs are jello. College basketball teams are flawed. ALWAYS. That is what makes the game so much more fun to watch; the fact that even the Bluebloods such as Duke and UCLA with rosters full of McDonalds' All-Americans can give up a 15-1 run and wilt under the pressure of a full-court trap, or some short Rhodes' Scholars from the Ivy League can play the game of their lives. But good NBA teams aren't flawed. They have some of the best and most skilled athletes in the world; eat, sleep and breathe basketball, and employ only the most mentally tough people in the world. Barring egregious refereeing, the best team will always win a 7 game series. The 22 game winning streak was the equivalent of winning the conference tournament ala Georgia this year. No one expected them to do it, and when Yao went out (or Georgia had to play 3 games in 2 days), everyone wrote them off. Now the Rockets have run up against their Xavier, a talented, under-exposed powerhouse. Just because Georgia went out in the first round doesn't diminish their incredible run just to get there. Georgia should be proud of their accomplishment, and so to should the Rockets. College basketball is about the experience of the game, of the constant struggle between effort and talent. Please, for your safety, sanity and enjoyment, appreciate the Rockets for what they are this year; a team that is overachieving and opening eyes. Appreciate that Scola is playing these games as if they are the finals, not that he's making rookie mistakes. Look at how easy Aaron Brooks makes penetrating a solid defense, and salivate at his potential for next year. Savor T-Mac's individual performances much as you would a Junior who's contemplating leaving for the NBA; you don't know how many more virtuoso displays of talent you will see again with this team. And most of all, be there for Deke; the graduating 17th year senior. Save the talk of '09, of referee bashing, or of cheapskate owners. Be proud of your team as it is; for if you are any sort of a fan, this special season, regardless of how it ends, should forever hold a place in your heart.
With Rafer and Yao we might still not be a contender - without them let's be honest, we aren't going to advance far in the west or at all. Those guys played their hearts out and it wasn't good enough. It's a talent gap that we can't just overcome - particularly when the other team is strongest at our two weakest positions. I can't be upset really because there simply wasn't anything we could have done more.
