For all you who agree with me--as I said 15 games into the season--that the Rockets will miss the playoffs, chime in. For those of you who think they will, lets have a debate. I stopped watching the rockets and watching the box scores because it's obvious the rockets can't compete with the rest of the western conference. The record says it all and the remaining schedule indicates another lottery year. Oh well, there's always next year right fellas?
Remaining schedule indicates another lottery year ?? With 23 games left in the season, even if we should continue our poor performances against the WC we won't miss the playoffs. 3 games v EC - even being generous to those EC teams it is hard to see us losing more than 1 of those. 2 wins 20 games vs WC - taking your line of hypothesising along current results we lose 12 games 8 wins that = 10 more wins Record: 44 wins 38 losses. That mark will see us in the playoffs at least as the 8th seed - possibly 7th. Why? Because the closest team to us is currently the Utah Jazz at 30-30. Specualating along current results sees them make the mark of 41-41 Other options include the Trailblazers (29-30) who have a worse conference record than us. Speculating along current results sees them finish 38-44 Supersonics (who tanned our hides today) are currently 5 games below .500 (our 9 games above might look pretty massive to them right now) - their finish (speculating along current results) 39-43 Now silentfan perhaps you can use some sort of reasoning to back up your ridiculous assertion that we face another lottery year? Who is it that is going to go past us?
No way you can argue with that silentfan. DrN, Thanks for saving me the time. This team will make the playoffs. If there was any hope that we wouldn't, DaDa would've made the bold statement by now.
You could have said the same thing about the rockets last year, using current trends to predict future wins and losses for the last 20 games of the season. What happened? A choke city performance that left them in the lottery. If I were you i'd err on the side of caution as I have, this team has shown that they are not a playoff caliber team, aside from the fact that portland traded away their team and utah lost their 2 hall of famers, and Phoenix decided to rebuild. When the dust settles, you'll see the rockets on the outside looking in, because they haven't earned their spot, and the teams you have mentioned have overacheved given their circumstances and will most likely overtake the rockets as they go into a long road stretch vs the west.
Is the first round pick the Rockets traded to Utah lottery protected? While I think the Rockets will make the playoffs, they're only one YM, SF, or CM ankle sprain from being in the lottery a 5th straight year. Raven
Sorry, not comparable. The Rockets are 9 games over .500 with 23 or 24 games remaining. Also, JVG will not have to step down due to cancer. Oh, and if he does, the assistant replacing him won't be so incompetent that Yao Ming will be alienated and the team will go into a season ending 3 game slump during which they'll struggle to shoot 30% from the field in games. Get serious. The Rockets are locked unless there's an unfortunate incident such as an injury or one of our players decides to shoot at his GF. We're assuming that we'll go 2-1 against the East and 8-12 against the West and that would get us into the playoffs. Show me on the schedule where you see this team performing worse than that.
To only get one more win that last season would be proof at how much this team needs a major overhaul.....
I guess you can predict a big meltdown if you want to, but I don't know why you would based on this season performance Comparing this season to last season seems iffy. I think you could make a case that the Rockets will be bounced quick once the playoffs start, but barring some really dramatic and unusual series of events, they'll make it in as an 8th or 7th seed. All objective data points to the Rockets making it in. Most of their losses this season has been against the play-off bound midwest teams, and the pacific teams Sacramento, and Seattle. Every other series they own or have broken even. I expect these trends to continue and given the fact that their are no tenth through sixth place western confernence teams playing significantly better than the Rockets right now, a sixth place finish is not out of the question.
So, you are referencing neither games nor box-scores? You're basing this opinion on -- what? -- the standings? Hearsay? Loyalty to your offseason predictions? You said if someone disagreed with you, they should debate with you. Dr N. took you up on the offer and you brought a knife to a gunfight.
Silentfan, tabling the fact that the Rox are in a much better position this year as opposed to last year, I will gladly bet you the use of your signature vs. mine for one full year that the Rox will make the playoffs. If they make it, I get yours, if they don't you get mine. If you believe this, you will take this bet.
Statistically, it looks like they will; but, it is not a lock. They are primed to lose four in a row, and, at the end of the week, they are likely to be 8th in the West. If Portland and Utah go on a streak and the Rockets nosedive, then all bets are off.
They don't deserve to be in the playoffs!! They are supposed to be a great Defencive Team, I just can't see it anymore!Francis is adjusting to becoming a Playmaker ,Rubbish! Francis does what Francis wants to do and is no longer about winning! Yao Ming is not an under the Basket type of Center, he is getting poor coaching.The Rockets are not a good Team when it comes to playing Team Basketball on a consistant basis.If they keep the same Team next season they will be last in the Mid West.