Think about it. Do you really want the Lakers in the first round??

Not if Karl Malone is healthy. Everyone forgets how well that team started out, and everyone forgets the Rockets haven't played them at full stregnth. Karl Malone adds a lot more to that team than people give him credit for. Shaq finally has a legit big man to help take preassure off of him on the inside. Shaq has never played with another solid big man.

 

Forget Mailman, we just brought in a same size/age veteran!

 

I don't want the Rockets sneaking their way through the playoffs. I want to take on the biggest stars: Lakers first, then Sacramento and San Antonio. We will most likely go down in flames, but I don't want to be a wuss about it.

 

Don't make us root against the Rockets!

 

hahaha

I want the Rox to actually get past the second round. So I dont think a Rox / Lakers matchup will help us much.. Lakers is the most dangerous team in the NBA come playoff time.

I would prefer we match up with Minny beat the daylights out of them and build momentum to take on Shaq and the Lakers.. I would rather we move onto the second round with a chance to play Shaq which will be much more exciting..

you know I dont care who we play in the first round.. if we stick to our gameplan and focus the offense around Yao it will be time for an upset!

J

 

We got Spoon, Mo Taylor and now Charles Oakley in the power foward position, thats great rotation. Lakers, all they have is Karl Malone. I think the Rockets could take them.

 

Yes, let's face, beat, and trounce them in the first round, and send the Fantastic Four to the Negative Zone.

Seriously.

I live in Los Angeles, so I have the benefit/misfortune of seeing a lot of Lakers games in Los Angeles. I am obviously a Houston Rockets fan, and a die-hard one at that.

Anyway, I've noticed that the so-called "Fantastic Four" - the Lakers are not as good or as imposing as people think. My theory is: Kobe's off-court problems have worn down the team psychologically. The abilities of the Lakers seem to have been clouded. Shaq seems less dominant to me. Even "the Glove" Gary Payton has exhibited poor ballhandling and decision-making at times. Karl Malone HAS NEVER been on the injured list.

He had great resiliency until he signed with the Lakers. They are a potentially dangerous team, but I cannot realistically see the Lakers going all the way. If the Rockets face the Lakers, I believe we will take them 4-2. If the Lakers get past the Rockets, and THAT'S A BIG IF, they'll have to go through Minnesota, Sacramento and/or Spurs.

The LAKERS WILL NOT GET THROUGH.

Their reign is over. It is time for ours to commence once again.

 

Honestly, I dont really care all that much who we face in the 1st round. I just want us to REACH the playoffs. If we can get even win one game or two that would be great. But this team needs to grow, and getting INTO the playoffs is the first step.

 

Who's going to give us The Shot? Man, it gives me goose bumps just thinking about that '86 series.

 

Yes, I really want the Lakers in the first round.
There are a few reasons...

First, the last time the Rox were in the playoff, it was the Shaq/Kobe Lakers that knocked us out. Back then, The Rox were the old veteran team with Dream, Scottie, and Charles, and Lakers were the up and coming team under Phil. Now, Lakers became the old verteran team, and Rox are the young up and coming team with a new coach Jeff. So if I am not calculating wrong, according to Cheung Sing Fung's "The Cycle of the Stars and Heavenly Bodies", 4 years is a cycle, then this time it would be the rox who beats the Lakers.

Second, the Lakers are still the People's champion, even though Spurs are the title holder. Even if Rox don't win it all this, if they can beat the people's champion, or just give them a tough series, then eventually one day when the rox becomes champion... then we don't have to hear stuff like... well they never beat or face blah blah blah (ie the Bulls with jordan).

Finally, I want to see Yoa goes against shaq in a series... that will really improve Yao game. It would only help Yao in the long run. Yao would steal shaq's mojo.

 

Best argument I heard is that a matchup with the Lakers would be superb for Yao's growth. I agree strongly with this, although the matchup still seems unlikely to me.

One thing about Yao is that, when he decides to play well, he rarely does otherwise. So when he can concentrate on a series, and pick apart his opponent, I think he'll be Hakeem-like in improving for the playoffs.

 

Sane: wasn't arguing with you. Only with the contention that we're 'locked in 7th.' I think we'll almost definitely be 7th, but 6th isn't impossible. (I've looked at the other schedules plenty. Give me a little credit.) Two weeks ago I wouldn't have predicted Memphis' loss to Seattle last night, and I certainly wouldn't have predicted our 5 game win streak (incl the win over MEM). I'm not saying it's likely to happen -- only that it's both possible given the math and plausible given the unpredictability of the NBA. We're only 2 games back and I think we've got about 16 to play.

Still, I'll take the Wolves in round one in hopes of a round two. But I definitely hope we get the Lakers at some point. Those are the most exciting games we play and I'd love to have seven (or six or five -- I won't even entertain the possibility of four) in a row.

 

from Easy:

Goose bumps, oh yeah. That shot was impossible - twisting, falling backward from what, 28 feet? Too sweet.

 

Why should we be afraid of the Lakers? We've got Charles Oakley...

 

i hate playin against Kobe........

 

Actually, Kurt Rambis was the interim coach that year after Del Harris was fired. Phil Jackson was hired in summer '99, then the Pippen fiasco broke lose, "I want to be reunited with Phil, et cetera."

 

Honestly, I don't really want any of our possible first round match-ups with maybe the exception of a Memphis team with as little playoff experience as Houston has. I think you'll find when the playoffs come that the Lakers, Spurs, and Kings play at an exceptionally higher level than the Rockets' best effort and you might be able to add the Wolves and Mavs to that list as well.