Can they? Sure. Will they? The odds aren't in their favor right now. I love what this team has done so far, but if they have to beat both the Spurs and Warriors without home court advantage, it's just not going to happen. I think they need to climb to the 2 seed, bolster their depth at the trade deadline and (most importantly) stay healthy. That gives them the best chance, but even then, I wouldn't take this roster in a seven game series against the Warriors.
Does 80 percent of Clutchfans really think the Rockets will win the Western Conference Finals? These poll numbers are mind boggling.
repp for TMAC, obviously Billups havent seen the month of Dec cause we were number 4 in Def. also, we have won many games without the 3 ball falling not to mention we are Down a center and havent lost any back to backs. Tmacs got a point but i think we can make it to the WCF
Well said my friend. I agree with much of what you said: - Must bolster depth (@ 4/5 and 1; mainly 4). - Must remain healthy I'm not sure if it's necessary to get to the 2nd seed. I also think that the Rockets can KICK ANYONES ASS once we reinforce the #4/5. Frequently, I've seen NeNe not able to defend the driver off the pick n roll. Although he is a great asset, he is too slow. Additionally, I see Anderson not able to hold his own against the "true" 4s. I see Aldridge, Griffin and even Randolph giving us trouble in the playoffs. This is the main reason I want the Rockets to go hard on SERGE IBAKA. Another player, I think, fits well into our system is WILLIE TRILL CAULEY-STEIN. Adjustmenting the Interior with a big who can make up for Mr. Anderson's defensive woes and Rebounding, I think think the ROCKETS can win the west. With the addition of a big, that can not only DEFEND & REBOUND, but also PRESERVE ANDERSON'S ABILITY TO SHOOT 3s, then I think the Rockets WILL Win the 2017 CHAMPIONSHIPS. I say WILL because there is no other team in the NBA with that much depth. Although the Warriors have added Durant, the limiting factor in basketball remains the same: the ball can only be in one persons hand at a time. So, NO MATTER HOW BIG OF A SUPERSTAR you have on your team, at the end of the day, they become role players to whoever has the ball in their hand. I told my friends this for years: If we put shooters around Harden then we win. I think the Rockets have finally surrounded Harden with enough talent on the Perimeter to win.
not to mention that according to ESPN BPI, our D is a plus defense compared to the average league D. I think if we play like we did all Dec that +.3 will be more like +1
In my honest opinion - only with the intervention of injuries. However, there is great value in hanging around the pool mid-level contenders just in case someone important on a top contender blows a knee out.
If the Rockets sucked and were bad as we expected in the off season, he would have been talking bad about them. And he would be talking good things about the Raptors, and saying "My Raptors are getting out of the East". He's such a bandwagon.
I actually really like the idea of acquiring Ibaka. I think he can be a flexible third big who could play either the 4 or the 5 depending on the lineup, and he could provide that other defender the Rockets really need in the paint. But I wonder what Morey would have to trade to get him. And if they don't trade for him this season, what will he cost in the offseason? Because if you max out Ibaka, that's officially going all in. And based on Ibaka's disappearing acts in previous postseasons, I'm not sure he's the guy I want the Rockets to put all their chips in on.
I just want to scratch my eyes out when old school guys keep spouting the same cliches that have been proven to not be true. When Chauncey started that whole, "live by the 3, die by the 3" talk, I just turned off. The math very clearly disproves that outdated cliche. Teams that shoot a higher 3pt percentage are mathematically proven to correlate to win percentage and the numbers also prove the catch and shoot 3pt shot is only slightly less valuable than a contested bucket at the hoop. Just because something worked before teams got hip to the relative value of specific types of shots(now that they have all that sportsVU data), doesn't mean it will work now that teams are honing in on those finer points of the game.
I don't think we're likely to beat the Warriors, but... um... what? You think this year's Rockets would be *AT LEAST* as big of an underdog against the Warriors as last year's Rockets?
Or another way to look at it... You take his opinion seriously since he speaks the truth. Oh no.... a championship contender is judged as having a higher possibility of beating an inferior team. El OH freakin EL
