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We need to be either 2nd, 3rd, 6th or 7th when regular season ends

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by hotblooded, Apr 4, 2009.

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  1. hotblooded

    hotblooded Member

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    2nd and 3rd are definitely hard asks at this particular point in time, especially with our remaining schedule.

    My question is, should we try to place ourselves in a good position for the post season instead of trying to win as many games as possible if getting into 2nd or 3rd place becomes unfeasible or less likely?

    Hear me out.

    Assuming we can't get 2nd and 3rd and we get either 4th or 5th. Even if we make it past the first round, we are going to face the lakers, and at this particular point in time, I dont think we stand much of a chance. And I am not trying to count my chickens before they hatch.

    Sure 4th seed land us the homecourt advantage, but homecourt probably mean less to us than some of the other teams such as Utah who are comparatively more dominant on thier homecourt.

    Now, if we dont get home court advantage, I still think we would fare pretty well against the likes of Denver or even Spurs for the 1st round even without homecourt advantage, if we win, we will consequently play the winner of the other round (not LA) in the 2nd round.

    At this particular point in time, I think that it's more important to place us in a spot where we have a more favourable opponent than to try to win as many games as possible. If we ended up in 4th place, even if we make it pass the 5th placed team, we will be heading into certain doom and I for one, do not want to see the season end like that.
     
    #1 hotblooded, Apr 4, 2009
  2. steddinotayto

    steddinotayto Member

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    As Herm Edwards said eloquently, "You play to win"

    I've never heard of any team wanting to lose home court advantage just because "it looks more favorable". If you take care of your home court, you basically need just one win away from home to win the series.
     
    #2 steddinotayto, Apr 4, 2009
  3. djohn2oo8

    djohn2oo8 Member

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    If the right matchup comes along, then I wouldn't mind Rockets playing on the road to start the series. The best possible matchup would be to face the hornets, but I believe that rockets end up facing portland with the #4 seed.
     
    #3 djohn2oo8, Apr 4, 2009
  4. professorjay

    professorjay Member

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    Be careful what you wish for.

    We could end up in 6th or 7th against SA w/out homecourt. That's far worse than being 4th w/ homecourt against Portland. I'd rather be in control rather than roll the dice.

    There's no point in planning for the 2nd round if we can't make it out of the first round.
     
    #4 professorjay, Apr 4, 2009
  5. rpr52121

    rpr52121 Sober Fan
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    my only response is that this organization has not won a playoff series in 10+ yrs. Plus even if this team was playing more fluid and with better execution we were never going to win a championship this year.

    Could we beat Denver or San Antonio as an underdog...possibly. But I would rather go against New Orleans or Portland with HC, because I we need to get to the 2nd round.

    Yes you have to take advantage of any opportunity, esp getting to the western conference semi's or finals, because they don't happen often, but lets first worry about breaking this curse.

    (Plus, your forgetting they will be likely try to bring Bynum back into the mix by the western conference playoffs to "improve their defense." Odom didn't play well off the bench/less minutes, and 2 7 ft's in their starting lineup slows down their tempo which would be good for the Rockets.)
     
    #5 rpr52121, Apr 4, 2009
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  6. Cannonball

    Cannonball Member

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    You're worrying about a 2nd round matchup for a team that hasn't won a playoff series in a decade. How about we try to get the most favorable 1st round matchup we can and worry about the 2nd round only if we win. Dropping to 6 or 7 in an effort to avoid the Lakers won't matter much if you lose in the first round due to lack of HCA. Our priority needs to be getting out of the first round and having HCA vs Portland at #4 gives us a better shot at that than not having it vs San Antonio or Denver.
     
    #6 Cannonball, Apr 4, 2009
  7. JayGoogle

    JayGoogle Member

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    I agree with avoiding the Lakers, but I don't agree in dropping Home-court to do it.

    We finish our season strong and we avoid the Lakers by getting 2nd or 3rd seed. That's how I want to avoid the Lakers.
     
    #7 JayGoogle, Apr 4, 2009
  8. JLEW1818

    JLEW1818 Member

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    the 2 or 3 seed is what we need.
     
    #8 JLEW1818, Apr 4, 2009
  9. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    +1000. This is what I've been saying.
     
    #9 napalm06, Apr 4, 2009
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