Looking at the remaining schedules, looks like the hornets, dallas, suns, and utah will battle each other out and also play the lakers and san antonio some, so i see them losing as much as they win at best, which isnt going to let any of themthem climb the standings past #6. Denver's next 4 of 5 should be easy, putting them out of reach to lock up #2, SA prob will finish slightly above or at .500 in these final games, but with the lead they have now i doubt anyone will pass them, therefore locking in at #3. Houston and Portland both have the same number of tough games and easy ones, i see them going .500 and threfore staying at 4 and 5. Who gets which spot is should be a toss up. How do y'all think we'll do against them? Although i dont think they are clearly better than us, they are a scary blend of talent than can blow up any time. I have a bad feeling they'll play out of their minds just out of excitement and facing no real pressure, therefore sending Houston home again. That's just a feeling though, i think we should beat them if we finish with homecourt.
they are on a roll and Aldridge has been playing out of this world. I don't know if I really want to face these guys. I think Denver or New Orleans would be better. Brandon Roy, we have no idea what this guy will be like in the playoffs.
I was praying for NO, we'd probably sweep them or win 4-1 with homecourt...unfortunately they have a tough schedule and i dont see them climbing.
Yeah he scares me. He can either step up his game to scary good...or he can hvae problem with the pressure...or he can just be steady and translate his game. Also they are a really good home team, I like our chances against them though.
you know what I see when I see that young Portland team? this: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/r38vZJUkBMA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r38vZJUkBMA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
i'd rather face portland than utah, SA, or the lakers. i'd like to play NO or Denver. i think we'd have a good chance to beat them.
a must-win game for 1. it's not a right time to get a three straight loss and we have already lost two. 2. they may be our rival in the opening round. 3. we are playing at home this time.
I think face the Portland with the homecourt advantage is the best chance for us to get into the 2nd round...
I expect RonRon to shoot us out of the series and then everyone will compliment Ron on his grit and toughness, as well as maturity for not bumrushing any fans and punching them in the face. Yao will be roundly condemned for not being able to throw a pass into the post and then run into the low blocks to receive said pass from himself and then score. Aaron's atrocious entry passing will be spare because it will be Yao's fault. Also, Aaron's offensive spark (39% from the field) will be praised because he's a small guy that can dribble fast. (Aaron will obviously go 1 on 5 and get blocked or will roll the ball towards Yao's ankles, a la a soccer goalie).
It won't be a easy job for rockets to wipe out the Blazers who are also from NW, which also includes Utah Jazz that we lost in the past two years twice in a row, and the Blazers are damn good at home this season. It's OK if we can pocket every home game as long as we have homecourt advantage, but it's gonna be a terminal disease for rockets to lose even one home game, like we did in 07's game 7 against jazz. Maybe our team doesn't feel fit for the cold weather of Portland and Jazz, and that's just what I'm concerned about.
Many (not all) Rockets fans around here have been underestimating the Blazers. They are the best team in the league in close games (decided by 3 points or less) and they are the best team in the league on the offensive boards. They're extremely athletic and deep off their bench. They also have more than one go-to guy in the clutch. How many do we have, if any? The Rockets don't have enough offense to pull away from teams on a frequent basis, especially in the playoffs. That means in order to win we'll have to win close games. Given that Portland is excellent in close games, that doesn't sound like an advantage for us. Given that we struggle at times giving up offensive boards late in games and Portland is a great offensive rebounding team, that doesn't look good for us. Given that we struggle with athletic teams because of our relative lack of athleticism, Portland edges us here too. Our bench is deeper than in years past (assuming Landry makes it back), but we still aren't Portland-deep. Given that Portland has multiple players, led by Roy, that can score in the clutch, that doesn't tip the scales in our favor either. Yes, Portland is young and they struggle on the road but they have several advantages over us if we do meet in the playoffs, especially if they get HCA. Regarding their struggles on the road, they are 17-20 while we are 18-20. So we're both weak in this area and neither team has the advantage. The only clear advantages we have are that we aren't as inexperienced and we have Yao. Other than that, I can't think of much else in our favor. ------------- I still contend that the Hornets would be the best matchup for us in the 1st round. Any other opponent may be an uphill battle, including Dallas and Denver. People may laugh at the notion that the Mavericks will be a tough matchup but that team did make it to the finals a few years ago. They may not be playing at the same level as they were at that time but they still have Dirk, Terry and Howard... all players that have killed us over the years. Kidd may be getting old but he's gone deep in the playoffs several times. He still wins the PG matchup regardless of who starts for us. I'd rank our ideal matchups like this: 1. Hornets 2. Blazers/Mavericks/Nuggets 3. Spurs 4. Jazz 5. Lakers No matter how it plays out, it will be a struggle. We aren't dominant enough to roll through any series no matter where we finish in the standings.
i think the western conference team is pretty tight. Portland may be good cos of their lack of experience but anything can happen in the playoffs. heck even the possibility of dallas beating LA is there (which would be great cos i hate lakers). i think playoff time Yao and Ron should really step up. they should really finish the season strong....6-0 would be great. top priority should be getting home court, especially against likes of portland and utah, who plays really well at home.
The Hornets would be our best bet. It's too bad Portland won't be matching up with LA. They're the one team I think that can upset the Lakers.
Too bad it's near the end of the season and we still don't have a number one option. Besides the fact that we got a guy 7'6'' with pretty good offensive skills. The only thing I can say is no matter who we play in the 1st round may play a confuse team
well, jazz is last one rockets wann face up to in playoffs, cuz they are in symmetry when u watchin em in a mirror!!
Finishing 4th or 5th is a toss up series...it is why I get so pissed that the Rockets blew all those easy games this year..... The reason they have not been out of the first round is that they have not played any weak teams. You get the top 2 or 3 seeds and you play significantly weaker teams in the first round. DANG IT...EVERY GAME COUNTS !! DD
