How could we not make the playoffs with this schedule: at Min - Win Cleve - Win Atl - Win Por - Win Sac - Win at Cle - Win Mia - Win at NO - Loss Chi - Win Was - Win Mem - Win Den - Win Ind - Win at Dal - Loss NO - Loss NJ - Win at Atl - Win Cha - Win LAL - Win Bos - Win at NO - Loss at GS - Loss at Pho - Loss Sac - Win Min - Win at SA - Win at SAC - Win at Por - Win at Sea - Win at Lac - Win Sea - Win Pho - Win at Den - Loss at Uta - Loss Lac - Win That's 26-8 for a record of 53-28. Go ahead pessimists try and rock my world.
No need, really. You have the Rockets, a team with a 12-9 record at Depth Perception Arena, going 19-1 at home the rest of the way. Good luck with that.
at Min - Win Cleve - Win Atl - Win Por - Win Sac - Win at Cle - Win Mia - Win at NO - Loss Chi - Win Was - Win Mem - Win Den - Win Ind - Win at Dal - Loss NO - Win NJ - Win at Atl - Win Cha - Win LAL - Win Bos - Win at NO - Loss at GS - Loss at Pho - Loss Sac - Win Min - Win at SA - Loss at SAC - Win at Por - Win at Sea - Win at Lac - Win Sea - Win Pho - Win at Den - Loss at Uta - Loss Lac - Win A bit different but still 27-8 for a record of 54-28 overall. And all of those losses are winnable games........as are some of our wins...btw.... They should win every home game from here on out. DD
I prefer to go game by game, but i don´t think Portland, Cleveland, San Antonio and Phoenix are easy games, at least i would say that those games could easily get us 2 looses that won´t be "unexpected" from my point of view. i think finishing with a 50-31 record is a fair bet. (i also think this record will get us the 8th seed)
I don't think its really depth perception.. I think its how tight the rims are. I saw so many balls bounce in watching the pistons yesterday it was unreal. They never bounce on the rim and go in at the TC But yeah,agreeing with clutch, I think that your at home picks are a wee bit optimistic.
The Rockets have lost to the Mavericks (twice), Warriors, Jazz, Lakers, Suns, Hornets, Magic and Sixers in our own building. It's not exactly a place where they dominate. I'd love to see them go 19-1 at home the rest of the way ... that just seems like unrealistic expectations to me.
I don't disagree Clutch, I just think they need to start protecting their home court and now that they have their rythmn & chemistry, I expect vast improvements for the home court. DD
beating the kings twice????? I am not sure about that, we always go to 2 OT before the game is over against these guys.
You don't disagree that your own statement represents "unrealistic expectations"? It's funny... individually I pick the Rockets to go 4-0 on their upcoming homestand, but I really think they'll probably take 3 of 4. Which one they will lose I couldn't tell you. But we may be underestimating the Cavs, Hawks, Blazers and Kings -- never mind the Suns, Lakers and Celtics later on. Hope I'm wrong though ... I would love to see them go 19-1. I'm just not going to go ga-ga until they have an established rotation and start knocking off contenders.
Min has won 5 of their last 7 games. They've scalped Golden State and & Suns in that run. Cleveland were 11-3 in January. Atl's athletism could trouble the Rockets. Kings have Bibby back.
OK , I admit I am the pessimist- 47-50 wins seems makeable if they stay healthy I will say at this point they finish 21-14. And nab the 7th seed. All those 10 game win streaks and 6 game win streaks sound good, but I'm not sure TMac is going to stay tip top and there may be a rookie wall or two still out there... I think 48-34 would be a fantastic finish and get a 6-7 seed.
You mean like San Antonio twice? Or Phoenix in Phoenix? Or Golden State? Or the Lakers? Or Detroit? Or....well you get the drift. The team is coming together and IS beating the big dogs, heck they play harder in those games than they do against the crap teams. I see a much greater sense of urgency on this team right now, and I think the energy the rookies bring is permeating to the veterans. Personally I thought it would come more quickly, but am glad it is finally here, and it is that lack of chemistry and cohesion in which I blame the bad home losses to this point, I expect those to stop, especially now that Adelman has so many options on the bench and has not hesitated to play whomever is doing well.....regardless of their veteran status....very refreshing. And yes, I know 19-1 or 20-0 is unrealistic, I just believe they should be favored to win them all....and think their struggles at home were related to injuries and chemistry and those 2 things are sorted...for now. DD
A bit overly optimistic, yes, but I certainly believe the Rockets can and will finish strong. 19-1 at Home is probably a bit of a stretch. I think we'll probably drop a few unexpected games/tough games at Home, but still finish with an overall good Home record.
I would like to think a 50-win season is still very possible. What's scary is that there might 6 50-win teams in the West this year. Unreal.
That is the one thing I did not count on...the rise of the Lakers and Hornets and Portland.... Those 3 teams grew faster than I expected. But, I do think the west is wide open, anyone could win it. DD
I support your optimism as long as Yao or Tracy don't get injured. I mean, when does that EVER happen?
Yes, the West is quite ridiculous. Then you look at the East and it seems to be getting worse, or at least the gap is widening much more. The fact teams like Indiana, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc. have a legitimate shot of making the playoffs is just pathetic. What really makes me laugh is a lower seed, NJ in this case, can go 2-8 their last 10 games and still be the 8th seed.
