Time to play 'Devil's Advocate!' Not only are Houstonians good, knowledgable sports fans, but they are even better consumers. Behind Steve Francis' crossovers and Alley-Oops, Moochie Norris' buzzer-beaters, Cuttino Mobley's fadeaways, and Eddie Griffin's blocks and 3's, is a bad, and seemingly unorganized and undisciplined basketball team. The equation is simple: Bad basketball teams play bad basketball, and vice versa. So: 1. Houstonians, by and large, are expressing their opinions about the Rocks and their brand of ball. No matter how much you try to decorate a pile of manure, its still a pile of manure. The spectacular moves, game-winners, slick passes,... Hogwash! For every highlight-film play, there is a corresponding move (or 2) that makes one cringe, i.e. forced shots, bad passes, horrific breakdowns in simple defensive philosophy,... Houstonians know better, and can't be fooled by a few plays or by poor-to-mediocre teams. As knowledgable sports, by and large, they demand maximum effort and results, especially from those representing their city and communities. That's why the Rocks had trouble selling out a playoff-game a few years ago, why the Astros have historically had attendance problems, why Houston has turned its obsession to a team that has yet to play a game (the Texans). Therefore... 2. Why should anyone pay to see the Rocks? There are far too many quality entertainment alternatives in this city to drop $40-$60 per person to see a bad team play bad ball. It would be a terrible purchasing decision to do so. Why not use the $40-60 (not to mention parking fees) on some snacks, call up a few buddies, and tune into UPN20 or FoxSW, all from the comfort of your favorite recliner. Feel free to comment.
Good points! Yes, I checked and the Cavs tickets are significantly less than the Rockets tickets. It looks like you can get a lower level, midcourt seat for $58 in Cleveland. So, the Rockets probably have the worst quality-to-price ratio in the entire NBA. I agree about the location of the Compaq Center. I used to live in Katy, so it was definitely a pain going to the games. Plus, Houston's public transportation is terrible. Now, I live in the DC area, and all I have to do is get on the metro train, which has a station close to where I live. It takes me right underneath the MCI Center for a Wizards game.
I did not start this post to diss Houston or my beloved rockets. My college purchased a bunch of Rockets tix and are selling them for ten bones each. When they announced it, they asked who would be interested in buying some. I jumped at the opp and EVERYONE else looked at me like I was nuts. Crickets were going off in the background. Maybe I just feel like Rudy did back when he lead us to the first title. "Kids in Houston should grow up loving their Houston rockets." I enjoyed that brief stretch in the mid 90s when the Rox were in the forefront and want to see that happen again. All I can say is the biggest challenge is to correct Steve's headache and get healthy. The wins should come when we have more ammo.
