What makes the Rockets such a good team?

[Tacoma]

The Rockets have been one of the surprise successes this season. When they struggled early vs Clippers everyone doubted them. But, now that playoff series is tied with momentum in their favor.

What explains their success this season? It seems like a case where the sum is greater than the parts.

Let's consider the parts separately:

James Harden? Of course, he is a great player. But, clearly throughout the season and during this playoff series the Rockets have demonstrated that they are not merely being propped up by Harden.

Donatas Motiejunas? He was credited for some of their success this season, but he isn't responsible for their success against the apparent juggernaut Clippers.

Patrick Beverly? Seen as a solid defender, but he missed over 25 games this season and is out now.

Terence Jones? He played 33 games.

Dwight Howard? He player 41 games during the regular season.

Coach McHale? Some see him as a solid coach, but no one seems to think he is a top tier coach.

Josh Smith? He only played about 50 games for the Rockets this season.

Corey Brewer? Like Smith, he only played about 50 games for the Rockets.

Trevor Ariza? Well, he played 82 games, and is considered a solid defender. But, clearly he is a role player. Maybe underrated though?

Jason Terry? Actually, like Ariza one of the few consistent pieces on the Rockets. He did have a good year offensively off the bench. But, the Rockets have a top tier defense, and that's one area where he is not thought of as a contributor.

Daryl Morey? Hmm.


Anyway, an interesting an inspirational story, but I have no idea why.

Anyone who watches them on a regular basis feel they can explain their success to the rest of us?

Or the Rockets are not such a good team and it was the Clippers who choked and lost the series. They were up 3 games to 1 and leading 92-75 after 3 Q of game 6 then gave up 40 points in 4th Q of with Harden on the bench... WTF!? Major choke. They would've lost against Memphis.

If the Rockets don't up their game, I don't see them getting past GSW.

[El Turco]

last 4 doesnt mean top 4 teams in playoffs of any sport, let alone basketball, rockets would have lost to memphis and spurs if they matched up against them.

clippers was fresh against spurs, teams with no depth bottom out as the playoffs go on. spurs would have swept them if they played the way they played the last 3 games in rockets series.

It's hilarious to me how some Cleveland fans are so salty towards the Rockets. Get over it already.

By the way, regarding your speculation, Memphis and San Antonio were two teams the Rockets matched up well against. The Clippers were the team that presented the most challenges.
But don't let that stop you from enjoying your time in woulda coulda land.

speak to me when you beat warriors. heck make em sweat i might give your team some of my attention.

[Young_Star11]

Stop trolling this thread, Houston had the #3 record in the league through 82 games and it's not their fault Memphis and SA didn't get a chance to play them.

[John Long]

Multiple media outlets also expected HOU to miss the playoffs. Pretty funny seeing everyone go back on their word now that the Rockets are in the WCF.

Well I wasn't one of them because I expected the Rockets to do well, they are a very talented team.

I think they make the playoffs but not much after that.

http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1338121&start=20#start_here

I expected them to make the playoffs before they acquired Corey Brewer and Josh Smith, what would I think after the made those acquisitions? I don't see the point of your post. I did expect them to do well.

[ken6199]

Yes, that is what definitely makes the Rockets a good team. Beautifully constructed and well thought out post imo

Hey there...let the man get his And 1s!

Thank you, is that really too much to ask??

Getting and-1s by repeatedly showing hatred against one player? Nah he deserves that (along with another Yao Ming avatar guy aka the Harden hating twins).

[TomShoe]

They're a good team, but not a great team. All the chips have fallen in the right places to get them this far.

CP3 flopped his way to a game 7 win to avoid the champs

The Clips fall apart in game 6 and lose all mental toughness

Now I'm expecting one of the splash brothers to get hurt or something.

[ken6199]

last 4 doesnt mean top 4 teams in playoffs of any sport, let alone basketball, rockets would have lost to memphis and spurs if they matched up against them.

clippers was fresh against spurs, teams with no depth bottom out as the playoffs go on. spurs would have swept them if they played the way they played the last 3 games in rockets series.

It's hilarious to me how some Cleveland fans are so salty towards the Rockets. Get over it already.

By the way, regarding your speculation, Memphis and San Antonio were two teams the Rockets matched up well against. The Clippers were the team that presented the most challenges.
But don't let that stop you from enjoying your time in woulda coulda land.

Cleveland 53 wins, in a conference where 9 out of 15 teams finishing with a losing record, feasting on weak opponents night in and night out, with a supposedly super star team, needing LeBron's mini vacation + Mozgov Shumps Smith to save their season.

The other team, 56 wins in the toughest division/conference banging in tough teams on a nightly basis, with their defensive anchor out for half of the season.

Case closed.

I know I will be outnumbered by LeBron army here by making these statements, but I don't care.

[young_frogger]

Hey there...let the man get his And 1s!

Thank you, is that really too much to ask??

Getting and-1s by repeatedly showing hatred against one player? Nah he deserves that (along with another Yao Ming avatar guy aka the Harden hating twins).

Ouch...you really got me there...

[Years90Suns]

It's really just Daryl Morey.

The threes and layups formula is a proven regular season effective strategy.

In the Playoffs it's not so much Morey Ball but the 2nd component of Morey's plan which is to acquire as much talent as possible. If you have guys that are talented, give them somewhat of a offensive structure that emphasizes the most efficient shots in the game, you can win some games.

Morey's end game is to acquire enough talent to win a championship this way. He was on the verge of putting a lineup of Beverley-Harden-Parsons-Bosh-Dwight and would have had Montiejunas and Jones on the bench. You know he would have still been able to find gems like Brewer, Josh Smith, KJ McDaniels. Plus he would have maybe been able to trade Montiejunas for Dragic. Think about that for a second, within a single year, a lineup of

Dragic
Harden
Parsons
Bosh
Dwight

Was not unrealistic and would have been possible if things were a little different.

Morey's always playing chess, he knows how to acquire undervalued talent, and he knows how to draft.

For their style, Ariza is a much better player than Parsons.
More threes, more lay-ups, less lost balls, much less getting into the creation of the game...

I believe the Rocket's style and way of doing things should not prevail. They just overanalyze the game and set their players to do mainly those things that the statistics say are better to win games. So, if their analyzers think, for what the get from their computers, that Josh is good at shooting 3s, because that provokes a certain adjustment or, as a consequence, the team ends up getting a basket (even through an off rebound), then they will encourage their players to do so.

They cut down on long twos, passes, and try to get as many 3s and shots inside the paint as they can. No one would pick Brewer to play in such an style as the Rockets play. But they did it... and it works...

[massive attack]

They have good pieces, role players who do their job effectively. They have Harden for offense, Howard for defense. I agree with the notion that they aren't a great team, but they are still a very good team. The series was really about how terribly LAC folded in game 6, less so about the Rockets being a formidable team. They hung in there, kept their resolve and hit huge shots though it shouldn't have come close the way it did.

[red96]

last 4 doesnt mean top 4 teams in playoffs of any sport, let alone basketball, rockets would have lost to memphis and spurs if they matched up against them.

clippers was fresh against spurs, teams with no depth bottom out as the playoffs go on. spurs would have swept them if they played the way they played the last 3 games in rockets series.

It's hilarious to me how some Cleveland fans are so salty towards the Rockets. Get over it already.

By the way, regarding your speculation, Memphis and San Antonio were two teams the Rockets matched up well against. The Clippers were the team that presented the most challenges.
But don't let that stop you from enjoying your time in woulda coulda land.

Cleveland 53 wins, in a conference where 9 out of 15 teams finishing with a losing record, feasting on weak opponents night in and night out, with a supposedly super star team, needing LeBron's mini vacation + Mozgov Shumps Smith to save their season.

The other team, 56 wins in the toughest division/conference banging in tough teams on a nightly basis, with their defensive anchor out for half of the season.

Case closed.

I know I will be outnumbered by LeBron army here by making these statements, but I don't care.

Yep. The Cavs were 19-19 midway through the season when they were coasting/figuring it out. In the West, a team with that record isnt getting any higher than a 7-8th seed. The Cavs wouldve been fighting the Thunder and Pels for the last playoff spots in the West.

[CoffeeCalc]

The Spurs weren't good enough to even have the opportunity to play the Rockets this playoffs, so they really shouldn't even be mentioned at all in this thread.

I guarantee that the people dumping on the Rockets in this thread also predicted that the Mavs would take them out first round... a series the Rockets utterly dominated.

Houston has earned the right to play for the West crown. They're legit good.

[El Turco]

nah everybody and their mother knew they would beat mavs, dallas was a mess. and spurs was a game away from matching up with rockets second round, alas they tanked against pelicans so we got to watch clippers go full clippers and utterly choke against rockets.

[El Turco]

last 4 doesnt mean top 4 teams in playoffs of any sport, let alone basketball, rockets would have lost to memphis and spurs if they matched up against them.

clippers was fresh against spurs, teams with no depth bottom out as the playoffs go on. spurs would have swept them if they played the way they played the last 3 games in rockets series.

It's hilarious to me how some Cleveland fans are so salty towards the Rockets. Get over it already.

By the way, regarding your speculation, Memphis and San Antonio were two teams the Rockets matched up well against. The Clippers were the team that presented the most challenges.
But don't let that stop you from enjoying your time in woulda coulda land.

Cleveland 53 wins, in a conference where 9 out of 15 teams finishing with a losing record, feasting on weak opponents night in and night out, with a supposedly super star team, needing LeBron's mini vacation + Mozgov Shumps Smith to save their season.

The other team, 56 wins in the toughest division/conference banging in tough teams on a nightly basis, with their defensive anchor out for half of the season.

Case closed.

I know I will be outnumbered by LeBron army here by making these statements, but I don't care.

cleveland led by a 2 time champion, 4 time mvp and on their way to another nba finals

other team just happy to make it this far and looking forward to winning maybe one game in wcf

[CoffeeCalc]

nah everybody and their mother knew they would beat mavs, dallas was a mess. and spurs was a game away from matching up with rockets second round, alas they tanked against pelicans so we got to watch clippers go full clippers and utterly choke against rockets.

The Spurs had an impressive hot streak at the end of the season.. and then I can recall three season-defining games for them. Three opportunities that they had to really make another push and defend their crown. They fumbled every one.

The first was the game against the Pelicans. They weren't tanking, they simply got beat. Look up the box score with minutes played if you don't believe me. They had absolutely nothing to gain from tanking that game. If they win that game, they get the 2 seed and a likely easier path to the second round.

The 2nd and 3rd opportunities are games 6 and 7 against the Clippers. Two shots to put the Clippers away and advance to the second round. Came up empty both times. Against the same team that everyone here wants to call "mentally soft" and "chokers". The same one that you yourself called "dysfunctional" in this thread. Well you can't have it both ways.

Like most, I have nothing but respect for Pop and the Spurs organization and how good they are and how good they've been. I'm not trying to diss the Spurs here... but to use them to try to discredit this Rockets squad is nonsense.

[Freighttrain]

Getting exposed vs the gws won't help this topic

[boomann21]

analytics

[MaxRider]

Getting exposed vs the gws won't help this topic

doesn't matter
still #2 in the west

[ken6199]

It's hilarious to me how some Cleveland fans are so salty towards the Rockets. Get over it already.

By the way, regarding your speculation, Memphis and San Antonio were two teams the Rockets matched up well against. The Clippers were the team that presented the most challenges.
But don't let that stop you from enjoying your time in woulda coulda land.

Cleveland 53 wins, in a conference where 9 out of 15 teams finishing with a losing record, feasting on weak opponents night in and night out, with a supposedly super star team, needing LeBron's mini vacation + Mozgov Shumps Smith to save their season.

The other team, 56 wins in the toughest division/conference banging in tough teams on a nightly basis, with their defensive anchor out for half of the season.

Case closed.

I know I will be outnumbered by LeBron army here by making these statements, but I don't care.

cleveland led by a 2 time champion, 4 time mvp and on their way to another nba finals

other team just happy to make it this far and looking forward to winning maybe one game in wcf

Dude, just admit your weakness.

Take away your 2 games from Knicks, Nets, Celtics, Hornets, 76ers, Detroit, replaced them wit Warriors, Clippers, Spurs, Memphis, Rockets, Portland.

Tell me you still get 53 wins, tell me.

Tell me you will have a better record than Dallas, tell me.

Tell me your starting lineup will still play the same minutes, but not at least 5 more minutes per game. Tell me.

Tell me by doing that, you won't end up with more injuries. Tell me.

Tell me your chemistry will be better after each loss, you get a b2b in Oracle or Fedex forum instead of getting a morale boosting win on 76ers or Magic. Tell me.

I am being fair here ok? This is your first year putting this team together, you started the season with 19-19, looking like a non-playoff team only being in eastern conference making you afloat around 4-5 seeds. I am sure next year you will be a better team, more chemistry, more familiar with Blatt's system, etc. But to act so arrogant this year instead of staying humble, this is getting ridiculous.

Miami didn't even win the title in 2011, and their big three is better than the cavs big three (big two now), with a better supporting cast. Please take a look in the mirror of your record, your division overall record, the conference overall record, and be humble. Nobody is talking trash on Cavs here so don't make people to.

[El Turco]

Cleveland 53 wins, in a conference where 9 out of 15 teams finishing with a losing record, feasting on weak opponents night in and night out, with a supposedly super star team, needing LeBron's mini vacation + Mozgov Shumps Smith to save their season.

The other team, 56 wins in the toughest division/conference banging in tough teams on a nightly basis, with their defensive anchor out for half of the season.

Case closed.

I know I will be outnumbered by LeBron army here by making these statements, but I don't care.

cleveland led by a 2 time champion, 4 time mvp and on their way to another nba finals

other team just happy to make it this far and looking forward to winning maybe one game in wcf

Dude, just admit your weakness.

Take away your 2 games from Knicks, Nets, Celtics, Hornets, 76ers, Detroit, replaced them wit Warriors, Clippers, Spurs, Memphis, Rockets, Portland.

Tell me you still get 53 wins, tell me.

Tell me you will have a better record than Dallas, tell me.

Tell me your starting lineup will still play the same minutes, but not at least 5 more minutes per game. Tell me.

Tell me by doing that, you won't end up with more injuries. Tell me.

I am being fair here ok? This is your first team putting the team together, you started the season with 19-19, looking like a non-playoff team only being in eastern conference making you afloat around 4-5 seeds. I am sure next year you will be a better team, more chemistry, more familiar with Blatt's system, etc. But to act so arrogant this year instead of staying humble, this is getting ridiculous.

Miami didn't even win the title in 2011, and their big three is better than the cavs big three (big two now), with a better supporting cast. Please take a look in the mirror of your record, your division overall record, the conference overall record, and be humble. Nobody is talking trash on Cavs here so don't make people to.

tell me rockets are going to the 2015 nba finals, tell me