RoxFan08 wrote:We...don't really do that that much. You are absolutely right, though, that on our board (and I'm sure almost every team's board is the same) we ask every year if we are true championship contenders. And every year, the more rational of us agree that we have a shot, but its not a good one, and we aren't a top dog.
Mostly, we get fed up with how much disrespect our team gets, both from other teams' fans, and from the national media. Houston, despite being the 4th largest city in America is a relatively small sports market. We get very little media attention, and its noticeable even on nationally televised channels like ESPN and TNT that they generally talk about the other team a lot more than us, whether they are any good or not doesn't really matter (Van Gundy, aside, for obvious reasons)
Tmac hasn't made it out the 1st round. Its got to be one of the most frequent quotes on this board. Its also a really lame, generic, quote, that while true, is largely irrelevant. I don't want to turn this into a vindication thread, I just want to see the Rockets afforded some of the respect their play deserves.
With the exception of the Jazz series, which was considered generally pro Rockets but a close matchup by most national sports geeks, Houston (and Tmac) have NEVER been favored (or in the Orlando days, even considered relevant) to win a playoff series. We lost a game 7 down to the wire that out-executed us last year. But it was a good, well fought series.
The West has gotten even better than it was last year. We are currently on pace to win 52 games and are tied for the 7th seed, which is ridiculous.
If Houston makes it through March, beating a bunch of Western playoff teams...I think they are relevant. But just like every year, we can't smack talk, because we don't have any success. And in general, we don't. But it gets really old when fans from teams like the Jazz (who, by the way, have won no championships) hijack threads having nothing to do with them, and proceed to smack talk like they've won anything.
Good job Utah. You've beaten us while our best player didn't play, and we smashed yours at full strength earlier this season. You guys really, really don't have any ground to stand on concerning smack talk. Keep it on your own board, for Pete's sake.
Sure our schedule has been easy lately. As someone pointed out, I incorrectly described us as the best team of 2008.
QFT good post.
