Yao Ming out for season

Honestly, I'm pretty impressed. I can't believe they're 9-0 since he went down, hats off to T-Mac and Co.

However, I still can't help but think that they will get bounced in the 1st round. I really want T-Mac to get out of the first round, but it just seems unlikely that it will happen. My ideal 2nd round matchups in the West would be Warriors Vs. Suns, and Mavs Vs. Lakers. I really want the Suns to win it this year (if the Warriors don't) just because Nash deserves one. Anyways kinda off-topic but yea, if Yao doesn't come back for the playoffs (which I don't he will) doubt they can win a 7 game series but T-Mac has a legit excuse this time..

The Rockets are not winning a playoff series, nor will they have the top seed, as their win streak bubble will burst soon. The West is so tough this year, that the Rockets pre-injury looked unlikely to pass the first-round. Without Yao, they really couldn't beat any of the teams in the top 9. (Except maybe Dallas)

With the West being such a close race and unpredictable this year, it wouldn't surprise me if they found a way to get to the second round. I agree that it seems unlikely with Yao's absence and beating a top Western team four times out of seven is a little different to running the gamut of good and bad teams during the regular season but stranger things have happened.

IMO, Houston as the #1 seed beating Dallas, Denver, Golden State, or whoever the 8th seed is would be as big an upset as thew Warriors beating Dallas last year.

Houston's had a pretty easy path to 21. It's admirable being the 2nd longest streak in NBA history but probably not as good as the other streaks that other good teams have been able to accomplish in the past few years, even. 12/21 with losing records, and the good teams they played were battered by injuries. Shane Battier's quote probably put it best, when he said that the Rockets weren't the 2nd best team in NBA history but the 2nd luckiest.

Tough stretch of games coming up, with the Lakers, Celtics, and then the Hornets again. I'd be pretty impressed if they come through those games unscathed.

And has anybody seen how good Mike Harris has been? Check out this video. I love how he just pushed Okafor out of his way to be able to score a bucket. And he's pretty strong for someone who's 6'6.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boVjL_gCjdU[/youtube]

Houston's had a pretty easy path to 21. It's admirable being the 2nd longest streak in NBA history but probably not as good as the other streaks that other good teams have been able to accomplish in the past few years, even. 12/21 with losing records, and the good teams they played were battered by injuries. Shane Battier's quote probably put it best, when he said that the Rockets weren't the 2nd best team in NBA history but the 2nd luckiest.

I disagree that they've had an "easy path". If winning that many games in a row was simple, we'd see more teams doing it. On a good day, any NBA team is capable of beating another. The elite teams may win more games but they still drop games to inferior teams. Some of Houston's opponents during the streak may have had some injury troubles but aside from the Rockets not having the most imposing roster from top to bottom compared to other top teams in the West, they've also got injuries of the own, most notably Yao Ming.

They've beaten the teams they should, the teams they could and the teams they probably shouldn't and haven't dropped a game in over a calendar month. That's far from an easy feat, no matter whom the opponents. Again, if winning 21 games in a row is so easy, we should see more teams doing it. It's not as though the Rockets are the only ones playing the mediocre teams.

Exactly Andrew, there comes a point when it is no longer their schedule but the fact that the team really is that good. Here's a good quote from Kobe Bryant about this:

Bryant's 1999-2000 Lakers squad won 19 straight games on its way to the NBA championship. He dismisses skeptics who say the Rockets' streak is counterfeit.

"People who say that are the same people who said me scoring 81 was nothing because we played against the Toronto Raptors,'' Bryant said. "It has to have meaning. Every team in the NBA is a tough team. Any time you beat an NBA team or you go on a 21-game winning streak, that's absolutely amazing.''

NBA.com

On a sidenote, I think Kobe's 62 against Dallas was much easier as compared to the 81 he did against the Raptors.

And has anybody seen how good Mike Harris has been? Check out this video. I love how he just pushed Okafor out of his way to be able to score a bucket. And he's pretty strong for someone who's 6'6.

Mike Harris, Luis Scola and Carl Landry are playing extremly well.
That is making houston a stonger team.


EDIT: they are now 22 in a row

Woo! 22 in a row now. Rockets are ballin. Alston and Bobby Jackson smoked the Lakers.

When I started this thread, I never thought the Rockets would get a 22 game win streak and the top spot in the West. Wow.

Exactly Andrew, there comes a point when it is no longer their schedule but the fact that the team really is that good. Here's a good quote from Kobe Bryant about this:

Bryant's 1999-2000 Lakers squad won 19 straight games on its way to the NBA championship. He dismisses skeptics who say the Rockets' streak is counterfeit.

"People who say that are the same people who said me scoring 81 was nothing because we played against the Toronto Raptors,'' Bryant said. "It has to have meaning. Every team in the NBA is a tough team. Any time you beat an NBA team or you go on a 21-game winning streak, that's absolutely amazing.''

NBA.com

I guess people just like to put asterisks on these accomplishments and downplay their importance and sometimes there's some truth to it. A team that has any kind of success at the expense of an opponent suffering injuries or has star players absent for other reasons is going to be plagued by what-ifs until they can somehow prove their success didn't just come down to good fortune.

I remain skeptical about rockets until they beat boston....if they do....they i'd say they have a chance to do something in the playoffs. Still....I watched and thuroughly enjoyed their game today on ABC.

How can you be skeptical about Houston? They've won 22 games in a row. A 22 game win streak isn't enough to prove they are a good team, but winning one game against Boston is?

It's hard not to root for the Rockets - they are making history and doing it without their best player. I wouldn't be surprised if they drop a few games in the next week or two, as their upcoming schedule is just brutal.

Even though regular season success doesn't always translate to playoff success (the past Houston teams are a good example), a 22 game win streak, to me, shows that the team is very consistent and should be able to make some noise in the playoffs. The West is ridiculous this year, so anything can happen... but Houston has to be a favorite to at least get out of the first round with the way they've been playing.

How can you be skeptical about Houston? They've won 22 games in a row. A 22 game win streak isn't enough to prove they are a good team, but winning one game against Boston is?

If they're skeptical to begin with, not much you can do about it. Even the most of the media are non believers. If you're not a big market team, you can win 40 in a row and they'll still be like "MEH, BIG DEAL". If it's say, the Lakers or Boston, they'll be all over it. If those respective teams had their best players missing due to injury, it'd be blown even more out of proportion.

I'm probably guessing that, if the Rockets do beat Boston, it'll still be "I'll believe it when they've beat New Orleans". And the same after that, until the Rockets lose, then it'd be "I TOLD YA SO".

No matter what, 22 games in a row is always something. Hell, even Boston or the Lakers had a schedule like Houston's, with a string of games against mediocre and lottery bound teams to face, and they don't pull off 20+ win streaks.

People see it, but hate to admit it... but the Rockets are on a roll right now, and they're just that damn good.

Um, the Lakers are one of the biggest markets in the NBA. They would be all over it if Yao was there, but he is not. With the West like it is, a Rockets team that is shorthanded, even on the second biggest win streak ever, isn't likely to win the title. For that same reason, I did not support the 2006 Phoenix Suns playoff run.

Even if the Rockets "only" advance to the second round and take a game or two from their opponents before bowing out, it would still be their finest postseason performance of late and impressive nonetheless given the competition in the West and Yao's absence. At this stage that's about as far as I'd pick them to go but with the West being so unpredictable, you could probably say that about a couple of teams who would normally be prime candidates to at least make a run at the Conference Finals.

22 in a row is a big deal no matter what, even if they played miami for 22 straight games it would still mean something.

This column was written before the 22nd win but the sentiment still rings true, particularly this paragraph:

But for one day, at least, there should be no denying these Rockets their moment. Instead of talking about what they won’t do, perhaps we should celebrate what they’ve already accomplished.

Twenty-one in a row? Seven weeks ago, Houston began this run while stuck in 10th place in the fiercest conference race the league has seen in years. They’ll awake Saturday morning holding a share of first.

Well, looks like the streak is good as broken. Down 25 with 2 minutes left as I am writing this.

The streak was fun while it lasted.

I wonder if this will break their spirits, and go quietly or continue with this winning spree.

I haven't been posting in this thread due to the jinx factor...doesn't matter now.

This was a great streak, and maybe it was good to end where it did. The Laker game was one to remember, that's for sure. Having it go close to or into the playoffs and having it end there (and possibly the season) would kinda suck. At least now the players have a bit of time collecting themselves in anticipation to the playoffs, where they can hopefully pull something out. Like going into the second round (possibly the lowest expectation for a potential 1-2 seed). You never know.

It may be over, but it was a great run while it lasted. I was hoping they'd come a bit closer to the all-time record as that would have been something but ending up with 22 straight victories for the second longest winning streak in league history is impressive. Does it make them the best team in the West, win-loss records aside? No, I wouldn't say that it does. But they don't have to be the best, nor does every one of their opponents need to be the best, for the streak to be meaningful, impressive or historically significant.

How can you be skeptical about Houston? They've won 22 games in a row. A 22 game win streak isn't enough to prove they are a good team, but winning one game against Boston is?

Come again nub? Oh they were blown out by a balanced Boston team with a big man down low? The same thing is gonna happen in the playoffs you say? I thought so...