Houston, we’ve got something really special
Red Hot Rockets are approaching some historic streaks
SCOTT JACOBS
No Yao? No problem.
You hear that sportsAmerica: the Rockets don’t care about what you think. They will roll on without the best 7 foot 5 player (or is it 7′6?) that the NBA has. They will continue to win a lot of games in a row. Last night’s beautiful performance to take down the Hornets made it 18 in a row for the Rockets, who are on a serious roll.
Consider: The Rockets, now 22 games above .500, were four games above .500 before this streak started. They’ve vaulted from nowhereville to number THREE and counting. And this is against good competition. Remember, the Rockets don’t play in the Leastern conference, they play in the Wild Wild West, where an 18 game winning streak is just good enough to KEEP you in the thick of the things.
Consider: The Rockets would be a number three seed in the East right now, with a healthy three game lead on Orlando. Instead, they’re number three in the west, BUT a three game losing streak could knock them down to number eight. Yeah, this is the state of the West, where the Golden State Warriors are playing great basketball en route to being 16 games above .500, yet a hiccup could leave them out of the playoffs. Right now, in the East they’d be playing for third *actually, they’d be tied.
Consider: The Rockets 18 game winning streak is tied for fourth longest in NBA history. The Lakers own the outright record with 33 in a row. To break that, the Rockets would have to win 16 more games in a row. That should give you an idea of how out of reach that record seems right now.
But let’s focus on Houston as a team. Is this all just one really run ride, or is there more to this whole, Rocket launching?
Is T-Mac finally ready to win a first round series? How do their chances look right now? Can they do something in the playoffs? Well, let’s look at their opposition and go from there.
8. Golden State- Warriors are playing great ball and they dominated Orlando last night. With relentless speed and reckless abandon, no one wants them in the first round. Dallas can attest to that.
7. Mavericks- Hard to believe a mini losing streak could actually leave the Mavs, who won 67 games last year, out of the playoffs. Still, it is an interesting team to watch with Kidd on board. And seriously, this would probably be the best number seven seed man has ever seen.
6. Suns- Let’s not sugar coat this. Shaq’s addition has been Phoenix’s subtraction from top seed to almost afterthought. The Suns look like they’ve lost that edge that made them such a fantastic team the last few years. Even if they do keep this spot, they look like a first round and out team. But that could change– and I say that with hints of optimism. Lots of optimism.
5. Hornets- They’re two games away from being tied for top dog with the Lake show, and CP is playing out of his mind right now. But will that inexperience, that lack of big games down the stretch inexperience, hurt them? Time will tell, but this team is a major wildcard that could get ousted in the first round or possibly win the West. Yeah, crazy!
4. Utah- Deron Williams and the Jazz are razor shap right now. Just look at the way they pulvarized Denver last night, and scored 41 in the fourth to beat the struggling Suns.
3. Rockets- 18 in a row. But don’t get comfortable now. A losing streak could doom you to the strangest fall in history.
2. Spurs- They’re always there. They don’t need homecourt, but they may get it anyways.
1. Lakers- They’re the best in the west right now, but Gasol has never gotten past the first round. Could a team like Golden State or Denver give them a run for their money?
So there you have it: if the Playoffs started today, Houston would get the Suns. And T-Mac would probably win his first playoff series. Unfortunatley for the Rockets, there is a lot of basketball to be played. And unless the Rockets gobble up 10 more wins in a row, they’re still not a sure bet to be in the playoffs.
Welcome to the west. Logic need not apply.
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YOU WILL BE BEATEN ON MARCH 16th by the LAKERS and you will have to start a new streak!
I’ve said that least 2851914 times. The problem this like that is they are just too compilcated for the average bird, if you know what I mean