Granted:
1) The Rockets 20 game win streak is one helluva accomplishmment.
2) The last 10 or so wins without Yao are a testament to their grittiness.
But let's take a look at the 20 victims:
Golden State -111-107, then:
Ind.-Mil.-Min.-Cle.-Atl.-Port.-Sac.-Cle.-Mia.-N.O.-Chi.-Wash.-Mem.-Den-Ind.-Dal.-N.O.-N.J.- and Atl.
.
Does anyone see a pattern here?
Houston has benefited from one of the weakest 6 week schedules in recent NBA history.
Who was the first win? Us, I remember it well, just as we were about to establish a string of dominance, we let them off the hook. You could see it was a big win for them. Since last year, it was obvious they had never experienced anything quite like the Warriors. They were visibly shaken. When Yao is confounded, he has a hard time hiding it.

Of the 20 opponents, only 4 are from the current top 8 teams in the West. To their credit, they have beaten the Hornets twice. But have they faced the SPURS?, the LAKERS?, The SUNS?, the JAZZ? The CELTICS?, The PISTONS ?---- NOT ONCE!

But that is all about to change. After the Bobcats tomorrow. Starting Sunday with Lakers. Next week is as follows:
3/16--Lakers in Houston
3/18--Celtics at Houston
3/19--Hornets at New Orleans
3/21--Warriors at Golden State
3/22--Suns at Phoenix
Anyone want to make a guess on how many of those 5 games the Rockets will win. With everyone gunning at them, I'd say they'd be lucky to win 2!
Don't get me wrong, I think the Rockets are going to the playoffs. They have a relatively easy schedule in the final 3 and a half weeks, facing the Spus, Suns and Jazz.
If they actually take 4 of 5, my hats off to them.
But I think they are a bubble waiting to burst.
What do you think?

[quote="War Years"]
But that is all about to change. After the Bobcats tomorrow. Starting Sunday with Lakers. Next week is as follows:
3/16--Lakers in Houston
3/18--Celtics at Houston
3/19--Hornets at New Orleans
3/21--Warriors at Golden State
3/22--Suns at Phoenix
Anyone want to make a guess on how many of those 5 games the Rockets will win. With everyone gunning at them, I'd say they'd be lucky to win 2!
quote]

Hopefully 0-5...

3/16--Lakers in Houston Houston L
3/18--Celtics at Houston Houston L
3/19--Hornets at New Orleans Houston W
3/21--Warriors at Golden State Houston L
3/22--Suns at Houston Houston L

I think they'll go 1-4
We'll see...

Should this be in the new NBA Forum?................

moved topic.

You are seriously discounting a 20 game winning streak?????

Provided all 20 games came vs NBA teams, I dont have to look ANY further into it. They are only the 3rd team in NBA HISTORY to do this. It is remarkable no matter who they played.

Check my first 2 sentences. Helluva accomplishment. Even against poor opponents.
But time will tell, will it not?

20 wins are 20 wins. Their schedule might have been easier than before, but they've faced some tough teams in that stretch, and they've won the last few without Yao.

War Years wrote:Check my first 2 sentences. Helluva accomplishment. Even against poor opponents.
But time will tell, will it not?

Yes, you gave them credit and then said "but ...."

I just dont think there should be a "but" in there

Like TMC said... 20 wins is 20 wins. I can guarantee you that other teams in the HISTORY of the league have had a stretch of beatable opponents like this and only 2 other teams have ever done this.... truly a remarkable feat that needs no analyzing.

I can guarantee you that other teams in the HISTORY of the league have had a stretch of beatable opponents like this and only 2 other teams have ever done this.... truly a remarkable feat that needs no analyzing.
_________________
You're right.This year's Warriors would never win 20 in a row. Though I think last year's Warriors, if the regular season ended in May could have put together a win streak in the teens inf they had had such an easy schedule, after they started gelling as a team.
I think what makes great streaks like this are A) Vastly superior teams on a roll. or B) Teams that have somethiing to prove.
Remember the Trail Blazers winning what? 17 of 19! What are they doing now? I think now they should hope for a .500 season and a bright future. Last year the Warriors had something to prove after many years being an NBA joke.
What I find now about the Warriors is that they seem a little taken with themselves. They can't finish their opponents and tend to play down to them.Last night against the Raptors for example , blowing a 20 point lead, just to turn it on at the end when they needed to.That's a pretty good ego trip except when it gets down to 6 minutes in the next game where they blow a big lead.Is it really a sure thing? Will they rise back up when they have to?This idea that all the W's have to do is to stay close until the last 3 minutes is an illusion and they shouldn't indulge in it.
Part of the reason they can't finish as well is because they don't have a third gun like JR. But I don't regret, I think it was a good long term move. But even saying this, The Warriors could be a totally different team in the playoffs. But I don't think they will be.
If Yao had'nt gotten injured, I don't think we'd be talking about a 20 game streak. That gave the Rockets something to prove. The Rockets are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, with a rather plodding offense.
But again, do I have any predictions on the 5 Rocket games starting with
LA on Sunday?

War Years wrote: Remember the Trail Blazers winning what? 17 of 19! What are they doing now? I think now they should hope for a .500 season and a bright future.

Well, I do blame the schedule for that one. They only had a couple of games on the road, and the Blazers are a much tougher team at home, and a team as young as theirs always has more trouble beating good rivals on the road.

Other than a win at Utah, they didn't get a single quality win on the road during that streak.

War Years wrote: What I find now about the Warriors is that they seem a little taken with themselves. They can't finish their opponents and tend to play down to them.

Watching the games, I thought the same... but the stats say we're one of the best of the NBA when it comes to close games. We're something like 8-1 or so in close games... Don't remember the exaxt stat, but I read it somewhere last week.

War Years wrote: If Yao had'nt gotten injured, I don't think we'd be talking about a 20 game streak. That gave the Rockets something to prove. The Rockets are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, with a rather plodding offense.

Well, that's a good point... but, as someone else pointed in another thread, Yao was part of the first 12 wins. Guess we'll never know what could have happened with a healthy Yao for the remaining of the year.

Excuses, excuses.

20 games is a quarter of the season. It's the baseball equivalent of going on a 40 game winning streak. Thats insane. Discount it if you want, but Houston's on a roll and I'm not trying to see them right now.

i would take 10 game streak for the dubs

Twenty.........mutha f**king.............one..................jeez, these guys dont let up.

Warriors play them next week. I would love to see the streak snapped right then and there.

sfsfsfgiants wrote:Warriors play them next week. I would love to see the streak snapped right then and there.

That would be quite................thrilling to say the least.

I just cant believe that in this conference, how tight it is..............and they were 24-20, now they are 45-20, tied for the lead and playing the Lakers on Sunday...............have a feeling we wont have to break it.

man..i will say 1-4...if they have enough of LUCK...
not in W's game,NO,SUNS,Spurs..maybe Fakers but if Fakers beat them and they should be 0-5..