ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Magic 2/26/2026

Apples to oranges?

The point of winning in the regular season is to win in the playoffs.

Last years team played very hard and had something to prove -- but last years team would lose to this years team in the playoffs, assuming that Dickerson doesn't blow out a quad or knee.

 

I think the most likely answer is that Amen Thompson is a very good player - especially on a team that can compensate for his weaknesses..... but he is ultimately a role player. I say that as someone that thinks Amen Thompson surrounded by the right players is a reserve all-star.

 

feels disingenuous where the 2nd and 7th seeds were only separated by 4 games.Jalen Green also is not on the team anymore who averaged 13 ppg on poor efficiency last year in that series

 

That’s where I’m at. I don’t see Kawhi Leonard. I see someone like Andre Iguodala or Shawn Marion as his likely best outcome. Still a really good player, but not a franchise player.

 

Nothing you said is untrue but some pieces here could really do with additional truth (context). When Jimmy played...

-23-7 (2nd best in West)
-#1 defensive rating
-#8 offense rating

I know you know more than enough ball to emphatically state that a #1 D w/ top 10 O = legit champ contender.

Anyways, just wanted to add some more truth to your existing truth which perhaps makes your version of said truth a bit less compelling. And I won't even talk about things like what if you normalize FT% across that series vs point-differential and what the implications are....but as I said, I'm not going to go there.

 

Exactly - which is why I believe that the Rockets this season are more capable of winning in the playoffs.

They don't have Green - their younger players are more experienced and while they lost FVV and Brooks, they do have Durant if he is healthy.

 

Apples = what I replied to (a regular season seed comment)
Orange = reality of championship potential in this year's team vs last year

The point was, I think I agreed with you lol.

 

So you’re saying they should sell high before they have to pay “Mr. Run & Dunker spot role player” $45M+/25% cap?

Y’all curious about Sengun’s market. I’m curious about Ameiz’s market.

 

...and yet the Rockets took them to Game 7, and had a chance to win the series. It is impossible for a series to go 7 games and a team to lead the entire series.

Even if you think GSW was the better team, upsets happen. The Rockets were never favorites to win the ring last year, but they were never guaranteed as a first round exit.

 

Lol.

 

Off the top of my head, here is a list of games the Rockets SHOULD have won if Ime played the right lineups, most of which would've included closing with Reed:
Knicks game (up 18 in 4th qtr before blowing the lead despite having the all defense lineup in the closing minutes where Brunson scored at will).

Clippers game (up 15 towards end of 2nd qtr while Reed is going off. Kawhi put the team on his back and went nuclear despite all defense lineup. Bad turnovers cost us and have a chance to tie with a 3 for final possession. Amen and Sengun inexplicably in the game even though we need a 3).

Sixers game in Philly (offense just didn't have it that night. Reed started slow but caught fire in the 4th to put us up 9 with about 6 minutes left. Maxey goes nuclear and forced OT. Jabari had a poor game but played the entire OT. Multiple bricks and turnovers in OT wiped out any chance of winning due to poor lineup and lack of spacing).

Then we have the rock bottom stretch of the season where we dropped BOTH games in Sacramento, BOTH games in Portland, the dreadful game in NOLA up 25 on the Pels and allow Saddiq Bey to go nuclear and force OT and steal it.

That's 8 inexcusable losses that were handed away on a silver platter and stolen away.

It was nice to see us finally steal a game last night from the jaws of defeat. Keep this momentum going in Miami tomorrow. Still hope that maybe just MAYBE Ime finally woke the **** up and will give us the best chance to win.

 

damn. i miss game of zones

it's the only thing i like about BR

oh, also The Champions.

 

The Rockets do have a light schedule the rest of the way and the 3rd seed is absolutely doable, but they do have road games coming up at San Antonio and Denver. The latter being on the 2nd night of a B2B. Beyond that though, they should be favored in every remaining game this season except for maybe 3/25 at Minnesota.

 

sengun aint a franchise player. we need a flagg:cade/wemby to compliment the young core

 

Reed plays in the playoffs against GS last year and the Rox in that series......we wasted his first year.

DD