Blast to the 'Ship - A Houston Rockets Story

[Rizzo]

February 20, 2014

Kris Eisley was in discussions with the Milwaukee Bucks for hours, discussing a deal centered around Patrick Patterson and Ekpe Udoh. Other pieces reported in the deal were the Rockets’ Ronnie Brewer and the Bucks’ 2nd round pick in 2015. What Eisley was thinking was adding a very good defender at PF. Since the Bucks already have Larry Sanders and John Henson, Udoh was expendable and adding a player like Patterson would give them a stretch four. There was also incentive to shed Brewer’s contract for next season with both Patterson and Udoh expiring. In the end, Eisley decided to stick to his guns and leave the roster intact.

On the same day, there were three trades consummated:

- Lakers move Kelenna Azubuike to the Nets for Stephen Jackson and a 2nd round pick this year
- Minnesota ships Luke Ridnour and their first round pick this year to the Charlotte Hornets for Courtney Lee
- Toronto, who has been shopping Amir Johnson all year long, deals the PF to Phoenix for Channing Frye and the Suns’ 2nd round pick this year.

February 21, 2014

Brooklyn Nets (23-31) vs. Houston Rockets (30-22)

Nets – 116
Deron Williams – 29 PTS, 6 REB, 12 AST
Joe Johnson – 23 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST
Norvel Pelle – 18 PTS, 6 REB, 2 BLK
Kris Humphries – 11 PTS, 12 REB
Gerald Wallace – 9 PTS, 11 REB, 2 BLK

Rockets – 107
Omer Asik – 26 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK
James Harden – 17 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST
Royce White – 15 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST
Patrick Patterson – 11 PTS, 1 BLK
Mike Conley – 9 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST, 3 STL

We got beat on the boards and didn’t get to the free throw line like we normally do, leading to a nine-point home loss. Guess Udoh could have helped keep Norvel Pelle under control…

February 23, 2014

Houston Rockets (30-23) vs. San Antonio Spurs (25-29)

Rockets – 103
James Harden – 22 PTS (9-22 FG)
Royce White – 20 PTS, 5 REB, 3 STL
Mike Conley – 15 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL
Trey Burke – 14 PTS, 3 AST, 2 STL, 5 TO
Omer Asik – 11 PTS, 9 REB, 2 BLK

Spurs – 120
Tony Parker – 29 PTS, 11 AST
Kawhi Leonard – 21 PTS, 10 REB, 2 STL
DeJuan Blair – 18 PTS, 13 REB

A tough shooting day for the Rockets, led by Harden’s 9-22, doomed us. We also only shot 12-22 from the line, so that doesn’t help our cause. With the Kings coming to town tomorrow night, we need a win to get back on track since the All-Star break.

February 24, 2014

Sacramento Kings (25-31) vs. Houston Rockets (30-24)

Kings – 107
Tyreke Evans – 29 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL
James Johnson – 20 PTS, 5 REB
Thomas Robinson – 15 PTS, 7 REB

Rockets – 129
Royce White – 31 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST
Trey Burke – 17 PTS, 5 AST
Omer Asik – 16 PTS, 6 REB, 3 STL, 3 BLK
Mike Conley – 14 PTS, 7 AST, 2 STL
Patrick Patterson – 10 PTS, 7 REB, 3 BLK
James Harden – 10 PTS, 18 MIN
JJ Redick – 11 PTS

A solid win over a below-average Kings team. Royce White stepped up with Harden in foul trouble all game long. We shot 60% from the floor and got to the line plenty. If that’s not a recipe for a win, I don’t know what is!

February 27, 2014

Houston Rockets (31-24) vs. Dallas Mavericks (19-35)

Rockets – 111
James Harden – 26 PTS, 6 REB, 1 STL
Trey Burke – 17 PTS, 5 AST
Royce White – 16 PTS, 4 AST
Cody Zeller – 12 AST, 9 REB, 2 BLK
Patrick Patterson – 11 PTS, 5 REB, 2 BLK
Mike Conley – 11 PTS, 6 AST
Nerlens Noel – 4 PTS, 7 REB, 3 BLK

Mavericks – 105
Dirk Nowitzki – 24 PTS, 10 REB
OJ Mayo – 10 PTS, 5 REB, 8 AST
Shawn Marion – 15 PTS, 5 REB, 2 STL

A road win is always good, but even better when it is over a team in which you own their first round pick. Dallas’ pick is looking to be in the top-5 pre-lottery, so that’s something we will appreciate having this coming June.

February 28, 2014

Chicago Bulls (28-31) vs. Houston Rockets (32-34)

Bulls – 119
Derrick Rose – 26 PTS, 8 REB, 11 AST
Luol Deng – 28 PTS, 9 REB
Marco Belinelli – 16 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL

Rockets – 111
Royce White – 30 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST
James Harden – 25 PTS
Patrick Patterson – 13 PTS, 1 BLK
JJ Redick – 10 PTS
Mike Conley – 8 PTS, 6 AST, Fouled Out
Trey Burke – 8 PTS, 8 AST, 1 STL, Fouled Out
Nerlens Noel – 4 PTS, 6 REB, 4 BLK

Derrick Rose took it right at Conley and Burke, fouling both of them out of the game. With both point guards in trouble, we just couldn’t get in a rhythm outside of Royce White and James Harden getting their own buckets. The Bulls shot 20 more free throws than us because of the foul discrepancy (31 for us, 18 for them).

[Rizzo]

Royce White's mental health rating is up to a 56.

March 2, 2014

Oklahoma City Thunder (38-19) vs. Houston Rockets (32-25)

Thunder – 110
Kevin Durant – 42 PTS, 13 REB, 2 BLK
Russell Westbrook – 17 PTS, 11 AST

Rockets – 98
James Harden – 30 PTS
Royce White – 17 PTS, 5 REB
Trey Burke – 17 PTS, 3 AST

Can’t stop Kevin Durant, can only hope to contain him…and we couldn’t do that tonight. He leads the league in scoring and it’s not even close. Durant averages 33.9 points per game while LeBron James is 2nd at just 30.0. Give Durant the scoring title now!

March 4, 2014

Philadelphia 76ers (23-37) vs. Houston Rockets (32-26)

76ers – 107
Jrue Holiday – 19 PTS, 9 AST
Elton Brand – 13 PTS, 10 REB, 2 BLK
Evan Turner – 12 PTS, 10 REB, 2 BLK

Rockets – 112
Royce White – 22 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST
James Harden – 17 PTS
Nerlens Noel – 14 PTS, 7 REB, 1 BLK
Omer Asik – 10 PTS, 13 REB, 5 BLK

A nice rebound win over the 76ers in Houston. We didn’t protect the ball very well (17 turnovers), but we got to the line 15 more times than Philly did.

March 5, 2014

Royce White is traveling to OKC with the Rockets.

Rockets – 92
Ronnie Brewer – 16 PTS, 7 REB
James Harden – 14 PTS (5-18 FG)
Trey Burke – 11 PTS, 5 AST
Mike Conley – 10 PTS, 3 AST
Royce White – 6 PTS, 4 REB, 18 MIN, Fouled Out

Thunder – 94
Kevin Durant – 42 PTS, 7 REB
Russell Westbrook – 11 PTS, 6 REB, 13 AST

A two-point loss on the road to the Thunder is a tough one to swallow. We were all knotted up heading into the 4th when Durant went off for 17 points in the final quarter, including a go-ahead pull-up jumper over Ronnie Brewer with 1.2 seconds left to ice the victory. We didn’t get much production from our starters and it killed us in this one.

March 7, 2014

Dallas Mavericks (21-38) vs. Houston Rockets (33-27)

Mavericks – 106
Chris Kaman – 19 PTS
OJ Mayo – 18 PTS
Dirk Nowitzki – 17 PTS
Darren Collison – 9 PTS, 14 AST

Rockets – 139
Royce White – 24 PTS, 8 REB, 9 AST
Trey Burke – 21 PTS, 11 AST
James Harden – 19 PTS
Omer Asik – 18 PTS, 11 REB
Mike Conley – 17 PTS, 4 AST

If we got to play Dallas 82 games this season, there’s no doubt in my mind we would win 80+ times. They are still tied for the 4th worst record in the league while Phoenix is solo 3rd worst. I can count the ping pong balls now!

March 8, 2014

No Royce White in Memphis.

Houston Rockets (34-27) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (26-33)

Rockets – 121
James Harden – 28 PTS
Cody Zeller – 21 PTS, 3 REB
Trey Burke – 16 PTS, 7 AST, 2 STL
Mike Conley – 14 PTS, 10 AST, 5 STL
JJ Redick – 14 PTS

Grizzlies – 99
Jeremy Lin – 19 PTS, 7 TO
Zach Randolph – 17 PTS, 16 REB

Big win over the Grizz as we go back to our small lineup. Cody Zeller had a career-high 21 points off of the bench tonight while Trey Burke continues to be the top rookie scorer in the league with 12.7 points per game. He leads Ben McLemore by 1.2 points per game.

March 20, 2014

Atlanta Hawks (30-32) vs. Houston Rockets (35-27)

Hawks – 82
Jeff Teague – 16 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST
Derrick Brown – 14 PTS
Al Horford – 8 PTS, 7 REB
Alex Len – 6 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK

Rockets – 129
James Harden – 29 PTS (12-17 FG), 3 STL, 23 MIN
Trey Burke – 25 PTS, 4 AST
JJ Redick – 15 PTS
Mike Conley – 14 PTS, 8 AST
Omer Asik – 12 PTS, 7 REB, 3 BLK
Royce White – 11 PTS, 6 REB
Nerlens Noel – 4 PTS, 8 REB, 3 BLK

An absolute dominant performance over the Hawks as we roll by 47 points. We shot 58% from the floor while ATL hit on just 37% of their attempts. The game was won on the glass as we outrebounded them 56-33.

We are heading on the road for four games now and every one of them means something. The first game is against the Lakers. They are currently 7th in the West, trailing us in the standings by 3 games. The very next night, we are in Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. The current 3-seed, Minnesota is three games ahead of us in the West. After a day off, we head to Phoenix who is the worst team in the West. We look to keep them in the cellar since we have their first-round pick this year. The last game of the trip is back to LA to take on the Clippers, who have an identical record to us right now with just 19 games remaining.

[Rizzo]

March 13, 2014

Royce White is making this trip! In what is probably the most important road trip for us on the season, the Number Generator popped a 56!

Houston Rockets (36-27) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (33-30)

Rockets – 138
Royce White – 28 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL
James Harden – 31 PTS, 3 STL
Mike Conley – 21 PTS, 7 AST

Lakers – 137
Dwight Howard – 47 PTS, 13 REB, 5 AST, 4 STL, 3 BLK
Carlos Delfino – 28 PTS, 4 STL
Steve Nash – 18 PTS, 11 AST

With Kobe Bryant on the shelf with a broken elbow, Dwight Howard did his best Superman impression and tried to put the team on his back. He attempted 21 free throws, fouling out Omer Asik and Nerlens Noel in 34 combined minutes of play. Fortunately, the Rockets held on and gritted out a one-point overtime win in LA!

March 14, 2014

Houston Rockets (37-27) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (39-24)

Rockets – 101
Royce White – 24 PTS, 11 REB, 6 AST
James Harden – 21 PTS, 3 REB
Trey Burke – 13 PTS

Timberwolves – 125
Kevin Love – 40 PTS, 19 REB, 1 BLK
Andrei Kirilenko – 18 PTS
Ricky Rubio – 17 PTS, 7 REB, 18 AST, 3 STL
Chase Budinger – 16 PTS, 10 REB

We get beat up in Minnesota as Kevin Love has an absolute dominant performance. He just showed the league why he is considered one of, if not the, best power forward in the entire league.

March 16, 2014

Houston Rockets (37-28) vs. Phoenix Suns (20-44)

Rockets – 122
Nerlens Noel – 20 PTS, 8 REB, 2 STL, 5 BLK
Trey Burke – 20 PTS, 4 AST
James Harden – 18 PTS
Royce White – 16 PTS, 5 REB, 8 AST

Suns – 107
Chandler Parsons – 21 PTS, 10 REB, 4 STL
Marcin Gortat – 21 PTS, 10 REB, 2 BLK
Jared Dudley – 19 PTS, 4 AST

What better way to get back to your winning ways than to visit the Suns? Two rookies, Nerlens Noel and Trey Burke, go for 20 points each in the win.

March 18, 2014

Houston Rockets (38-28) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (36-29)

Rockets – 110
Royce White – 31 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST
Mike Conley – 17 PTS, 8 AST
Cody Zeller – 16 PTS, 8 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK
James Harden – 13 PTS

Clippers – 131
Blake Griffin – 35 PTS, 14 REB, 3 BLK
DeAndre Jordan – 19 PTS, 17 REB, 5 BLK
Chris Paul – 14 PTS, 8 AST, 4 STL

We get destroyed by Griffin and Jordan as they combine for 54 points, 31 rebounds and eight blocks. That brings our record on this four game trip to 2-2. Not bad, but it would have been great to go 3-1. We are still sitting in 4th place in the Western Conference but just a half game up of the Clippers.

[Rizzo]

March 20, 2014

Indiana Pacers (36-29) vs. Houston Rockets (38-29)

Pacers – 104
Danny Granger – 29 PTS, 5 REB, 5 TO
Paul George – 22 PTS, 8 REB, 2 STL
Roy Hibbert – 17 PTS, 13 REB, 6 BLK
George Hill – 15 PTS, 7 REB, 10 AST, 4 STL, 7 TO

Rockets – 107
Royce White – 24 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 4 BLK
Mike Conley – 19 PTS, 5 AST, 4 TO
James Harden – 17 PTS, 6 TO
Trey Burke – 14 PTS, 4 AST
Nerlens Noel – 2 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 7 BLK

Two evenly matched teams based on record played pretty close to even tonight with the Rockets edging the Pacers by three points. Royce White had himself a stat-packed night to take home Player of the Game honors. Nerlens Noel is starting to assert himself defensively and showing his great shot blocking prowess with seven blocks tonight.

March 22, 2014

Royce White continues to better his anxiety as he is with the team yet again for a two-game road swing.

Houston Rockets (39-29) vs. Charlotte Hornets (25-43)

Rockets – 114
James Harden – 29 PTS (11-17 FG), 4 REB
Royce White – 16 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 1 BLK
Trey Burke – 15 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST
Ronnie Brewer – 14 PTS
Mike Conley – 13 PTS, 7 AST, 2 STL
Cody Zeller – 7 PTS, 10 REB, 1 BLK
Nerlens Noel – 6 PTS, 10 REB, 4 STL, 2 BLK

Hornets – 91
Gerald Henderson – 14 PTS, 7 REB
Ben Gordon – 13 PTS
Bismack Biyombo – 11 PTS, 5 REB
Kemba Walker – 10 PTS, 5 AST, 3 STL

A blowout win over the Hornets means the kids get to play as Noel and Zeller both rip down ten rebounds a piece while Trey Burke scores 15 to continue to be the leading rookie scorer in the entire league.

March 23, 2014

Houston Rockets (40-29) vs. Detroit Pistons (36-33)

Rockets – 123
Trey Burke – 35 PTS (16-20 FG)
James Harden – 22 PTS, 6 REB, 3 STL
Omer Asik – 16 PTS, 6 REB, 4 BLK
Royce White – 13 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST

Pistons – 99
Greg Monroe – 32 PTS, 8 REB, 3 STL
Jonas Jerebko – 11 PTS, 12 REB
Andre Drummond – 10 PTS, 6 REB, 2 BLK

We upped our zone defense a bit this game to try to take care of the frontcourt of Monroe and Drummond. Clearly, it didn’t faze Monroe as he went 14-22 from the floor. Luckily, it stifled the rest of the team to shoot 25-82 (30%). Trey Burke went bananas off the bench and is trying to put himself into the discussion for Sixth Man of the Year.

[zike_42]

Loving this thread Rizzo, keep pushing those Rockets further. Where do you think you will finish in the West?

[Rizzo]

Loving this thread Rizzo, keep pushing those Rockets further. Where do you think you will finish in the West?

Thanks Z! It's so tempting to sim through season after season with them to see how far I can take them, but I wanted to run it slower than normal so I can get in depth with it and really learn about this team and make the best decisions possible.

As for where we will finish in the West, I think we are pretty much going to get locked in to either the 4th or 5th seed with the Clippers. We are battling back and forth for that 4th spot and I believe we are currently a half game up on them with only ~12 games left each.

[Rizzo]

March 28, 2014

Phoenix Suns (24-47) vs. Houston Rockets (41-29)

Suns – 94
Jared Dudley – 18 PTS
Chandler Parsons – 15 PTS, 4 AST
Michael Beasley – 12 PTS, 5 REB

Rockets – 140
Royce White – 27 PTS, 6 REB
Trey Burke – 21 PTS, 5 AST
JJ Redick – 17 PTS
Mike Conley – 15 PTS, 6 AST
James Harden – 14 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL

At this point, the Suns don’t even resemble a professional basketball team and get embarrassed night in and night out. Feel bad to send Chandler Parsons there, but he can leave after his contract is up…

March 30, 2014

Utah Jazz (34-38) vs. Houston Rockets (42-29)

Jazz – 96
Paul Millsap – 20 PTS, 14 REB
Al Jefferson – 18 PTS, 8 REB
Derrick Favors – 17 PTS
DJ Augustin – 13 PTS, 6 REB, 9 AST

Rockets – 121
Royce White – 26 PTS, 4 REB, 10 AST, 4 STL
James Harden – 30 PTS, 6 REB
Trey Burke – 19 PTS
Patrick Patterson – 16 PTS, 3 BLK
Mike Conley – 12 PTS, 6 AST

We zoned up the Jazz hard and got good results. They did some damage on the inside but couldn’t generate enough points on jumpers to beat us.

At the end of the month, Royce White is now at a 58 for his mental health rating. It continues to climb higher and higher which is a great sign for the Rockets.

Taking a look at the playoff picture at the end of March, the Rockets are sitting in the 4th spot with a record of 43-29. The are currently two and a half games back of the Timberwolves for the 3rd seed and four games ahead of the Clippers for the 5th. Barring a meltdown over the last ten games of the season, the Rockets will have home court advantage in the first round.

The surprise in the East is that the Washington Wizards are still clinging on to the top seed in the conference. At 52-21, they are just one game ahead of the two-time champion Miami Heat. It will be interesting to see if they can hold off LeBron and gang.

[Rizzo]

April 1, 2014

Another road trip, another Royce White flight!

Houston Rockets (43-29) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (47-25)

Rockets – 118
James Harden – 22 PTS
Royce White – 20 PTS, 5 REB
JJ Redick – 14 PTS
Mike Conley – 11 PTS, 10 AST

Cavaliers – 132
Andrew Bynum – 35 PTS, 14 REB
Anderson Varejao – 25 PTS, 10 REB
Kyrie Irving – 21 PTS, 11 AST
Terrence Williams – 19 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL

We stay with the heavy zone philosophy and get killed. Bynum and Varejao had a field day on us and there wasn’t anything we could do to stop them.

April 3, 2014

Houston Rockets (43-30) vs. Denver Nuggets (59-15)

Rockets – 128
James Harden – 32 PTS, 28 MIN, Fouled Out
Royce White – 26 PTS, 9 REB, 2 STL
Trey Burke – 17 PTS, 7 AST, 2 STL
Omer Asik – 14 PTS, 8 REB, 4 BLK
Mike Conley – 6 PTS, 11 AST, 28 MIN, Fouled Out

Nuggets – 134
Andre Iguodala – 25 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST, 5 STL, 1 BLK
Danilo Gallinari – 21 PTS
Kenneth Faried – 20 PTS, 6 REB
Ty Lawson – 19 PTS, 10 AST, 3 STL

We stayed with the heavy zone and tried to force their slashers to take jumpers. Unfortunately, they still took it to the rack and got us in foul trouble all game long. In the end, their 45 free throw attempts put them over the top in the six-point win.

April 4, 2014

Miami Heat (52-22) vs. Houston Rockets (43-31)

Heat – 111
LeBron James – 45 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLK
Chris Bosh – 23 PTS, 7 REB
Mario Chalmers – 12 PTS, 5 REB, 4 STL

Rockets – 105
James Harden – 22 PTS, 7 TO
Royce White – 17 PTS, 12 REB, 6 AST, 5 STL
Trey Burke – 13 PTS, 5 AST
Omer Asik – 12 PTS

We got LeBron’d as he did everything it took to beat us in Houston. That’s what has happened since Dwyane Wade has been out with a broken elbow for the past two months. He is on track to be ready to play for the playoffs, though.

April 6, 2014

Royce White is making the one-game road trip to New Orleans.

Rockets – 129
Royce White – 34 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL
James Harden – 22 PTS
Trey Burke – 19 PTS, 4 AST
JJ Redick – 17 PTS, 5 AST
Mike Conley – 11 PTS, 7 AST
Omer Asik – 8 PTS, 14 REB
Nerlens Noel – 3 PTS, 7 REB, 6 BLK

Pelicans – 108
Anthony Davis – 23 PTS, 10 REB, 2 STL, 5 BLK
Austin Rivers – 23 PTS, 10 AST, 4 STL
Brandon Rush – 14 PTS
Greivis Vasquez – 12 PTS, 9 AST

Easy win against the Pelicans, but Anthony Davis showed that he can be one of the best power forwards in the entire league. Believe it or not, Eric Gordon is hurt, yet again, with a broken arm and has been for the last month. He won’t play again until next season.

April 8, 2014

Los Angeles Lakers (39-37) vs. Houston Rockets (44-32)

Lakers – 99
Kobe Bryant – 38 PTS, 5 REB
Carlos Delfino – 12 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST
Steve Nash – 11 PTS, 8 AST

Rockets – 114
James Harden – 20 PTS, 4 REB
Trey Burke – 18 PTS, 3 AST
Royce White – 14 PTS, 4 AST
Patrick Patterson – 12 PTS, 8 REB
Nerlens Noel – 8 PTS, 8 REB, 5 BLK

No Metta World Peace (strained hamstring), no Matt Barnes (bruised abdominal), no Pau Gasol (broken finger) and no Dwight Howard (broken hand) and that means the Rockets get a 15-point win.

April 11, 2014

Portland Trailblazers (34-43) vs. Houston Rockets (45-32)

Trailblazers – 121
Lamarcus Aldridge – 26 PTS, 2 REB
Damian Lillard – 22 PTS, 6 REB, 15 AST
Will Barton – 21 PTS

Rockets – 148
Royce White – 40 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST, 1 BLK
James Harden – 26 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST
Trey Burke – 24 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST
Mike Conley – 7 PTS, 12 AST
Nerlens Noel – 10 PTS, 7 REB, 5 BLK

Big win over the Blazers as Royce White goes nuts. Don’t look now, but Trey Burke has been absolutely on fire off the bench, averaging 19.2 points per game over the past nine. He could be the x-factor in the playoffs for this team.

April 13, 2014

Memphis Grizzlies (34-44) vs. Houston Rockets (46-32)

Grizzlies – 105
Jeremy Lin – 28 PTS, 7 AST
Zach Randolph – 15 PTS, 7 REB

Rockets – 130
Royce White – 35 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST
Trey Burke – 20 PTS, 5 AST
JJ Redick – 19 PTS
Omer Asik – 12 PTS, 8 REB
Nerlens Noel – 11 PTS, 9 REB, 3 STL, 2 BLK

Both Ronnie Brewer (bruised calf) and Patrick Patterson (sprained toe) were injured this game. Brewer’s injury could last 2-3 weeks while Patterson’s is 1-2. We may have to sit both of them for the last three games to get them healed up…

[Rizzo]

April 15, 2014

Kris Eisley and the Rockets announced that they have signed free agent small forward Stanley Robinson and power forward Ahmad Nivins for the remainder of the season. With Ronnie Brewer and Patrick Patterson on the shelf for the remainder of the regular season, we added a couple big bodies for depth. Also, we have decided to not have Royce White travel to Memphis for tonight’s game, nor will he play the final three games of the season. All starters will see reduced minutes to protect from fatigue and injury.

Houston Rockets (47-32) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (34-45)

Rockets – 118
James Harden – 30 PTS
Trey Burke – 21 PTS, 4 AST, 8 TO
JJ Redick – 13 PTS
Cody Zeller – 12 PTS, 10 REB, 4 STL
Nerlens Noel – 10 PTS, 9 REB

Grizzlies – 122
Tony Allen – 28 PTS, 7 STL
Jeremy Lin – 20 PTS, 12 AST, 5 STL

A four-point loss with that squad isn’t anything to hold our head in shame about. We played hard and even with them throughout the entire game. The only negative is that we blew a 19 point lead from the first half.

April 16, 2014

Denver Nuggets (65-15) vs. Houston Rockets (47-33)

Nuggets – 103
Ty Lawson – 26 PTS, 6 AST
Kenneth Faried – 20 PTS, 15 REB
JaVale McGee – 12 PTS, 13 REB, 2 BLK
Andre Iguodala – 11 PTS, 8 REB, 9 AST

Rockets – 115
James Harden – 29 PTS, 22 MIN
JJ Redick – 16 PTS
Mickael Pietrus – 15 PTS
Trey Burke – 13 PTS

We pull out a victory over the first place Nuggets even when we weren’t trying to win. That’s a very good sign for us going forward.

April 18, 2014

San Antonio Spurs (44-37) vs. Houston Rockets (48-33)

Spurs – 104
Kawhi Leonard – 23 PTS, 7 REB, 3 STL, 2 BLK
DeJuan Blair – 18 PTS, 9 REB
Tim Duncan – 12 PTS, 10 REB

Rockets – 114
Trey Burke – 28 PTS, 5 AST
James Harden – 24 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST
Cody Zeller – 14 PTS, 3 BLK

In what ended up being a first round preview, we beat the Spurs with Trey Burke having a great game for us. We finished the season 49-33, good for 4th place in the Western Conference. We will host these very San Antonio Spurs come the first round of the playoffs!

[Rizzo]

With the regular season over, it's time to prepare for the playoffs! Here's a quick rundown of the top-8 teams in each conference:

Western Conference:

1. Denver Nuggets (66-16)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (55-27)
3. Minnesota Timberwolves (53-29)
   [color="Red"]
4. Houston Rockets (49-33)[/color]
5. San Antonio Spurs (44-38)
6. Los Angeles Clippers (44-38)
7. Golden State Warriors (43-39)
8. Los Angeles Lakers (41-41)

The preseason favorite in the West, the Utah Jazz, failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Kings (3rd) and Grizzlies (5th) were also expected to be playoff teams and grossly under performed according to the experts' opinion. The Rockets, on the other hand, were projected to finish 13th in the West and finished with the four seed.

Eastern Conference:

1. Washington Wizards (58-24)
2. Miami Heat (57-25)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (54-28)
4. Chicago Bulls (45-37)
5. Indiana Pacers (44-38)
6. Detroit Pistons (42-40)
7. Toronto Raptors (41-41)
8. Atlanta Hawks (41-41)

The East was pretty spot on as the top-4 predicted teams in the East finished with the top-4 spots. Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Boston were expected to round out the bottom of the playoff bracket, but that didn't happen and they are all sitting in the lottery.

Speaking of the lottery, here's the draft order if the lottery were to fall in place based on worst records:

1. Orlando Magic
2. Boston Celtics
3. Phoenix Suns [color="Red"](pick conveyed to Houston)[/color]
4. Charlotte Hornets
5. Philadelphia 76ers
6. New Orleans Pelicans
7. Dallas Mavericks [color="Red"](pick conveyed to Houston)[/color]
8. Memphis Grizzlies
9. Sacramento Kings
10. Portland Trailblazers
11. Utah Jazz
12. Milwaukee Bucks
13. Brooklyn Nets
14. New York Knicks

At the very worst, the Houston Rockets will have two picks in the top-9 selections in this absolutely stacked draft. Looking at the Chad Ford's draft board, here are the top-9 prospects:

1. SF Andrew Wiggins - Kansas
2. SF Noah Vonleh - Indiana
3. C Willie Cauley-Stein - Kentucky
4. SF James McAdoo - North Carolina
5. SF Jerami Grant - Syracuse
6. PF Julius Randle - Kentucky
7. PF Jabari Parker - Duke
8. SG P.J. Hairston - North Carolina
9. SG Mario Hezonja - Croatia

Need a small forward? Then keep calm and draft one! This draft is stacked with four small forwards in the top-5 prospects. The first round is pretty deep, with some possible elite talent to be had in the mid-lottery. Going to be interesting to see what the Rockets do with their assets this offseason.