I feel like such a tool for titling this post "The Wild Wild West." The phrase has been linked to the 2008 Western Conference playoff race more times than bearable, yet still, I find it most fitting.
It's been a crazy few weeks in the west... And I would be a fool not to say the same for the next few weeks. We're coming down the stretch, and it seems like things are only going to get crazier. The Lakers currently have the #1 spot if the playoffs were to start right now. The funny thing is not that the Spurs are a half-game back, but the fact that the #5 Hornets only are only 1.5 games back. What's even funnier is that everything I wrote is almost guaranteed to be inaccurate by the time you read this.
The insanity in the west has been beaten into the ground by writers, bloggers, and analysts alike... so, why not continue the beatdown? This is likely the closest race we'll see in quite some time -- let us bask.
In my opinion, the most impressive thing to come out of it all is the Rockets' now 19-game win streak. The Rockets are hot; there's no denying it, but when will it stop? Will it ever stop?
The absence of Yao has done nothing to sway the Rockets from their fervent winning ways. With both the Lakers and the Spurs losing ground yesterday, is it only a matter of time before the Rockets to seize the west? Also, will the Suns even make the playoffs? Will the Mavs even make the playoffs?
The race for position in the Western Conference has officially erased the annual post-All Star Break lull that leaves the casual fan bored of the final weeks of the regular season. With so many open ended questions and possibilities, there's no doubt that this race will come down to the last minute... Buckle up.
All of this brings up an argument for another day - The Nets currently have the 8th spot in the east with a .413 percentage. Ah, the injustice.
The Rockets are the wildest part of the west. I was very high on Luis Scola after having watched him play with such heart for Argentina this summer. I wished he were a Laker, so I was surprised when Houston stumbled out of the gate.
Coach Rick Adelman often uses a 9 man rotation, and there is no telling who will step up and contribute on any given night.
I wish Yao were healthy; I would LOVE to see what this team could do at full strength in the post season.
From a fan's perspective, I'm scared of the Rockets. But jeez, are they fun to watch. Scola has stepped his game up and it's producing some really entertaining ball w/o Yao.
great read, i am a fan of the rockets and although I don't expect them to win every game, i do expect a better product in the playoffs. thanks for showing some love.
You are so right, crazy close race, so virtually every game involving the top 9 has a playoff feel.
Great period in NBA history!
My prediction is for the Rockets to keep the streak through the Laker visit, and to go at least 3-2 in that week. Celtics are up to 9 in a row and are back to full strength, that game should be a classic.
I'm not sure the Lakers will beat the Rockets this Sunday.
First, whenever Kobe plays against elite players (such as LeBron or Agent Zero), he tends to get distracted by that. Either he tries too hard to prove he isn't trying to match them shot for shot, or he matches them shot for shot and buries them, but what he isn't doing is playing within the context of his own team.
Second, the Lakers have struggled against Portland and the Kings ... teams they should handle easily.
Houston lacks "names" outside of McGrady and Yao, although that is changing, but I really wonder if the Lakers' Hollywood-esque "I don't want to get my hands dirty" style of play will prevail against the gritty, all hustle approach of the Rockets.
I'm looking forward to that game more than any other this weekend.
it's amazing how even when the rockets are given credit, it's very much tongue in cheek. i wonder people like Hoffman will say if they do defeat two of the first three games next week. what would they say then. i give the Celtics and the Lakers all the props in the world because they deserve it. it would be nice to hear someone not yet a rocket fan give them credit and leave it at that. i think they have earned it.
I'm a realistic observer of the vast world that surrounds the Los Angeles Lakers. You can thank Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell, Cedric Ceballos, and Vlade Divac for making that possible. The greatest person of all time is Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn. There's no getting around that. Me? I'm eighteen years old and working my way to a journalism degree.
