Paulo Alves

We tried different things, you know, we didn't necessarily optimize it to the fullest extent since the beginning of the season.

I do think from this point forward,

Typically, teams post all-star break want to get on a run to go hot into the postseason.

So I do think that we'll see a maximized version or what Imei Doka thinks is a maximized version of this team.

Because now you do want to get to that level and sustain that level all the way through a playoff series.

So I wonder if we'll see any changes there.

You know, from a rotation standpoint, from a scheme standpoint, more changing schemes mid-game, more riding the hot hand when the hot hand has it going, painting players for a holiday as we saw last season.

You know, there's not as many, I guess, although there's not as many opportunities to do so, that was mostly a gel and green thing.

And stuff like Capella taking some hook shots that don't get even close, that strikes me as a little bit of limit testing that we saw at certain times that I don't think we'll see moving forward.

So I do expect the team to get better now.

And last but not least, post-All-Star break is also when teams slowly but surely, I guess at a faster pace, start to pack it up and going to tank mode.

And the Rockets seem to have struggled mostly with the teams that are pretty terrible.

And we've given up losses to the Kings, for example, and the Pacers.

Or not the Pacers.

We beat the Pacers with a close game.

I do expect that we'll get more kind of easy games in the sense that the teams aren't even trying to win.

And those are some of them.

I think a lot of our losses have come from situations like that.

And those situations won't present themselves nearly as much now.

So it's not just that the schedule is easier, it's that those terrible teams are even less of a threat now than they were before because they'll slowly move into tank mode.