Paulo Alves

And at this point, 45-29, they have to go 7-1 just to match last season's win total.

They're certainly not going to be number two in the West.

They have to go 8-0 to exceed it.

So they're probably going to fall short on basically every level.

And this trend of letting close gains slip away, not having crunch time execution is

At least for the regular season, it's defined this team.

It is what it is, and it's defined some of these players as well.

However, we saw last year when it was the exact opposite, and they basically overachieved all of their expectations for the regular season, and yet they go out sad in the first round, they lose to the hated Warriors, they lose a home game seven, and...

it did cast a little bit of a shadow over the offseason, and I think it played a role in them parting ways with Jalen Green in the eventual Kevin Durant trade.

So there is a world where the opposite happens this year, where maybe they're the 5th or the 6th seed, but just like a year ago it was Minnesota in the 6th seed, and next thing you know they're in the Western Conference Finals.

All of a sudden, if the Rockets win a playoff series or two, then perhaps we're looking at this season and some of the players in a different light.

And I think there's a case to be made.

You know, the playoffs could offer a lot of these, especially younger players, a chance to start fresh.

You know, Ime Udoka, after the Minnesota game, he referred to that being the worst loss yet in terms of they're just late game collapses.

I think at least to some extent, it's weighed on these guys.

And I think when you get to the playoffs and you get to the final few games of the regular season, at this point, there's no real ability to change the narrative as far as the regular season.

It just is what it is.

I think to an extent, until very recently, they've been hoping to turn it around, that...

making one or two tweaks is going to potentially give them the extra bucket that they need or the extra stop.

And all of a sudden they can get back to what we all envisioned this team being at the start of December when they were 13 and four with one of the five or six best net ratings in NBA history.