Tough game last night for sure. I believe it was 71-40 Spurs at one point (I was watching in disbelief). 31-point lead before we fought back and ended up losing by 10. At one point we had found ourselves down 8 and thinking of our greatest comeback of all time but the game was over down 71-40. We had spent too much energy out-scoring them by 23 points. The Spurs weren't going to choke a 31-point lead, their defensive detail is too good for that. And plus it seemed like Gregg Popovich was calling a timeout every time we went on a nice little run in the second half. So we couldn't quite make up the full 31-point deficit.

We started off flat and continued to shoot too many bricks in the first half. While the Spurs weren't missing any shots. It looked a lot like the Portland game other than the comeback win. I can see why the Spurs are so deep and talented, if healthy (imagine if Manu is back) they can give the Warriors a run for their money in a playoff series. They still play them like three more times this season too if I'm not mistaken.

The Rockets may end up in the 8th seed and playing the Warriors in the first round. Oh brother, if that happens I hope the officials allow Dwight Howard to play physical. He can out-muscle the smaller Draymond Green inside the paint on both ends of the court if so. Andrew Bogut may be back from injury though. They would take turns defending Dwight but we have to exploit them somewhere. We would have to beat them up physically and play a tough brand of basketball to earn some respect.

Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter in NBA history that I've ever seen. Klay Thompson could be the second best.
We already know about those two guys so it's pointless for me to say they have to be slowed down. I'm Captain Obvious!!!!

If you watch Dwight Howard closely every time we play the Warriors he always seems to have a bit of advantage with his size, strength and athleticism, but only if the officials allow him to play a physical brand of basketball. If they're calling ticky tack fouls they can take him out of the game very fast.

It's gotten to the point where I'm frustrated with the NBA officiating against big men who try to dominate on both ends of the court. J.B. Bickerstaff has complained to the NBA league office multiple times this season with the unfairness Dwight Howard is receiving. It's bad enough the NBA made all the rule changes over the past decade-and-a-half to discourage centers from dominating inside the paint and to cater to the guards.

I'm not saying we're going to upset the Golden State Warriors in the first round if we end up playing them, how many 8 seeds beat 1 seeds, especially one which may have 75 wins? Obviously it's never happened. But we can compete and play hard, earn some respect. It doesn't have to be an embarrassment. We've played the Warriors tough before at Golden State in recent times. A month ago and also in Game 1 and Game 2 of last year's Western Conference Finals. We had the lead in the third quarter in all three games as well. We were tied in the fourth quarter in our last road game at Golden State.

But to heck with it guys. I'd rather make the playoffs as an 8th seed rather than keeping our original first-round pick, which is what we get if we don't make the playoffs. It's a lottery protected pick in the 2016 NBA Draft that would go to the Denver Nuggets if we make the playoffs.

If nothing else, I would like to play the Warriors in the first round and give them hell as much as possible (physically kicking their butts around for as long as possible) so that they are a little beat up going to play the Thunder in the second round, and eventually they are drained if they make it to the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs. If they somehow make it through that they will be running on fumes in the NBA Finals against the Cavaliers.

I think the Warriors would be wise to rest players at the end of the season and not pay so much attention to the Bulls' all-time regular season record. They need to be smart and realize the playoffs will be a dog fight. It's going to be physical series after physical series.

As great as the Warriors are it will be difficult for them to repeat as NBA champions. But going back to the Rockets and whether or not they want their own first-round, lottery-protected pick (that's nonsense). We'd rather make the playoffs.

The first-round pick we could have if we miss the playoffs would have been more enticing if we still had the Pistons' first-round pick (before Detroit rescinded the trade). But since we don't have it anymore I'd rather not have any first-round picks in the next draft.

YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!!!!!! Herm Edwards is the man.

The Rockets next game is Monday Night at Milwaukee. We have to put all the tough stuff aside and just go out and win that game. We have a lot of games against good teams coming up (and on the road) but games we can win if we play hard.

It's easy to give up and listen to the doubters. Sure, our guys can be focusing on their off-season vacation plans already. It takes real mental strength to keep playing hard and trying your best to win in the face of adversity.

Our reward for making the 2016 NBA Playoffs? A likely first-round matchup with the Warriors, Spurs or Thunder. Depending on whether we can end up in that 8th, 7th or 6th seed. There's about a 55 % chance that we will end up in the 8th seed so a first-round matchup with those amazing Golden State Warriors is very much a possibility.

It going to take hustle, heart and effort to get this thing done. Lots of it too!
Nobody is giving the Houston Rockets a chance to do much of anything.
So why not use that as motivation? Use that lack of respect as fuel for success.

Without going on any further (I'll stop before I stress myself out), I decided to ramble and rant a bit on this lazy Sunday afternoon.

Truth be told, I'm ready to relax and enjoy some spring training baseball. I want to just pick up my things and travel down to Florida for a few weeks as I watch the Houston Astros play a couple exhibition games. It's spring break pretty soon and the weather down there is beautiful. Spring time is baseball time.

good blog #1 fan here love the man they called Joe

Thank you, Joe.

Maybe I'll see you on Diablo III sometime soon. Madmartigan#1238
I've been playing a lot of Marvel Heroes 2016 lately.

I still want to surpass my personal best grift level and reach an even 1000 paragon level.

Stephen A. Smith reported earlier in the week that quarterback Colin Kaepernick hates the idea of playing for Chip Kelly and he wants to move the hell on out of San Francisco. His agent is trying to work a trade so that Keap can have a successful career elsewhere. That's just what I heard is all. Whether it's true or not we'll see. The 49ers front office has been saying a lot of positive things and making it sound like they're keeping him but that could be just to "increase his declining trade value" which has certainly taken a hit due to his large salary and his poor play last season.

All of a sudden more NFL reporters (respectable ones too) are reporting that he's generating trade interest from the typical QB needy teams, Texans being among them. Ian Rappaport was on the NFL Network this evening talking about the Houston Texans having interest in trading for Colin Keapernick.

Any team that is willing to trade for Kaepernick has to be willing to take on the $11.9 million salary that will be guaranteed as of April 1 (or able to get Kaepernick to renegotiate his contract). An $11.9 million salary sounds like a lot for a quarterback who was benched for Blaine Gabbert last year, but in today’s NFL, that’s actually a mid-level contract: Kaepernick’s 2016 base salary currently ranks 15th in the NFL among quarterbacks.

For the Houston Texans it's a financial gamble worth taking just because they're already a playoff team that is lacking a good quarterback.

We're probably the best team out of the quarterback lacking bunch. We made the playoffs last season starting the likes of Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, T.J. Yates and Brandon Weeden. Four different guys and neither of which is exactly a franchise caliber quarterback.

Although coaching is important. Jim Harbaugh was a quarterbacks guru who was able to bring the best out of Colin Kaepernick's abilities on the field. Bill O'Brien is viewed as one despite never having a good quarterback to coach. To be fair, he's worked with a lot of less than impressive quarterback talent while in Houston so far, and he's gone 10-6 and 9-7 with a playoff appearance. Playing seven different quarterbacks in those two seasons. It's very impressive when you think about it.

If we can land Colin Kaepernick I'd feel pretty excited.
Likewise if we ended up with Robert Griffin III. I'm cool with that.

But anyways, I'm good with any upgrade we make at quarterback. I've been in favor or bringing in at least two new quarterbacks whether it's via the trade market, free agency or draft. So it's all a positive for me that the Houston Texans will try their best to upgrade the quarterback position this off-season.

This post was edited by Madmartigan on Feb 28 2016 08:10pm

One of my friends tells me that Colin Kaepernick is damaged goods and not good enough to start anymore. Based on last season? Fair enough. This was once a guy viewed as one of the best young quarterbacks in the game before Jim Harbaugh left. He was a game-winning drive short of potentially winning two Super Bowls in a row. Against the Ravens in the Super Bowl and against the Seahawks in the NFC Championship during back-to-back years he had the ball in his hands with a chance to will his team to a big-game win as the time was expiring.

Although I cant assume Kaepernick and the 49ers would have defeated the Broncos in the Super Bowl that year. I do think they would have stomped the Broncos all the same (maybe not 43-8 like the Seahawks did) because the Broncos were missing their stud Left Tackle Ryan Clady and the Broncos also had their best player Von Miller on IR. The 49ers defense was just as good as the Seahawks defense that year. That was the year before the Broncos signed future Hall of Famer, DeMarcus Ware. So their pass rush off the edge wasn't great yet (no Von Miller, no Ware for that Super Bowl).

Interestingly enough, the Houston Texans have a pretty amazing defense now. Somewhat similar to some of those past handful of Super Bowl winning teams. All we need is a quarterback. If Bill O'Brien feels he can coach up these talented young guys, very much in their prime, then I'm all for it. It's still better than the journeymen we've been starting the past two seasons. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, Case Keenum, T.J. Yates, Brandon Weeden and of course Tom Savage played in a few regular-season games (came out right away with injuries, didn't start).

With Super Bowl 51 being played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas next February.
We should be trying to do everything we can to be playing in that game. I believe!!!!

How cool would it be to become the first NFL team to be playing in a Super Bowl inside their own stadium? That would be an amazing story. It would make up for all of the down years we've had since 2002. It hasn't been easy being a Houston Texans fan since their expansion season, but we're only a good quarterback away from changing the script and becoming a Super Bowl contender.

The Bucks defeated the Rockets, 128-121. Ran them right off the floor in the fourth quarter after being tied.
It's really unbelievable how many points the opposition is scoring per game against the Rockets. #OhMyLanta

The 26th game this season we've given up 110 or more points. That's the third worst in the NBA.
We've given up as many as 140 points in a game this season. It's pretty bad beyond words.
A lot of our losses could have been wins if we had played better defense but that's not comforting to me.

The Rockets are 29-31 with 22 games left to play.
It's been a long and disappointing season already.
To have a losing record right now is pretty deflating.

And 7 of our final 22 games this season are nationally televised games for the entire country to watch. With the first one of those being on Saturday Night at Chicago against the Bulls: 8:30 PM Eastern on ABC. We host a pretty talented Pelicans team before hand on Wednesday Night. And if those two games this week weren't tough enough, on Sunday the Rockets play a back-to-back on the road at Toronto.

We are currently in the 8th seed and still in the playoffs for now.

Because the Jazz and Kings have both lost three games in a row and they refuse to pass us for the 8th seed. It's like nobody wants to claim that 8th seed and play the 53-5 Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. Still on pace for the best regular-season record in NBA History.

I maybe a sucker for storylines but I wouldn't mind watching a rematch of the 2015 Western Conference Finals in the first round of the 2016 Western Conference Playoffs even if it's a lopsided matchup based on paper. The Houston Rockets aren't going to give up. It's just been a really tough year. Hopefully things will start to look up pretty soon. With a lot of nationally televised games coming up down the stretch of the season maybe they'll show some signs life as they make the playoffs.

It takes a mentally tough team to be in the position the Rockets are in right now and still trying to win games. It's easier just to give up and mail in the rest of the season. Overcoming their current adversity is nearly impossible. All signs point to them firing interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff this summer (25-24 record as head coach). At that time they'll have a full head coaching search: Their top two candidates this off-season will likely be Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks but I hope they interview more people besides those two obvious choices.

Every team is going to have a lot of cap space to play with in free agency. Especially the Houston Rockets, assuming Dwight Howard opts out and becomes an unrestricted free agent. He's our highest-paid player at the moment. Given the increase in the soft salary cap around the league the Rockets may have close to $30 million to work with this summer.

Obviously, I would expect the Houston Rockets to make major changes this off-season if they continue on their current path. The toughest part is still trying to stay positive and upbeat about these final 22 games. Like I mentioned already they can still make the playoffs but how much fight would they really put up against one of the elite teams in the first round?

I will continue to aspire some hope in the Houston Rockets even if things continue to fall apart. Without hope you have nothing.

A couple of thoughts on my mind this morning: The Rockets host the Pelicans later tonight at 7:05 PM central.
It's a game the Rockets have to win if they want to make a push for a playoff spot going down the stretch.

Point guard Ty Lawson and the Rockets reached a contract buyout yesterday: He just never fit in well with this team.
He was having the worst seasons of his career and never could mesh with a dominant ball control player like James Harden.
After the first few weeks of the season Lawson was coming off the bench but even as a backup he didn't play that much better.

I'm sure on a new team, likely a playoff contender, Ty Lawson will become a good point guard again. I wish him the best.
I also want to see Marcus Thornton play well after the Rockets waived him a week ago. The Cavaliers may sign him soon.

The Houston Astros will begin their full month of spring training exhibition games at noontime tomorrow against the Philadelphia Phillies. It's going to be nice watching baseball again. Although April 4 is the date I'm looking forward too. Opening Day: Astros at Yankees. But I'll watch most of the spring training games locally on Root Sports Houston and also on the MLB Network.

There's only one thing I'm going to greatly miss this baseball season and that's my grandfather, who passed away back in December. He was a hardcore Houston Astros fan just like me. We would talk to each other before and after every game. It's just not going to be the same for me watching these games without him but I know he's in a better place keeping tabs on all the games. I'm trying my best to remain strong but when you lose somebody you love it's tough to be without them.

My grandfather was a long-time baseball historian who actually grew up a New Yank Yankees fan while serving in the U.S. Army. He was a big Joe DiMaggio fan throughout high school and his early days in the military. It wasn't until he moved to Texas in 1962, the same year the Houston Astros were an expansion team (Houston Colt 45s they were called their first three seasons) that he became a big Houston baseball fan.

I would often enjoy the stories he shared with me about his life-long experiences. I have his autographed Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle baseball (from 1951) kept safely in a display case. He also had a couple of footballs signed by his favorite Dallas Cowboys players: Roger Staubach, Bob Hayes, Tony Dorsett and Ed "Too Tall" Jones (both balls are in a bigger display frame), which I also have. It's been difficult for me to go through all the things he gave to me. Just last night I was unboxing everything.

The Astros at Yankees Opening Day game on April 4: Noontime game on ESPN, is going to be emotional for me to watch.
I'll probably shed a tear or two (the slow streaming kind) thinking about my grandfather. He'll always be a part of me.

With the 2016 MLB season just around the corner it just feels bittersweet to me. A lot of precious and fond memories.

The podiatrist tightened a wrapping cast around my left leg and foot earlier today to relieve swelling.
I have to keep it elevated and stay off of it for a full week. I'm not able to blog too much right now.

I'm going to try and keep this entry short and simple. Not too much to discuss.

I was glad to see the Rockets defeat the Pelicans last night, 100-95. James Harden scored a game high 39 points with 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. On the down side, a horrendous 3-for-34 three-point shooting (8%) for the Rockets. That was an all-time record in terms of being an NBA worst when it comes to three-point shooting (over 30 attempts) while still winning a game.

With two roster spots open the Rockets signed Michael Beasley and Andrew Goudelock.
Hopefully one or both can add depth. If nothing else the Rockets are just filling out their roster.

The Rockets play at Chicago on Saturday Night and at Toronto on Sunday Afternoon. Two really good teams.
Tough back-to-back on the road. We have to win at least one of those games to remain in the playoffs.

We're still in the 8th seed and also the 7th seed is within our grasp as well.
The Rockets have a lot of resiliency and they're not giving up which is nice to see.

The Houston Texans released running back Arian Foster. He was one of my favorite players to watch since 2010.

I'm watching the Astros versus Mets spring training game on Root Sports Houston.
The Astros are 2-0 this spring with wins over the Cardinals and Phillies already.
A full month of spring training games is a lot. I wish these games mattered in the standings.

Wandy Rodriguez, the 37-year-old lefty veteran is trying to make the 25-man roster.
Doug Fister could be a hidden gem (excellent signing) if he can pitch like he did two years ago.
It's nice to see center fielder Carlos Gomez healthy again. No more pain in his ribs slowing him down.

I'm looking forward to watching rookie slugger A.J. Reed as he tries to win the first base job.
George Springer is mashing the ball in the early going this spring. A healthy Springer and Gomez give us a solid outfield.

I like the Rockets chances to beat the Bulls on the road tonight (ABC). I'm feeling optimistic and excited .
The Texans quarterback search this off-season is filled with many rumors in free agency and the draft.

I've heard it all from Colin Keapernick, Robert Griffin III and Peyton Manning. Mixed in with countless names in the draft.
With the cuts they made already, most notably Arian Foster and Rahim Moore, The Texans cleared $12 million in cap space.