Mission accomplished for Houston. After the disappointment of the missed “play-in”, the Rockets had set themselves a new objective at the end of the season: to win at least 41 matches and thus achieve a 50% victory rate. With the success against the Clippers, it's done. So happy ?
“Happy wouldn’t be the word”, replies Ime Udoka. “We are disappointed not to have achieved our objectives. When we don't reach the set goal, we think of all the matches we let slip away. We are aware of the place we could have occupied. The goal is always to make the play-in and the playoffs, to have this experience for the players. »
But with 41 victories on the clock, aren't there reasons to still be satisfied with this exercise?
“Improving our record of 19 victories is obviously a big step forward. We can be proud of it,” recognizes the coach. “But being on vacation in April is not a pleasant feeling. When you're at this stage of the season, you want to prepare for something. We weren't far, but we didn't get past the obstacle. We shot ourselves in the foot at the start of the season. »
Disappointment dominates despite everything
Ime Udoka notes that his players won eleven matches in a row, the majority of which without Alperen Sengun, in March to offer themselves a thrilling end to the season. It was not won in February…
“We are satisfied with the progress of the players since the first day, with their competitive spirit. We changed the vision that people had of this team. From this point of view, we are competitive. We made efforts, we made progress in certain areas. But to fail narrowly is a bit disappointing.”continues the coach, who cannot get this bitter taste out of his mouth.
And for the players, are they also experiencing this 2023/24 season as a disappointment? “My first years were difficult, and we were far from 50% victories at the end of the season”recalls Jalen Green. “It was one of my goals this season. It's awesome. It proves that next season we will be able to fight for the playoffs. We were in the race this season. It was pleasant and exciting. »
“You can look at things in several ways. On the one hand, it is a success. I'm pretty sure that those of us in the franchise see it as a disappointment because we know we could do better.” continues Jabari Smith Jr. “It will be motivation for next season. There has been progress but I am not going to rejoice about it: there is still work to do. We take into account the success and the improvements, and we prepare to win more matches next year. »
Efforts to be confirmed
The Rockets are therefore navigating between the satisfaction of having progressed and the disappointment of having missed the “play-in”, so close when facing the Warriors recently.
“We narrowly failed. I'm not saying the season isn't a success. There are a lot of positives and promises in this locker room. We have reason to be impatient to come back,” attempts to synthesize Fred VanVleet. “We had the playoffs in the back of our minds. We have made enormous progress compared to recent years. Changing things and moving in the right direction is huge, but it’s not enough. »
We can therefore write on the Houston report card: “The Rockets have made great progress this season. This is encouraging for the future. Good bases to be confirmed. »
“This season was important. We put the foundations in place, we planted the seeds and it will bear fruit later,” concludes the former Toronto player. “The main thing was to change the discourse around franchising, to change perspective and culture. Then you have to build on that. There is a very good group and I am proud of our season. »
