As a long time college football fan and the son of a sportswriter, I've spent many Saturdays watching games featuring teams ranked ahead of the Aggies, hoping the top ranked teams lose and open up an opportunity for A&M to move up in the standing. This year, I'm applying that same mantra to basketball.
Winning the 1 or 2 seed in the West is a huge priority for any would-be contender. With a definite top tier of talent in the conference, an easier fist round against a weaker team could be all the difference when it comes to making a long playoff run. Other than the Rockets, I think it's fair to say that the other challengers in that top tier are the Spurs, Clippers, Thunder, Warriors, and Grizzlies. To earn one of the top two seeds, we'll have to outperform at least four of them.
That's why I'm going to try to keep track of their ebbs and flows throughout the season. Once every week or two, I'll post updated records, a challenging game for them that's coming up, and how Houston is shaping up in the fight for playoff positioning.
Rockets: 2-0
Nov. 4th at Clippers
Spurs: 2-0
Nov. 5th at Nuggets
Clippers: 2-1
Nov. 4th vs Rockets, Nov. 7th at Heat
Thunder: 1-1
Nov. 6th vs Mavericks
Warriors: 1-1
Nov. 6th at Timberwolves
Grizzlies: 1-1
Nov. 6th vs Pelicans