The NBA is roughly 500 of the most elite basketball players in the world. In the NBA playoffs, the cream does usually rise to the top… but the split between the top and bottom can be a very, very thin line. Regardless of what happened, that line can be a single call, play, or basket […]
Read More
In the 2021-22 season the Miami Heat have quietly dominated the Eastern Conference since the onset. Amidst injuries to their multiple stars, Miami has seen contributions from guys like Max Strus, Caleb Martin, and even Omer Yurtseven. Never heard of them? It’s ok, Houston Rockets fan. Prior to this season, most of the NBA hadn’t […]
Read More
April 29th, 2021. In most seasons, the Houston Rockets playing games in late April and early May indicates a successful season. It’s a time typically reserved for the playoffs and, more times than not in the last 35 years, that has meant a Houston playoff run. But last season? The Houston Rockets were coming off […]
Read More
In the summer of 2018, the Dallas Mavericks drafted their superstar. After a year of creatively tanking, the franchise that Dirk Nowitzki built had found another European generational talent. Luka Doncic, a Slovenian teenager, had played professionally for Real Madrid since 2015. By 2018? He was the best player outside of the United States. Doncic […]
Read More
The Houston Rockets officially finished the season 20-62, in a season that many would assume is forgettable. Houston has some building blocks for the future, and none of their young stars shine brighter than Jalen Green. Green ended the season with a 41-point outing on Sunday in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks. With the […]
Read More
As the 2021-22 NBA season comes to a close, the Houston Rockets are wrapping up a season that many would look at and assume is a forgettable one. For a franchise that wraps up its fifth losing season since drafting Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984, it would appear that 2021-22 is an aberration. In that same […]
Read More
The Geneva convention outlines several paths to surrender, but perhaps the most important is the white flag. The white flag is internationally seen as a protective sign that implies truce or ceasefire. People that carry or wave white flags aren’t supposed to be shot at, and they themselves are refraining from shooting. While the white […]
Read More
Here’s the beautiful thing about being a sports fan: there’s always a “next.” There’s a next season, a next coach, a next superstar. And amidst the Houston Rockets rebuild, the word “next” has been thrown around a lot. It’s hard to contextualize, but the Houston Rockets were up 1-0 on the eventual NBA Champion LA […]
Read More
In the past, we at Belly Up Sports have discussed the fanaticism that comes with being a fan. To some degree, it’s expected. At Texas A&M they have midnight yell practices. In European Soccer, teams have dedicated songs about things like walking or bubbles. And in Buffalo, fans will leap off of a camper van […]
Read More
At our last Rockets’ Round-Up, the Houston Rockets were just hours off of a narrow loss to the top-four seeded Utah Jazz. Christian Wood hit a pair of threes, including a buzzer-beater to force overtime, in one of his best performances to that point. Key phrase: to that point. In the week since the Houston […]
Read More
The NBA world was buzzing this week. News circulated, following an episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, that there is real traction to expand the NBA into the cities of Seattle and Las Vegas. From today’s BS Podcast: Why I believe the NBA is going to expand to Vegas and Seattle sooner than later, and […]
Read More
The Houston Rockets have come out of All-Star weekend with multiple, consecutive losses. They have a handful of sprained ankles, and morale appears to be pretty low. While Houston Rockets news stories cover things like a new haircut for Kevin Porter Jr., or a well-written article by Kelly Iko about Jalen Green’s development, that is […]
Read More
The Houston Rockets appeared to be sellers. All apparent focus from the franchise appeared to be on the future, and the only rationale for some of the rotations felt like it was to dangle players as trade pieces. As a franchise that drafted four teenagers, Houston hopefuls looked forward to more picks to use in […]
Read More
For a second consecutive year, it feels like we have a very wide-open field in the NBA. In the East? Miami, amidst another season plagued with injuries, is at the top of the conference without a string of healthy games to speak of. Brooklyn is (kind of) bringing Kyrie Irving back into the fold to […]
Read More
