Series Thread: 2nd round: Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors

[Black Adam]

DJ gets a little gooey when it comes to you LOL

"gooey" lol. guess that's ONE way to describe it...

 

[trojanfan12]

Doesn't mean he doesn't want to win.

I could just as easily say Russ doesn't want to win because he refuses to learn from his past mistakes.

But we both know Russ wants to win. He just may not understand how.

IMO, Harden wants to win so bad he is afraid of failing. So, inevitably he does.

Yeah, this makes sense. A big part of being a "clutch player" is being willing to take those shots and accept the fact that more often than not, you are going to fail and get criticized for it.

Guys like MJ, Kobe, etc. accept that challenge. Guys like Harden don't. It doesn't mean that Harden doesn't want to win. But it does mean that he's not likely to come through when his team needs him the most.

 

[LAD]

Calling someone a loser for posting here.....while posting here?

Just wow.

Where in my post did I call him a loser BECAUSE HE POSTS HERE?
Stop assuming & just READ what's in front of you.

 

[LAD]

Yeah, this makes sense. A big part of being a "clutch player" is being willing to take those shots and accept the fact that more often than not, you are going to fail and get criticized for it.

Guys like MJ, Kobe, etc. accept that challenge. Guys like Harden don't. It doesn't mean that Harden doesn't want to win. But it does mean that he's not likely to come through when his team needs him the most.

So is the answer he should be teamed with a true ALPHA #1 or #2 option?

 

[tlance]

So is the answer he should be teamed with a true ALPHA #1 or #2 option?

yes.

But, that alpha has to be okay playing off the ball and watching Harden dribble out the clock for most of the game.

 

[dtgold88]

Where in my post did I call him a loser BECAUSE HE POSTS HERE?
Stop assuming & just READ what's in front of you.

Said "still here....imagine that loser"

Lie, dance, deflect, distort whatever.....called him a loser for being here posting...while you posted.

 

[Montalban]

No you obviously haven’t followed him very closely. Just watch him, winning isn’t that important to him.

He had to have worked his ass off and sacrificed a lot to get that good. He is obviously a competitor.

 

[trojanfan12]

So is the answer he should be teamed with a true ALPHA #1 or #2 option?

Yes. Or at the least, a #2 that isn't afraid of the moment. Imo, someone like Klay would be good next to him. Klay doesn't need a ton of shots and isn't afraid of the big moment.

 

[CitySushi]

So...what did I miss?

 

[Black Adam]

So...what did I miss?

well...

did you know your team made it to the Conference Finals...?

 

[shopson67]

So is the answer he should be teamed with a true ALPHA #1 or #2 option?

Much like Russ, he just may not have what it takes to get to the next level as his game sits today. Very tough to have a ball-dominant Beta in today's NBA. It's not so much that he's a Beta either; he needs to adjust his game to fit the flow of an offense better. Just use your talents without pounding the rock and baiting refs.

 

[shopson67]

Yes. Or at the least, a #2 that isn't afraid of the moment. Imo, someone like Klay would be good next to him. Klay doesn't need a ton of shots and isn't afraid of the big moment.

He's stuck with CP3 as his #2 until 2022. The two of them combine for $76M, $82M, and $88M the next 3 seasons, and I can't imagine anyone trading for CP3's contract without dumping a worse one.

 

[msgkings322]

For everyone burying the Rockets as a shitty team, I just saw that they lost this series by a total of 11 points over 6 games, with every game decided by 6 points or fewer. That last bit has never happened in playoff history. So it's not like they got destroyed.

 

[msgkings322]

The Rockets might be like the 1990s Jazz, a very good to great team that just couldn't get past a dynasty

 

[Robotech]

The Rockets might be like the 1990s Jazz, a very good to great team that just couldn't get past a dynasty

The Rockets are really good, especially last year's team. I was thinking about some of the best teams to not win a title. I think 2018 Rockets are definitely up there. I also thought about 1998 Jazz, 2002 Kings, and 2007 Mavs, though the Mavs did win four years later with Dirk. Someone told me about 1981 Bucks. I looked them up, and that 1981 team does look seriously stacked. What are some other teams?

 

[shopson67]

For everyone burying the Rockets as a shitty team, I just saw that they lost this series by a total of 11 points over 6 games, with every game decided by 6 points or fewer. That last bit has never happened in playoff history. So it's not like they got destroyed.

While that may be true, there's reason to expect most of the other West playoff teams to improve next year. Denver's very young and gets Porter back, Portland gets Nurkic back, the Clippers have tons of cap space, the Jazz are still young, etc. Sure, the Warriors may drop a peg without Durant and maybe Boogie, but I would expect them to work on their depth a bit and have beaten the Rockets with or without those two. The Spurs are a tough read going forward, but still have Pop. OKC may be in a similar situation. The Rockets don't have a lot of flexibility (other than at coach).

 

[Shanemansj13]

I give props to him, actually. congratulated the Dubs fans and admitted they definitely had the better team last night...

can't dog him for being classy...

I didn't see it so it didn't happen from my POV lolz but if he did good for him bc he was talking a lot of shit earlier

 

[shopson67]

The Rockets might be like the 1990s Jazz, a very good to great team that just couldn't get past a dynasty

An OK comp, but the Jazz only faced that dynasty twice. They may never have gotten past the Bulls ultimately anyway, but they fell short of that challenge most of the time (and it was the Rockets that ascended with Jordan's absence).

 

[tlance]

An OK comp, but the Jazz only faced that dynasty twice. They may never have gotten past the Bulls ultimately anyway, but they fell short of that challenge most of the time (and it was the Rockets that ascended with Jordan's absence).

Well,

Yes, the Rockets have faced the Warriors more than twice.

But how many times with a team actually good enough to win a title?

I would say the answer to that is 2 or 3 tops.

 

[Montalban]

Every game in this series will be close. Whoever makes the most mistakes will lose.