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Thread: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

  
  1. #16
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    Re: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

    Damn. As Maxwell Smart used to say on the old sitcom 'Get Smart', "Missed it by that much." as he held up a thumb and forefinger to indicate how close a call what he was talking about was. The Rockets had the ball on a 5-3 break away but they weren't able to score what would have been a game winning basket as time expired in Game 2 giving Golden State a 99-98 win and 2-0 lead in the WCF series. So close but it wasn't due to any lack of James Hardin who was clearly the better player than league MVP Steph Curry who wasn't too shabby himself last night. Houston is putting up a better fight than most people thought they would. Hopefully, when the series comes back to Houston the Rockets can turn the tables on Golden State and get back into this series.

    Cleveland is up 1-0 on Atlanta and with the win on Wednesday night they immediately stole the Hawks home court advantage. If Cleveland continues to roll over the Hawks this series will go all of four games. In Game 1 Atlanta looked kinda helpless against the Cavs. LeBron has had to put the team on his shoulders and carry them. It was a big loss to lose Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving being hobbled is not great either. Maybe the Cavs could be willing to take a chance on letting Irving sit out tonight and maybe Game 3 if they think they can get away with it so Kyrie will be healthy, or healthier than he is now, for either the Rockets or Warriors.

  2. #17
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    Re: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

    Good Lord did anyone else see the 35 point loss Houston suffered last night? I couldn't watch the game after the middle of the 3rd quarter. Sheesh. Was there a hangover from the one point loss Houston suffered in Game 2 on Thursday? I don't know but James Hardin was awful last night. He scored 17 points but 10 were on free throws. He was like 1 for a thousand from the field shooting and without Hardin being the main scorer Houston's other players never had a chance. Dwight Howard had a double-double but it wasn't nearly enough as Steph Curry went off. He had forty points and from what I understand he went to the bench at the end of the 3rd qtr. This wasn't unusual as the W's sat Curry a lot late in games that had become blowouts. The way Houston played Curry could have showered at halftime with GS up 25 with 62-37 halftime lead. Houston may get a pride win on Tuesday night but I don't see Houston having a chance in hell of winning the series now. Stats will bear that out as no team in NBA history has ever come back from 3-0 in a playoff series and won. It's been a good season but being less hit by injuries and another scorer to compliment James Hardin is needed for Houston go further in the playoffs.

    Cleveland goes back home and as dismal as Atlanta played their home I don't see this series going more than 4 games. Could be the NBA finals won't last into July this year with the Cavs and Warriors almost certain to close out their series next week.

  3. #18
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    Re: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

    I'm not surprised the Rockets won last night. I still don't think they will come back like they did against the Clippers. I believe the Warriors will win the series. I wouldn't be surprised to see them take Game 5. As hot as the James Hardin and the Rockets were to start the Game 4 last night scoring 45 points in the 1st quarter I could easily see them being just as cold next time out. I hope not but I wouldn't be surprised.

    I was surprised to wake up Monday morning to find out the Cavs won Game 3 of the ECF. They were down 4 with a bit over a minute left in the game. I, in my infinite wisdom, assumed the worst (I'm a Cavs fan) and went to bed. Now we'll see if it was smoke and mirrors or if Atlanta can put up enough of an effort to win in Cleveland when they came so close on Sunday night. We won't have to wait long because the game is tonight and it's a 7:30 tipoff instead of 8 o'clock.

  4. #19
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    Re: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

    As expected the Cavs closed out their series with Atlanta with a 30 point win. With the ease of the win both LeBron James and Kyrie Irving both sat out most of the second half of the game with the subs not only maintaining the 20 point lead that was built but adding to it to give Cleveland a comfortable and, for them, enjoyable end to the Eastern Conference finals. Now, I would imagine the Cavs push the Golden State Warriors to seven games meaning they will be tired with no extra rest while the Cavs will have a whole week to kick back and prepare for the NBA Finals which begins on June 4th. GS could end it all tonight however as they return home to Oakland for Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. My fingers are crossed for Houston. I want them to show up and push the Warriors as far as they can while giving the Warriors no rest and you'd have to say Cleveland could use that as an advantage in the finals. I will be torn because Golden State hasn't won a championship since the mid 1970's but then again Cleveland has never won. If pressed I would have to say I'm rooting for Cleveland.

    Houston did get one bit of good news last night when the NBA decided not to suspend Dwight Howard from Game 5 for hitting Andrew Bogut in the face. Film showed Howard was trying to get free of Bogut when he swung his arm in a sweeping motion from front to back hitting Bogut with his hand, not his fist. The NBA ruled that if Howard had used his fist or elbow as first thought he would have been suspended similar to Cleveland's JR Smith's 2 game suspension in the 1st Round of the the playoffs against Boston when he intentionally hit Celtics forward Jae Crowder. The Eastern Conference playoffs have been pretty chippy with several incidents. One thing for sure Cleveland isn't afraid to get physical with opponents and that could be another advantage in favor of the Cavs vs the more finesse play of Golden State. Issues with Cavs players like Smith and Matthew Dellavedova as well as LeBron who is maybe the most physical player in the NBA precedes the Cavs as they head to their second franchise final, both with LeBron on the team.

    LeBron has now become the first non-Boston Celtic player to go to 5 consecutive NBA finals. The Celtics of the 60's won 9 championships in 11 years for the most dominant stretch of basketball in NBA history. The world was a lot different then and the competition isn't what it is now and the fact LeBron has done it is pretty significant. Michael Jordan probably would have done it if he hadn't taken 2 years off to play baseball. As good as the Bulls were back then their two 3-petes in the 90's could have been an 8-pete which mean the Rockets never would have been able to win their 2 Championships. LeBron is a badass and whether or not you like him you can't deny how good, and what a freak of an athlete, he really is. Like Jordan in the 80's and 90's we get to watch a historically great player in the 2000's and 2010's. Enjoy it while you can.

  5. #20
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    Re: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

    The Rockets season is over. As good as they played Monday night they were that bad last night. I swear the whole team ought to be Free Masons because of the bricks they laid last night. Hardin and his teammates were awful about dribbling into the lane on the offensive side of the court and getting trapped there either losing the ball or throwing up a wild shot that had no chance of going in. Hardin had 13 turnovers in the game setting an NBA record. Hardin was only part of the problem. The whole team contributed to this loss and despite all the ineptitude going on they only lost by 14 which isn't really all that bad. Good season and I'm sorry it's over for the Rockets.

  6. #21
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    Re: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

    Boy, oh boy, have I missed the NBA. It didn't help one bit that both conference finals were settled by last Wednesday making Thursday pretty dismal without basketball and the Astros on a day off. Dallas is lucky they could get the Byron Nelson golf tournament on this weekend after all the flooding taking place in north Texas this past week. The Astros lost 2 of 3 to the ChiSox this weekend so it's been a slow week for sports. The NBA finals don't start until Thursday so it will be a long week especially if the Astros continue to struggle. Isn't it funny how fast you get spoiled? Until this year there wasn't really much to get excited about in Houston sports other than the Texans but with the Rockets getting to the Western Conference Finals and the Astros kicking everybody's ass to this point it's hard when they both lose. Needless to say it was a lousy week in Houston. On top of all that they get a trillion gallons of rain and flood the city making the saying, 'when it rains it pours' much more literal than the folks in Houston would like. May is over now and maybe June will be much better for everyone.

    I think the NBA finals will be a really good series. Golden State having the home court advantage could be the difference in the series. I'm rooting for LeBron and the Cavs. It would be interesting to me to know how all you B-R-I'ers out there feel about this series.

  7. #22
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    Re: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

    Damn Game 1 was a good game. At least until the overtime period. By that time the Cavs had run out of ammunition and they missed their last 12 shots in the game until LeBron got an oh-by-the-way layup at the final buzzer when it was far too little far too late. Despite scoring 44 points LeBron and the rest of the Cavs couldn't buy a bucket in overtime as the Warriors put them away with good ball movement and good team shooting. That was the difference to me, the Warriors passed the ball and made the Cavs defense cover on the run while the Cavs only played an isolation game, primarily with LeBron, and they couldn't do squat against the W's swarming defense as they went with a smaller, quicker lineup down the stretch. The Cavs lost Kyrie Irving about 2-1/2 minutes into overtime and that was really all she wrote. We learned you can't pass the ball to Cavs guard JR Smith. He never once looked to pass the ball or set up an open shot. He took the ball and put up a shot and he was just terrible barely hitting the rim on most of his attempts. Still, Cleveland had a shot at the win at the end of regulation when LeBron put up a contested 3 pointer which was rebounded by Iman Shumpert who damn near hit a 3 pointer from the opposite corner that LeBron shot from. We all know almost don't count for anything except in horseshoes and hand grenades. Unfortunately, the Cavs were playing basketball.
    Game 2 is tomorrow night. No word on Kyrie Irving's knee or if he's available for the game. If Cleveland is going to be without Irving the rest of the team is going to have to up their game--a lot--to hang with Golden State.
    Last edited by eagle eye; 06-06-2015 at 04:29 PM.

  8. #23
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    Re: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

    The Cavaliers stepped up their game and they barely felt the loss of G Kyrie Irving due to a broken knee cap that required surgery to repair. Now the players who stepped up in Game 2 still have to do it 3 more times to win this series. It won't be easy. Now LeBron was LeBron notching his 5th triple-double in his playoff career which is just 3 behind Magic Johnson's record of 8. The Cavs won by playing stout defense and rebounding. It didn't hurt any that Steph Curry was off his usual shooting touch even though Klay Thompson, with 34 points in the game, helped take up the slack. It was like watching a less talented shooting team version of the Detroit Pistons playing physical basketball and last night it worked. Basketball is so much different than other sports in that it doesn't matter if you suck one game because you can come back and be good the next. That's why NBA playoff series are so exciting because you don't know who is going to be hot or on their game or just not feeling it. This is even more so that any other sport because in the other sports you are what you are with little deviation. Don't expect Matt Dellavedova to shut down Steph Curry in Game 3 but he did last night. JR Smith didn't lay near as many bricks as he did in Game 1 but who knows which JR will show up in Cleveland tomorrow night. I like the Warriors offense with their movement. They pass the ball and they seem to run plays where the players are moving. The Cavs more often than not just spread the floor and let LeBron drive to the hoop. If somebody is left open because a defender drops off to help guard LeBron, LeBron will pass off but basically the Cavs just stand around in their set offense waiting for LeBron. It's boring to watch, it's frustrating to watch and it doesn't make the defense work very hard except on LeBron. I had to laugh when the commentators and analysts wrote off the Cavs after Game 1 especially when Kyrie Irving was lost for the rest of the finals. Basketball just doesn't happen that way any more than the Cavs will be the favorite now that they took away Golden State's home court advantage by winning last night. Truth be told, the Warriors still have the advantage because they are healthier and deeper than Cleveland but because the Cavs are more prone to play a demanding physical style that is not the normal GS style. GS can be physical but they rely more on speed, ball movement and high percentage shooting. It's like old school NBA East vs West, physical and punishing vs fast and mobile. It's Pistons-Lakers in the new millennium. Last year it was the physicality of the Miami Heat vs the mobility of the San Antonio Spurs and the Spurs just wore out the Heat to win the title. With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love out for Cleveland the Cavs are not as good as Miami was last year and Golden State isn't as good at playing the game as the Spurs but it's a good series and should be interesting to watch.
    Last edited by eagle eye; 06-08-2015 at 09:39 AM.

  9. #24
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    Re: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

    Cavs up 2 games to 1. In a game that saw Cleveland blow a 20 lead and turn around an gut out a victory it was a wild roller coaster ride for sure. It was a game where the Cavs role players played their part and then some. It was the popular opinion that no way was the Australian guard with an eastern European name, Matt Dellavedova, dog Steph Curry until he just couldn't go any more. In fact Dellavedova had to go to a local hospital and get an IV because he became dehydrated during the game. Will he have enough time to recover before tomorrow night's game? That will be good question whose answer could actually mean the difference in whether or not Cleveland can win Game 4. Not only did Dellavedova hound Curry on defense he added 20 points of his own. Throw in nice contributions by Tristan Thompson who was a force on the boards and JR Smith who did his part the physical game that Cleveland plays seems to confound the Warriors. Truth is, Golden State was doing well to get back into the game after trailing by 20 late in the 4th and losing by 17 at the beginning of the 4th quarter. It was a falling down desperation jumper by Dellavedova that put Cleveland back on track in the 4th quarter and reignited the Cavs for a late game surge. Final score last night was 96-91 but it was no less exciting than the two overtime games in Oakland. The unpredictability of this series so far is really one of the great things about the series so far. Can't wait for Game 4 tomorrow night.

  10. #25
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    Re: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

    Anybody ready to stick a fork in the Cavaliers yet? A lot of people are and I understand why. With LeBron having to record triple doubles just to keep the score close Cleveland just can't hang with the surging Warriors. LeBron had another 3D last night for his 6th in his playoff career and his 3rd of this series which puts him just 2 3D's behind Magic Johnson who has the NBA record of 8. Last night was his 3rd 40+ point game of this finals series. The problem is nobody else is stepping up to help and when you have a guy who could give LeBron a breather in Timofey Mosgov getting only 9 minutes total in the game following his career high game scoring wise from game 4 you have to question Cavs coach David Blatt. IMO Warriors coach Steve Kerr is outcoaching Blatt and it's not even close. The trouble has been in the 3 games Cleveland has lost in the finals the Cavs can't score in the last 5 minutes of the game to stay with, or beat, the Warriors. In the two games the Cavs won they did just that. Cleveland is desperate to have somebody step up to help LeBron. JR Smith has had a couple of games where he did okay in the first half but he all but disappeared in the second half. Shumpert isn't that guy and Dellavedova isn't that guy either even though he had a nice Game 3. There just isn't anyone. Except for LeBron this may be the worst lineup in NBA finals history except for the 2007 roster in LeBron's first go-round with Cleveland. It's just bad luck that Cleveland lost both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving during this playoff run. You could see this series being way different if one or both players were on the floor instead of in street clothes. LeBron could seriously be considered the MVP of this series even if the Cavs lose to Golden State given what he's done so far. If the powers that be have to award the MVP to a Warrior if they win for my money it would be Andre Igoudala who has been in LeBron's face almost the whole series and he's added some big baskets along the way. Game 6 tomorrow night and unless something weird happens it looks like the Warriors will close it out. The Cavs are worn out and the Warriors bench has emerged as the difference in the series. I hate to say it but this series has gone just like the Warriors WCF series with Memphis. Win one, lose two in a row, then wake up and win 3 straight to close out the series. So far Golden State is right on script and I don't expect any deviation even though I would love to see LeBron and the Cavs push it to 7 games. I just don't think, at this point, it's going to happen.

  11. #26
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    Re: Houston Rockets March to the Playoffs

    Golden State followed the script perfectly. Win Game 1 in overtime with the Cavs missing the last 12 of 13 shots with the lone make an oh-by-the-way layup by LeBron at the end of the game. Games 2 and 3 were close but the Cavs defense and some contributions by the role players lifted the Cavs to 2-1 lead in the series. Then, much like the Memphis series in the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors woke up and became the team that stormed through the NBA all season and took the next 3 games to send them to their first NBA finals for the first time in 40 years. The same scenario played out in the finals. It began in Game 4 when Warriors coach Steve Kerr decided to go with a small lineup that swarmed the Cavs on defense and ran the Cavs ragged on offense. Andre Iguodala was put on LeBron and responded by giving James fits on the defensive end and scoring some big buckets on offense. Iguodala didn't stop James because James was pretty awesome in the finals. So awesome he received 4 of the 11 MVP votes when the series was over but, it was Iguodala who made James work his behind off on offense and his total contribution was so impactful that he won the series MVP award. In the end Golden State was the best team and deserved to win but it could really have been different if the Cavs had Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. But Cleveland didn't and because JR Smith failed miserably to show up and sub par performances by Iman Shumpert and others left LeBron alone on an island. Shumpert can be forgiven somewhat because he was slowed by an injury but a lot of blame falls on Cavs coach David Blatt for a truly uninspired effort coaching in the series. I sort of feel like Blatt is Cleveland's answer to Eric Spoelstra. I wouldn't give you 50 cents for either guy. Steve Kerr, besides looking like Neil Patrick Harris older twin brother, proved he is a damn good coach. Both as a strategist and as an in-game bench coach. He was really good and I feel like he has a bright future as an NBA coach. Blatt? Not so much.
    The only thing I wish is that LeBron had said something to the effect of how proud he was of his team's effort in the finals series. Nobody really stepped up to help, especially JR Smith, take scoring pressure off of LeBron but their effort can't be questioned. As evidence I give you Matthew Dellavedova whose Game 3 performance was way above his head. He chased and hounded Steph Curry all over creation on defense while tossing in 20 points in the Cavs win. He left the floor spent and had to go to the hospital for IV treatment for dehydration. He wasn't the same player after Game 3 but in truth Dellavedova is a damn good backup but not good enough to be a starting point guard in the NBA but he gave all he could every single game. That was the story of the series. Cleveland overachieved to win 2 games but they were just not good enough to overcome the talent disparity between them and the Warriors. That and coaching disparity between Blatt and Kerr. If Golden State had Blatt and Cleveland had Kerr I think this series could have gone 7 games with Cleveland, despite being outclassed talent-wise, could have won the series. That's the belief I have, that Steve Kerr is far and away a much better coach than David Blatt. I feel like good coaching in basketball is the difference in good teams and great ones. Don't believe me? Can you imagine the Bulls being so successful in the Michael Jordan era without Phil Jackson, or the Lakers with Kobie without Jackson? How about the 80's era Lakers without Pat Riley or San Antonio without Gregg Popovich. Now, I know these teams had great players but when the coach stepped aside the team with basically the same lineup fell flat. Remember how long the Lakers were a non-issue until Jackson was hired? Remember how the Lakers fell flat when Jackson was fired? See how Pop keeps rolling out a championship caliber Spurs team despite his players advanced age? Steve Kerr seems to display the same qualities of the greats. I'm not saying he's great yet but you can see that potential. David Blatt, to me, does not possess that potential.

    This is my last post on this thread. I have a renewed interest in the NBA and it's been fun to watch the playoffs this year. I'm happy the Rockets are in the discussion for the playoffs again. It more fun when the local team is relevant. Hopefully, the Rockets can add some players so it's not all on James Hardy and Dwight Howard. They should also get Patrick Beverly back which will help as well as DeMo who both missed the playoffs due to late season injuries. The Rockets have the blocks to build on to become another power in the Western Conference. Next season OKC should be back with the return of Kevin Durant. Golden State will be in the hunt for years with Kerr and a very young and talented roster. The NBA is alive and interesting again.

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