uPtoWnNY said:

The two top teams in the western conference met last night and it was no contest. Golden State let Denver know who's in charge. They're winning the finals with or without Boogie.

I hope you're wrong. I have a feeling you're not, but I keep hoping GS will crash and burn at some point. On another note, James Hardon is on fire!!!!!!!!!! MVP?

Empress said:

uPtoWnNY said:

The two top teams in the western conference met last night and it was no contest. Golden State let Denver know who's in charge. They're winning the finals with or without Boogie.

I hope you're wrong. I have a feeling you're not, but I keep hoping GS will crash and burn at some point. On another note, James Hardon is on fire!!!!!!!!!! MVP?

James Harden MVP!

A healthy Houston Rockets team with Chris Paul and Clint Capela at full strength will (and already has) walk all over Golden State. Heck, we had them in the trashcan last year until Paul's hammy twanged.

RodeoSchro said:

Empress said:

I hope you're wrong. I have a feeling you're not, but I keep hoping GS will crash and burn at some point. On another note, James Hardon is on fire!!!!!!!!!! MVP?

James Harden MVP!

A healthy Houston Rockets team with Chris Paul and Clint Capela at full strength will (and already has) walk all over Golden State. Heck, we had them in the trashcan last year until Paul's hammy twanged.

Last year's team had Ariza & Mbah a Moute who were dawgs on defense.

uPtoWnNY said:

RodeoSchro said:

James Harden MVP!

A healthy Houston Rockets team with Chris Paul and Clint Capela at full strength will (and already has) walk all over Golden State. Heck, we had them in the trashcan last year until Paul's hammy twanged.

Last year's team had Ariza & Mbah a Moute who were dawgs on defense.

Yes. But we were also missing our defensive coach, who rejoined the team back in November or so. And since then, we've been locking teams down.

This year's team has already beaten GS twice - at home and away - with a healthy squad. Golden State is great but I think when we're healthy, we're better.

RodeoSchro said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Last year's team had Ariza & Mbah a Moute who were dawgs on defense.

Yes. But we were also missing our defensive coach, who rejoined the team back in November or so. And since then, we've been locking teams down.

This year's team has already beaten GS twice - at home and away - with a healthy squad. Golden State is great but I think when we're healthy, we're better.

Dude, if you keep putting your faith in Mike D'Antoni, you'll get your heart broken every time. I saw enough of his act here in NYC. Dude is a total gimmick coach. A real coach (like Popp) would have made adjustments in last year's Game 7 vs GS, instead of watching his team shoot brick after brick.

uPtoWnNY said:

RodeoSchro said:

Yes. But we were also missing our defensive coach, who rejoined the team back in November or so. And since then, we've been locking teams down.

This year's team has already beaten GS twice - at home and away - with a healthy squad. Golden State is great but I think when we're healthy, we're better.

Dude, if you keep putting your faith in Mike D'Antoni, you'll get your heart broken every time. I saw enough of his act here in NYC. Dude is a total gimmick coach. A real coach (like Popp) would have made adjustments in last year's Game 7 vs GS, instead of watching his team shoot brick after brick.

LOL, you're a Knicks fan. I guess you know more about heart breaks than I do. You oughta dump those chumps and join me in Rocketville.

But seriously - we won more games than any team in the league last year. I can't blame D'Antoni for sticking with the offense that did that, especially considering he still had the MVP on the floor.

RodeoSchro said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Dude, if you keep putting your faith in Mike D'Antoni, you'll get your heart broken every time. I saw enough of his act here in NYC. Dude is a total gimmick coach. A real coach (like Popp) would have made adjustments in last year's Game 7 vs GS, instead of watching his team shoot brick after brick.

LOL, you're a Knicks fan. I guess you know more about heart breaks than I do. You oughta dump those chumps and join me in Rocketville.

But seriously - we won more games than any team in the league last year. I can't blame D'Antoni for sticking with the offense that did that, especially considering he still had the MVP on the floor.

Your coach won a ton of games with the Suns too. And they don't have title the first to show for it.

You better listen to uptownny.

Trust me, I'm a Lakers fan, and his disastrous tenure not only set the franchise back years, but also got Kobe hurt.

I'm still so mad just writing his name sends my blood pressure up.

Trust in him at your own peril.

namepeace said:

RodeoSchro said:

LOL, you're a Knicks fan. I guess you know more about heart breaks than I do. You oughta dump those chumps and join me in Rocketville.

But seriously - we won more games than any team in the league last year. I can't blame D'Antoni for sticking with the offense that did that, especially considering he still had the MVP on the floor.

Your coach won a ton of games with the Suns too. And they don't have title the first to show for it.

You better listen to uptownny.

Trust me, I'm a Lakers fan, and his disastrous tenure not only set the franchise back years, but also got Kobe hurt.

I'm still so mad just writing his name sends my blood pressure up.

Trust in him at your own peril.

Bill Belichick didn't do all that well with the Cleveland Browns but I think we'd all agree he figured it out.

I do remember when D'Antoni instituted his "Seven Seconds Or Less" offense and everyone quickly pointed out that "SSOL" backwards was "LOSS".

But the Rockets had the best record in the NBA last year. That was no fluke. We also had the Warriors whipped in the conference finals until Chris Paul blew out his hammy. That was no fluke, either.

The difference between when y'all had him then, and when we do now, is defense. He hired a defensive guru, then let him go, then got him back. The Rockets have shown this year that when healthy, they'll beat anyone. Just ask the Warriors. We beat them in OT at their place, and then completely clowned them at our place.

We'll see what happens at playoff time but if we're healthy, I like our chances. You may remember the Rockets won back-to-back championships in '94 - '95. But they lost the conference finals in '93 to Seattle. I can see the same hunger in this year's team that I saw in the '93 - '94 championship Rockets team.

RodeoSchro said:

namepeace said:

Your coach won a ton of games with the Suns too. And they don't have title the first to show for it.

You better listen to uptownny.

Trust me, I'm a Lakers fan, and his disastrous tenure not only set the franchise back years, but also got Kobe hurt.

I'm still so mad just writing his name sends my blood pressure up.

Trust in him at your own peril.

Bill Belichick didn't do all that well with the Cleveland Browns but I think we'd all agree he figured it out.

rodeo, you can do much better than that.

It took Bill 7 total seasons into his head coaching career (at his second stop) to win a title with an all-time great as his QB. Your guy is on head coaching iob no. 5, season 15, and has coached numerous All-Stars and no less than 3 MVPs along the way. How much more time does he need to "figure it out"?

I do remember when D'Antoni instituted his "Seven Seconds Or Less" offense and everyone quickly pointed out that "SSOL" backwards was "LOSS".

But the Rockets had the best record in the NBA last year. That was no fluke. We also had the Warriors whipped in the conference finals until Chris Paul blew out his hammy. That was no fluke, either.

The Kings "had" the Lakers in the 2002 Western finals and never got to the Finals thereafter. The Suns "had" the Spurs until Diaw and Stoudemire were suspended in their 2007 series. They never got that close again. Don't think that what happened last season will carry over. You will miss Ariza in the postseason.

The difference between when y'all had him then, and when we do now, is defense. He hired a defensive guru, then let him go, then got him back. The Rockets have shown this year that when healthy, they'll beat anyone. Just ask the Warriors. We beat them in OT at their place, and then completely clowned them at our place.

That's not the only difference, and hell, the Lakers beat GSW in their house this year. HOU can beat anybody. They haven't proven they can beat the Warriors 4 of 7.

We'll see what happens at playoff time but if we're healthy, I like our chances. You may remember the Rockets won back-to-back championships in '94 - '95. But they lost the conference finals in '93 to Seattle. I can see the same hunger in this year's team that I saw in the '93 - '94 championship Rockets team.

The Dream never played a team as loaded as the Warriors. "Hunger" only takes you so far against a team like that. I'd manage my expectations.

[Edited 1/18/19 12:59pm]

[Edited 1/19/19 12:52pm]

Live by the three, die by the three. Warriors offense is more diverse - they can hurt you in different ways. Will Chris Paul be ready for the two month playoff grind?

Last night Boogie had 14 points, was 3 of 4 from three and threw down some vicious dunks in his return against the Clippers. When he gets in top form, the rest of the league can forget it.

[Edited 1/19/19 6:58am]

RodeoSchro said:

phunkdaddy said:

Great game yesterday between Sixers-Thunder. Went down to the wire. After Jimmy Butler's go ahead basket with 6.9 seconds left Paul George came back and sank the game winner with a 3 pointer and the foul shot to win 117-115. I was disappointed the Sixers didn't hang on for the win but it was a great game. Westbrook is a great player but also one of the biggest douche in basketball. Let's see him carry some of that bravado vs the Warriors.

I'd be worried about Simmons' free throw shooting come playoff time.

The Sixers tore the Rockets ass up! 121-93

Corey Brewer got all up in James Harden's ass on d

phunkdaddy said:

The Sixers tore the Rockets ass up! 121-93

Corey Brewer got all up in James Harden's ass on d

I hope those goofballs are enjoying it while they can. By the way - if you're fired up that Brewer held Harden to "only" 37 points, then LOL. Props for keeping him under 50?

The Sixers come to our house on March 8, and we'll have Chris Paul and Clint Capela back by then. Let's see who's laughing at the end of that game! (It better be us or I'm going to look foolish, LOL)

Season-ending knee surgery for Victor Oladipo. Heard a rumor they might be in trade talks for Mike Conley.

RodeoSchro said:

phunkdaddy said:

The Sixers tore the Rockets ass up! 121-93

Corey Brewer got all up in James Harden's ass on d

I hope those goofballs are enjoying it while they can. By the way - if you're fired up that Brewer held Harden to "only" 37 points, then LOL. Props for keeping him under 50?

The Sixers come to our house on March 8, and we'll have Chris Paul and Clint Capela back by then. Let's see who's laughing at the end of that game! (It better be us or I'm going to look foolish, LOL)

In my Social Sixers group we had fun with Corey Brewer. He looked liked he was high during the

game. He was looking crazy. He was very animated with Harden. It was like he was saying look

here Mofo my beard is better than yours.

61

15

5

61 15 5 is a great stat during the regular season

but if you don't win in the playoffs he'll just be known

as another Adrian Dantley. No hate. Just facts

phunkdaddy said:

61 15 5 is a great stat during the regular season

but if you don't win in the playoffs he'll just be known

as another Adrian Dantley. No hate. Just facts

Harden needs to have his legs for the spring or he'll wear out. His usage rate has to be through the roof and he's no spring chicken anymore.

His run reminds me a little bit of Kobe's run in his last really good season in '12-'13. The Lakers struggled early -- under the exact wrong coach for the roster they had (guess who) -- and Kobe carried them back into the thick of the chase. But he played a lot of minutes, and eventually, he tore his Achilles. He was never the same again.

I don't think that will happen to Harden, but if he burns all his gas in the winter, then he'll fade in the spring, and will be watching when the Finals begin in the summer.

[Edited 1/24/19 11:27am]

uPtoWnNY said:

Season-ending knee surgery for Victor Oladipo. Heard a rumor they might be in trade talks for Mike Conley.

Yep, that was painful to watch. Poor guy. Although, we still lost the damn game

namepeace said:

phunkdaddy said:

61 15 5 is a great stat during the regular season

but if you don't win in the playoffs he'll just be known

as another Adrian Dantley. No hate. Just facts

Harden needs to have his legs for the spring or he'll wear out. His usage rate has to be through the roof and he's no spring chicken anymore.

His run reminds me a little bit of Kobe's run in his last really good season in '12-'13. The Lakers struggled early -- under the exact wrong coach for the roster they had (guess who) -- and Kobe carried them back into the thick of the chase. But he played a lot of minutes, and eventually, he tore his Achilles. He was never the same again.

I don't think that will happen to Harden, but if he burns all his gas in the winter, then he'll fade in the spring, and will be watching when the Finals begin in the summer.

[Edited 1/24/19 11:27am]

It was typical Knick tradition that goes back decades - opposing players having career nights at MSG. And the fact that Knick fans cheered for Harden showed how low things are for this sorry-ass franchise. Nearly 20 years of shit basketball......Zion, please help us!

Even if Harden is at his best come the spring won't mean a thing against the Warriors. Look at Boogie's numbers last night....with him doing work inside combined with Durant & the Splash Bros., the Finals are a done deal.

uPtoWnNY said:

namepeace said:

Harden needs to have his legs for the spring or he'll wear out. His usage rate has to be through the roof and he's no spring chicken anymore.

His run reminds me a little bit of Kobe's run in his last really good season in '12-'13. The Lakers struggled early -- under the exact wrong coach for the roster they had (guess who) -- and Kobe carried them back into the thick of the chase. But he played a lot of minutes, and eventually, he tore his Achilles. He was never the same again.

I don't think that will happen to Harden, but if he burns all his gas in the winter, then he'll fade in the spring, and will be watching when the Finals begin in the summer.

[Edited 1/24/19 11:27am]

It was typical Knick tradition that goes back decades - opposing players having career nights at MSG. And the fact that Knick fans cheered for Harden showed how low things are for this sorry-ass franchise. Nearly 20 years of shit basketball......Zion, please help us!

Even if Harden is at his best come the spring won't mean a thing against the Warriors. Look at Boogie's numbers last night....with him doing work inside combined with Durant & the Splash Bros., the Finals are a done deal.

All that greatness and the Warriors only beat a crappy John Wall-less Wizards team by 8 points? Hmmmmmmm.

Harden didn't just have a career night - he did something no other player in NBA history has ever done with that 61/15/5 (keeping in mind that steals stats weren't kept until '73-'74).

Y'all can bellyache about Harden and being worn out in the spring, and maybe he will be tired. But on the other hand, Chris Paul and Clint Capela are going to have completely full gas tanks. And the last time I looked, Chris Paul was headed to the Hall of Fame.

Go Rockets!

RodeoSchro said:

uPtoWnNY said:

It was typical Knick tradition that goes back decades - opposing players having career nights at MSG. And the fact that Knick fans cheered for Harden showed how low things are for this sorry-ass franchise. Nearly 20 years of shit basketball......Zion, please help us!

Even if Harden is at his best come the spring won't mean a thing against the Warriors. Look at Boogie's numbers last night....with him doing work inside combined with Durant & the Splash Bros., the Finals are a done deal.

All that greatness and the Warriors only beat a crappy John Wall-less Wizards team by 8 points? Hmmmmmmm.

Harden didn't just have a career night - he did something no other player in NBA history has ever done with that 61/15/5 (keeping in mind that steals stats weren't kept until '73-'74).

Y'all can bellyache about Harden and being worn out in the spring, and maybe he will be tired. But on the other hand, Chris Paul and Clint Capela are going to have completely full gas tanks. And the last time I looked, Chris Paul was headed to the Hall of Fame.

Go Rockets!

Raptors and Rockets tonight Rodeo! Should be a hell of a game.

Empress said:

RodeoSchro said:

All that greatness and the Warriors only beat a crappy John Wall-less Wizards team by 8 points? Hmmmmmmm.

Harden didn't just have a career night - he did something no other player in NBA history has ever done with that 61/15/5 (keeping in mind that steals stats weren't kept until '73-'74).

Y'all can bellyache about Harden and being worn out in the spring, and maybe he will be tired. But on the other hand, Chris Paul and Clint Capela are going to have completely full gas tanks. And the last time I looked, Chris Paul was headed to the Hall of Fame.

Go Rockets!

Raptors and Rockets tonight Rodeo! Should be a hell of a game.

Yeah! I'm going to listen to a Prince tribute band tonight that is awesome, but I'll only be a few blocks from the Toyota Center and will be checking my phone constantly.

RodeoSchro said:

All that greatness and the Warriors only beat a crappy John Wall-less Wizards team by 8 points? Hmmmmmmm.

Harden didn't just have a career night - he did something no other player in NBA history has ever done with that 61/15/5 (keeping in mind that steals stats weren't kept until '73-'74).

Y'all can bellyache about Harden and being worn out in the spring, and maybe he will be tired. But on the other hand, Chris Paul and Clint Capela are going to have completely full gas tanks. And the last time I looked, Chris Paul was headed to the Hall of Fame.

Go Rockets!

That performance approaches Kobe's 81. I'm actually worried about Harden not just wearing out, but getting hurt.

I don't worry about GSW's point margins in games like that. Every defending champ has close calls/losses at this part of the year. Because when a team plays into June each of the last 4 seasons, it paces itself.

Which is why I hope HOU finds a way to get Harden some rest.

Not a big fan of Harden's game......I like basketball played inside-out, with big men dominating the paint. Now mfers like Embiid & KAT want to shoot 3s like guards. Like Shaq & Charles said, get to work in the paint.

The NBA, like the NFL, has nerfed defense to get more offense. Give me those late 90s Knicks/Heat defensive battles anytime.

RodeoSchro said:

All that greatness and the Warriors only beat a crappy John Wall-less Wizards team by 8 points? Hmmmmmmm.

Harden didn't just have a career night - he did something no other player in NBA history has ever done with that 61/15/5 (keeping in mind that steals stats weren't kept until '73-'74).

Y'all can bellyache about Harden and being worn out in the spring, and maybe he will be tired. But on the other hand, Chris Paul and Clint Capela are going to have completely full gas tanks. And the last time I looked, Chris Paul was headed to the Hall of Fame.

Go Rockets!

I respect your Rockets fandom Rodeo, you ride for your team hard!

RodeoSchro said:

uPtoWnNY said:

It was typical Knick tradition that goes back decades - opposing players having career nights at MSG. And the fact that Knick fans cheered for Harden showed how low things are for this sorry-ass franchise. Nearly 20 years of shit basketball......Zion, please help us!

Even if Harden is at his best come the spring won't mean a thing against the Warriors. Look at Boogie's numbers last night....with him doing work inside combined with Durant & the Splash Bros., the Finals are a done deal.

All that greatness and the Warriors only beat a crappy John Wall-less Wizards team by 8 points? Hmmmmmmm.

Harden didn't just have a career night - he did something no other player in NBA history has ever done with that 61/15/5 (keeping in mind that steals stats weren't kept until '73-'74).

Y'all can bellyache about Harden and being worn out in the spring, and maybe he will be tired. But on the other hand, Chris Paul and Clint Capela are going to have completely full gas tanks. And the last time I looked, Chris Paul was headed to the Hall of Fame.

Go Rockets!

College basketball?

Even on the pro level Chris Paul has a history of early playoff round exits and being injured

at the most critical time of the playoffs. And yes I'm a Chris Paul fan because I am a Wake Forest fan in college basketball but even in college he did something assinine to cost Wake Forest an ACC Championship and a high seed in the NCAA tournament when he punched an NC State player in the gonads. Love him as a player but he's always been an enigma.

[Edited 1/28/19 21:53pm]