Not only that. We were competitive in every game. Granted, Games 3 and 4 could've easily gone to the Warriors, but the same could be said for Games 1, 2, 5, and 6 going the Rockets' way. In fact, Game 1 would have had if the refs hadn't f'ed over Harden and Rivers had been in uniform. In a crazy way, the Semifinals was more reassuring than the WCF last year. Last postseason, we got our asses kicked in Games 1, 3, and 6(granted the latter had some very questionable officiating). The gap was actually closer this season and that's without homecourt advantage.
Rockets tried to watch the Blazers-Warriors but TNT cut away from the game at halftime for a rerun of "NCIS: New Orleans"
I’m also loving how this postseason where Giannis has made a living at the line and getting people in foul trouble, I have heard so many analysts just fawn over his ability to get to the basket and “what can defenders do but foul him?” Yet here we have Harden. The smaller guy who consistently leads the league in drives to the basket and people cry in disgust at him getting to the line.
Watch how they get their threes vs. us, huge difference and they mix it up. Watch the end of game 3, they push the pace, try to get layups and get buckets from mid-to-long range. Bucks also understand the value of size and good 3pt shooters, defense first mentality and a coach who understands depth.
Not what the first post of this thread and thread title is about. Not only are you changing teams, you are also moving goal posts. 90% of the stuff you just said has nothing to do about midrange jumpers which is initially what you were talking about. I think most anyone would agree with what you said in this post about upgrading defense, adding size, getting better players, depth, coaching etc. While the Bucks might be better in those areas, they still play how we do on offense.. Shoots 3s and attack the rim.
I just don’t know what to say. Our offense produced more combined open and wide open 3s then theirs. Not just volume, percentage. That’s the point of an offense. To create high quality looks. The only team to avoid the midrange more than the Bucks was us. Do you really think the Rockets organization doesn’t understand the value of size and 3 point shooters? Like the topic is brought up and everyone just shrugs their shoulders and says nah? Come the **** on. As far as depth is concerned, y’all are insane if you think we don’t want depth. And also insane if you think we had quality depth that just went unused. The Bucks have a deeper roster. They are aided by the fact that a lot of their team is home grown and younger with cheaper current contracts than our team.
Not shifting, just responding to the guy about the Bucks. They don’t actively avoid 2 point shots like we do, that’s the point. They push the pace too when they can, something we refuse to.
The biggest difference between this years real contender bucks and last year's also ran Bucks is that they changed their shot selection to be more like the Rockets. Until this year, the Rockets used to be the only team to ever break the storied 'less than 10 midrange shots a game" mark. This year 4 teams did it, including the Bucks. You argue about pace and defense and you want, but arguing that the Rockets core tenet of paint and 3 is misplaced - when the entire league has adopted it or is trending towards it - is like arguing that you shouldn't vaccinate your kids or that climate change isn't happening.
We don't avoid 2 point shots. Shots at the rim are our most preferred shot. The Bucks do avoid the mid range. They intentionally reduced their mid range shots by a huge amount this season. You can avoid a lot of unnecessary stretching if you just acknowledge your projection didn't pan out. It's ok, we've all made bad predictions. Seriously, it's such an insignificant thing, and there is no competition for perceived credibility. We all just want to talk Rockets. We're all rooting for the same team. We were all shattered when we lost the series. We all want improvements in the future.
Ok so the Portland Media Darlings got THRASHED! The MSM narrative is phocked now that they brought heat on the Rockets..what they gonna say now. Where are the likes of Charles Dunkin Dougnuts Wimpy have a burger on Tuesday eathin wheel barrel LOL
The sting of another Rockets postseason loss hurts but this thread makes it a little better. Thanks for the lol OP