Our tough and gritty teams from when we had Lowry, Scola, Battier etc. Expectations weren't that high (9th - 7th seed at the most) but these guys battled and played hard for 4 quarters. JVGs offense and Adelman's defense may have sucked but I knew that those teams would compete night in and night out. Today, everyone in the league has figured out this gimmick system called Moreyball. Defenses in the league know what to expect which is why we are turning the ball over at high rate. We have a (superstar???) who jacks up threes or when he drives he flops and tries to initiate contact to get to the line instead of just going strong and try to beat his man to the basket. A (superstar???) who doesn't play defense and packs it in when the going gets tough (see Game 6 against the Clippers). What else do you guys miss???........
Why go back so far to the Scola/Battier/etc. years? We had a tough, gritty, defensive-minded team that defied expectations all year last year! With just about the same team! I'm missing that team right about now.
That team that didn't lose 3 games in a row all season right? This year we have already two 3 game losing streaks... I dunno, maybe this is just another chapter in Clutch city? The year the Rockets put themselves in a huge hole and rallied back to have an amazing season. Maybe...maybe the 20 game win streak is just around the corner? I'm trying to sell hope here.
Didn't lose 3 in a row until the Warriors series when we went down 0-3... It'd be easier to buy that hope you're selling if the team didn't look this bad. A 4-7 start isn't something anybody expected, but you'd think there would at least be something positive we could take away that we can build on going forward. But there's no positives right now. Absolutely nothing is right, and I can't remember one previous Conference Finals team that has ever looked this bad, this careless, or this dysfunctional without losing a superstar. It's impossible to explain. Only thing to do is hope somebody steps up and leads this team, gets through to Harden, and rights the ship. We'll see.
I've been telling you guys for years now, the problem is Harden's beard. He desperately needs to shave. Actually, I just thought of that right now.
i still regard the 2009 lakers series where yao went down and we still took them to a game 7 the most exciting series, second only to the birth of clutch city. yeah, excitement. that is why i watch sports. the spirit of sports is more important than a mere win or lose.
I miss the 2018 WCF game 5 3-2 lead 60 win team that went toe to toe with an all-time dynasty that we directly dismantled to get where we are.
I really think DM does a good job, but I believe he thinks its all about the best pieces... and to a great extent it is... but really you have to build a culture - we havent really done that... Things like leadership, chemistry, and coaching are essential - stuff that doesnt necessarily show up in analytics and DM typically undervalues... I'm really at a crossroads about how to best run an organization... I think Pops has consistently done a phenomenal job at building a culture - but his style cost him Kawhi... so idk... I've always felt that you need a solid consistent level of standards that applies to every player - but today seems more about coddling superstars to keep them happy... so idk..
