First off, I apologize if it's hard to follow. I was typing pretty fast and tried to clean it up a little. Secondly, I actually thought this was a great conversation between SA and Skip. I can't say that all the time. Your thoughts?
I give credit where it Is due. Matthews made Harden his b**** to a lesser degree than Batum made Parsons his. Then no again that was last year's Harden. This year's Harden is an MVP.
One thing Portland proved last year was gang banging Harden around to the point of futility was the key to beating Houston. Harden is not a great enough lone wolf to survive that kind of playoffs onslaught. That's why Portland let Howard had his way on the offensive ends. His damages was minimal compare to what Harden could've done. This Rockets team is weaker than last year team going to the playoffs because of Howard's conditioning. And while Harden's has mvp status going in, the climate of the playoffs remains harsh to his type of playing style.
this rockets team isnt weaker - they have a deeper bench and much more poise than last years team. They may not have the same size with Omer but much more versatile I feel. Also James this year is a different player - and I dont mean skill wise. Skill wise he is better adding that lethal step back but mentally he is much different. He understands his role, what his leadership means to others and how he can play through this and fully understanding how good he really is. Wes Matthews and Batum can and will play physical with him but James is mentally tough enough to play through that and keep creating for himself and teammates. Last season he seemed to bail out the defense by settling for long jumpers when things were getting tough - I dont this will be the case this year.
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"Skip - Has Howard every been committed to use his full potential?" Uh, did Skip starting watching Howard only when he went to the Lakers? Everyone seems to forget that Dwight was a MONSTER in Orlando. But ever since the media kept reporting on how he "quit" on the Lakers, everyone's opinion of him changed as if his career started in LA, disregarding his Orlando days.
Lets be honest here. Part of what made Harden so easy to defend last season is because he stood around a lot and acted like he was scared of the big moment. Lets just be honest here. He didn't look bad the entire season, but sometimes he goes into this passive mode where he seems to think he has Westbrook and Durant still on his team. You can count the number of times he's done that this year on one hand so far. Those games that Matt Barnes knocked him back into reality and he realized he was playing for the Rockets and not the Thunder...so hopefully he doesn't do that ish in the playoffs. Last season it was Harden who didn't show up. Dwight was the best player in that series, better than LMA.
For sure. Defenders with strength that matches or exceeds Harden's and who are disciplined are the hardest matchups for Harden. Matthews and Tucker come to mind. But, even then, it's not like Harden was out on Matthews Island; the whole Portland defense was over-helping on him. Plus... Yes.
I've found myself nodding along with Screamin' A way too often in the last year or two. It's disturbing. The baseline has been set. It's one that will not win a title but when you add Dwight to it there is so much potential. It's on Dwight.
They were pretty fair..Skip was right, though he tried to get attention by exaggerating at first. Later he explained what he meant, which is: Howard has never been as serious as his coaches and better teammates needed him to be. Now this is definitely not something you can deny or confirm, it it very questionable. Many here have questioned his seriousness, which does relate to how committed you are to a certain degree. Steven A knew what Skip was trying to say, but he just pointed to the fact of not having the focus while being a hard worker. They basically agreed.
The other day SAS Smith said all black people should be Republicans. Never ever listen to SAS, it will rot your brain.
That is not what he said. He said he'd like to see the 90% of blacks who vote Democrat every time take one election to all vote Republican so that the Democrat Party doesn't take their votes for granted(which they do) and the Republicans don't feel like it's a complete waste of their time seeking their votes(which they do, aside from Rand Paul). I don't see the problem with that argument.
I respectively disagree. The Rocket's bench this year is WAY BETTER. Plus Howard will be well rested, and if his knee is normal he should beast in the playoffs. Hopefully, he will have a few games to get up to speed. Terry is a "money" shooter in the playoffs. Brewer and Smith can be a real pain on defense and explode on offense. DMo is improved. And Harden is a monster. Don't forget Ariza's elite defense, superior to Parsons. Our weakness is guard play and size, but I like our chances.
