http://dimemag.com/2014/01/15-time-nba-western-conference-starting-lineups/3/ Thoughts? HoustonPG-*Steve Francis*The Franchise! I don’t care if he was selfish, or took bad shots, or got shipped out for*T-Mac*after five seasons. Of course, I’m not a Rockets fan. Francis was an exciting player, a lesser version of*Russell Westbrook*but a phenomenal talent, with a great nickname. Francis is one of only 13 players to average 20 points, six rebounds and six assists or better for two or more seasons. He was a three-time All-Star in Houston and netted you Houston fans Tracy McGrady. Hard to complain. SG-*Clyde DrexlerClyde the Glide, (I don’t think anyone loves nicknames more than me) was, in all honesty, a career Blazer. He did, however, jump ship at the right time, winning a ring in Houston. I honestly think the 1996-97 Rockets would’ve beaten the Bulls in the championship had they pulled their socks up and beat the Jazz in the conference finals. (That team had a last run core of Hakeem, Drexler and*Barkley.) He was a one-time All-NBA team member with Houston .SF-*Tracy McGradyT-Mac got out of the first round and went to the Finals! As a Spur, granted, but a small part of me was still very excited he will no longer unfairly be abused with that label. Brace yourselves Laker fans: prime McGrady was better than*Kobe Bryant*(granted, I’m talking Orlando T-Mac). Those poor Rocket fans, between*Yao Ming*and T-Mac, I don’t think any team was cheated out of some great basketball more than Houston in the 2000s. Another great what if: what if McGrady and Yao actually stayed healthy?P PF-*Moses MaloneReading Bill Simmons’*Book of Basketball, it was quite comical hearing how Moses was dealt around like loose change before ending up in Houston. How weird were the 1981 NBA Finals? Malone leads in a Rockets squad that went 40-42 in the regular season and gets smoked by a Celtics team that went 60-22 in the regular season, where*Cedric Maxwell*steals a Finals MVP award from Larry Legend. Doesn’t that remind you of the 2007 Cavs getting smacked by the Spurs, where*Tony Parker*snuck in and grabbed the Finals MVP from Tim Duncan? Anyways Moses was a stud, he might not have belonged in the elite five, but he is definitely a top eight player to mount the middle. Malone finished his career averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds a game. C-*Hakeem Olajuwon*I think Hakeem the Dream was the most skilled center of all time. Wilt was more dominant statistically,*Shaq*was more dominant physically, Kareem has the longevity, and Russell has the winning legacy. But Hakeem the Dream had it all. He was drafted ahead of Michael Jordan and to this day I’ve never heard an analyst say Houston made the wrong choice. He won two championships, an MVP, and had 12 All-Star appearances, all of which came in Houston. He is in that eight-man list I have of ultimate franchise players (mentioned earlier in my Nowitzki segment). The 1994-95 season tells you everything you need to know. The Dream was 32 years old, coming off a championship, and the Rockets are getting overlooked left, right, and center. Dream finishes fifth in the MVP voting behind*Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Shaquille O’Neal, and*David Robinson, who won the award. Ewing and the Knicks lose an infamous seven-game series to the Pacers. (Reggie Miller‘s*eight points in 17 seconds). Malone and the Jazz fall to the Rockets in the first round, Malone drops 30 and 12 but Dream averages 35 and eight on 11 percent better shooting. Robinson and the Spurs than get absolutely outplayed across the board by the Dream and the Rockets as they advance to the NBA Finals. The Finals were supposed to be a changing of the guard, the Rockets looked to defend their title with the 32-year-old duo of Drexler and Dream. The Magic had a cocky but talented young duo in 22-year-old Shaq and 23-year-old*Penny Hardaway. The Rockets would sweep that series, securing Dream’s second ring.- See more at: http://dimemag.com/2014/01/15-time-nba-western-conference-starting-lineups/2/#sthash.YgspBg9l.dpuf
