ClutchFans Game Thread: Blazers @ Rockets 4/20/2014 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 1)

Too much negative comments by the so called experts. It will fun to watch them eat crow in the end. This video is great! Can't wait for the playoffs to start.

 

So there will be no OTA games in this series? That sucks.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Jeff Van Gundy says he thinks Rockets win the Portland series 4-1.</p>&mdash; David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/456827087202967552">April 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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JVG is a smart man.

While 5 is possible, I wouldn't be surprised if the series goes to 6 games. Never know how much Portland will step up or how consistently the Rockets will bring it from night to night. I think it's unlikely it goes to 7 games. And Portland winning is a long shot in my books.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Well, JVG now says he's picking the <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets">@HoustonRockets</a> to win the NBA Finals. Says West winner will win it, and he likes Rockets in the West.</p>&mdash; David Barron (@dfbarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfbarron/statuses/456828778669281281">April 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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JVG is a Rockets homer for life lol

With that said, I agree with him!

 

LOL. JVG is looking towards the near future? Regardless, hope he's right.

 

JVG to replace Mcfail

 

JVG is setting the bar really high for McHale...maybe he's interested in taking McHale's job...hmmmmm

 

I think we are giving this team too much credit. The last few games, we've seen this team get off to sluggish starts. I see the Trail Blazers ready to go.

I do think we lose the first game, because this team needs a lot of maturing to do.

I hope that I'm proven wrong, but this is a huge concern going into the playoffs.

McHale needs to get the mindset right, and not take any team for granted.

 

Going to be a great series. Both team will light it up and each game. Rockets come out on top 4-2.


Lets Go Rockets!!!!!!!!!!

 

I think this team showed it was capable of stepping up when it needed too.

They are in my opinion mentally immature, but I have a feeling you will see there best ball of the year in these playoffs.

 

If Dwight and Patrick doesn't go down we would have seen a different team. Right before the injuries we were playing very good ball, one of the hottest teams after the All-Star Break. So yes sir or ma'am I am giving them a lot of credit. We have beaten Portland 3 times out of 4 and in some of those games, ( every team comes out sluggish from time to time) we came out sluggish. LOL and guess what we still won.

 

I think the only way we can win it all is if GS somehow manages to make it to the WCF.

I can't see us beating LAC or OKC.

 

Does anyone else look at the East with longing? Here we are, two 54-win franchises and we get to beat the hell out of each other in the first round, with the winner rewarded with an even more difficult challenge in the second.

In the East, we wouldn't see each other until the second round or the ECF, and we'd get to feat on cream puffs for the first round or two.

 

We all hope/predict a Rockets win in the first round, and the organization and Morey also talked about favorable match-up etc. I really hope that the team doesn't take them lightly, since we are known for taking possessions, minutes, and even quarters off. It can not happen in a playoff game.

Game 2 last series, Yao and Scola were perfect (I could be wrong that Scola missed one shot) from the field, and those 2 combined only got 3 shots total in the second half. We lost that game.

They need to focus and keep doing what is working. After all, Blazers is a talented team, with LMA playing his best game this season and DL more confident, it's going to be a hard-fought series.

Still, I would like to see a 4-1 series.

 

So, Morey was just on Jim Rome. Didn't think to do a full transcription but at the very end, Rome asks him to qualify his twitter comment on whether GMs read message boards--was he serious or just trolling?

Morey responded something a long the lines of (and I'm paraphrasing):

"I didn't mean all GMs, but I certainly do. We're just looking for the best ideas, and sometimes a diehard fan or poster who is really smart can present something that is interesting. In other industries, a lot of times the biggest fans have some good ideas and its no different here. Now does that mean we don't reject 99.9% of the things we read? No. But we're just looking for the best ideas, we don't care where they come from."

So... take note everyone. DM is watching.

 

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I see only one scenario where we beat LAC/OKC, and that's if the Memphis/OKC/LAC/GSW grind beats them down so much they have nothing left in the tank.

This is why I felt our best odds would be with us against SAS (underdog but possible) and Memphis at the 7 seed.

Memphis is the only team in the lower half that can not only potentially upset OKC but more importantly can wear OKC down significantly. And GSW (prior to Bogut injury) have the Clippers fits all season. While OKC and LAC have split games, OKC played several of those games without Westbrook. With Westbrook OKC is just better than LAC in my view, however OKC worn down could turn the OKC/LAC series into a 7 game war of attrition. And GSW could have forced the series to 6 or even 7 games.

Assuming we dispatch Portland relatively quickly and unscathed and manage to take out SAS (difficult for sure), a tired OKC/LAC levels the playing field significantly as OKC/LAC's main advantage over us is their speed/athleticism neutralizing our transition and movement/space driven offense.

There are only 3 teams in the NBA with sufficient speed and athleticism to neutralize us in transition AND still contest the rim and close out to the 3 point line... OKC, the Clippers and Miami. If OKC and the Clippers exhaust themselves getting through GSW/Memphis and each other, that goes a LONG way towards getting us closer to a finals appearance.

Oddly, I like our chances better against Miami than OKC or the Clippers simply due to our size advantage in the middle. The Heat can't match up against Dwight or Asik, which means that even though our transition game and motion/space offense is impaired we can offset that with our Centers.

I'm rooting for Memphis to make the road for the 2/3 as HARD as possible. :grin: