Sit em both....one meaningless game where both teams are not going to really go all out is just taking too much of a risk. The game is basically less than a preseason game....... treat it as such. DD
What does that mean? Do you think a player can recover from an injury within several days. It is a stupid decision to play starts in full minutes. I will say 15~20mins for each of our starters is enough.
Dallas is doing it the right way, they are taking the proper approach. Rest em, one meaningless game is not worth the risk......zero minutes....ZERO.... Play some of the guys at the end of the bench, they are part of the team too and only one injury away...... Play smart.....don't take any risks with the health of our two fragile superstars. DD
I agree!!! I don't even know why TMac, Yao, Battier and Rafer have to fly to Utah I would leave in Houston to rest and I would bring these guys and have this rotation: 1. Lucas 2. Snyder 3. Novak 4. Howard 5. Big Jake 6. Vspan 7. Deke 8. Hayes 9. Head
I think this is incorrect unless they changed the rule. The rule has been to compare records in opposite conferences for team in the finals with even records and head to head--the Rockets record in the East > Pistons in the West. I think if tied the Rockets get homecourt on the Pistons.
If the Rockets are able to get to the Finals, I'm not worried one bit about having home court advantage against the Pistons.
Should they not practice either? Just in case? Perhaps they should live in a bubble until this weekend. Don't want to take any chances. The danger with a long layoff should be well understood. The Rockets are on a roll right now, and you don't want them to lose that rhythm by getting an extended vacation. I think JVG should play them limited minutes in Utah. It will serve as a good workout.
Who can confirm the exact rules? An earlier post on another thread said it would be point differential, which the Rockets also win against the Pistons. I think HCA in the finals is important. Originally, I did not want JVG to play Yao or TMac at all. Now, I think they should start and play 20 minutes. Six days rest might take mentality out of them. They also get to analyze the court, the rims, etc...
Don't play the starters. We have nothing to gain. We ALREADY have the momentum. If the jazz wins against our starters, we may lose our momentum. If the jazz wins against our scrubs, it's just as expected. If our scrubs school them, we destroy their confidence. I will be very pissed if JVG plays Yao & Mac any mins.
Here they are... http://www.nba.com/features/seedingprimer07.html Tiebreakers (1) Head-to-head (2) Division record (if the teams are in the same division) (3) Conference record (4) Record vs. Playoff teams, own conference (5) Record vs. Playoff teams, other conference (6) Net points, all games So we need for the Detroit to lose tomorrow against the Celtics and the Rockets to win for Home Court. I guess the odds of Houston and Detroit meeting in the finals are 1 in million.
Why even do that? What if Sloan put in some end of bench players and they got into it with one of our stars? Not worth the risk. DD
Except that Avery Johnson said, after last night's game against the Warriors where he didn't play any starters, he was going to play his normal rotation tonight against Seattle.
Both Van Gundy and Sloan say they will treat it as a normal game and play to win. Sloan said he will play the starters, Van Gundy said the team needed the work. link
How many championships have they both won? Popovich rested his big three....in a meaningless game the other night. Some coaches, are too Joey Crawfordlike. Here is to hoping that JVG only plays them a little. If an injury occured in a game that has absolutely NO meaning.......it would be catastrophic. I like to gamble as much as the next guy, when there is something to be gained, playing starters in this game is an unecessary risk that has ZERO upside. DD
Lol. First it was Avery Johnson is doing it the right way, until you learn he was planning on playing his rotation guys in the final game. What kind of question is that? How many championship coaches are there in the league right now? Three? The Rockets currently have the longest win streak in the NBA. We have a chance to go into the playoffs as the hottest team in the league. My guess is both teams are going to start the starters, and rotate them out a lot quicker. Part of it has to do with keeping the players sharp -- if you hold out Yao and TMac, you're talking about sitting them for basically a whole week before the playoffs. Getting them some game minutes to keep them sharp going into the playoffs is probably the idea.
I know the championships comment was tongue in cheek. And I understand why they would put them in there, but I think it is just really rolling the dice, and uncecessary. Winning this game is meaningless, and going into the playoffs with a winning streak means nothing. Both teams are 0-0 when the playoffs start, and the Rockets are already playing well...it is more about the confidence than the winning streak. I would not risk it.......I know the chances of something happening are remote, but why even take that chance? DD
