ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Warriors 4/27/2016 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 5)

Snow Villiers · Apr 27, 2016

Everyone making it a done deal Warriors win tonight. Will team rise up one more time? I think they will.

zeeshan2 · Apr 27, 2016

It's all over tonight. Final game for JB and Dwight as members of the Rockets organization

J.R. · Apr 27, 2016

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Officials for Rockets-Warriors Game 5 (9:30 central tip Ken Mauer, Brian Forte and Ed Malloy.</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/status/725337068600090625">April 27, 2016</a></blockquote>
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pippendagimp · Apr 27, 2016

J.R. said: ↑

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silver clearly wants to either 1) spare HOU fans any further misery or 2) allow GS players to rest up until they can get curry back on sportscenter for the WCF or 3) both

J Sizzle · Apr 27, 2016

J.R. said: ↑

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LMAO

Ken Mauer? Ed Malloy? In Oracle Arena?

Goodnight Rockets

REEKO_HTOWN · Apr 27, 2016

Kenny Maur?

Dwight will get ejected before the end of the game.

Down19 · Apr 27, 2016

zeeshan2 said: ↑

It's all over tonight. Final game for JB and Dwight as members of the Rockets organization
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And a whole lot of other players

FTW Rockets FTW · Apr 27, 2016

Rockets WIN

We take this to Game 7

TheRealist137 · Apr 27, 2016

This has been the longest series ever, we've played 2 games in 6 days...Thursday and Sunday.

LabMouse · Apr 27, 2016

The series is likely over tonight, let start a process of a coach research soon.

count_dough-ku · Apr 27, 2016

TheRealist137 said: ↑

This has been the longest series ever, we've played 2 games in 6 days...Thursday and Sunday.
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The NBA does this every year with the first round. That's why the Rockets got nearly a week off last season when they beat the Mavs in 5 and the Clippers and Spurs went to 7.

But if the Rockets win tonight, the next game would be in 2 days. And Game 7 would be only 2 days after that.

BigShasta · Apr 27, 2016

Damn brutal refs for tonight. Should be interesting.

R=$ · Apr 27, 2016

hope it ends tonite! ready to see this brand of BB dye !

make the re-build be shocking and drastic !

xtruroyaltyx · Apr 27, 2016

Loss.

Cstyle42 · Apr 27, 2016

J.R. said: ↑

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Officials for Rockets-Warriors Game 5 (9:30 central tip Ken Mauer, Brian Forte and Ed Malloy.</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/status/725337068600090625">April 27, 2016</a></blockquote>
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With these refs it's clear the nba wants this series over. Portland/Clippers are guaranteed at least 6 games plus 3 other series in the East are so this one should end now. The nba is a rigged league.

joeson332 · Apr 27, 2016

TheRealist137 said: ↑

At least the Rockets are in the Playoffs longer than the Mavs are. That's always a successful season in my book.
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No.
No it's not.

J.R. · Apr 27, 2016

Rockets face dysfunctional end to season

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Before the Houston Rockets lost Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, James Harden arrived at Oracle Arena in a black SUV with his bodyguard, marketing rep and four friends.

He chose not to ride in either of Houston's two team buses, something he has done all season because he likes to be certain he arrives at a specific time before every game, despite how it might look to observers.

When Harden walked through the arena's metal detectors, he held out his toiletry bag for a security guard and, instead of placing his cellphone into a customary plastic box, he handed it to his own security guard. He didn't wait for his bag to be checked. Harden instead strolled toward the locker room with the knowledge that someone would get his bag and bring his phone to him.

It was such a diva-like arrival to a playoff game, and rather odd given how badly the Rockets need togetherness in a trying season that has seen them underachieve and face criticism that they are not on the same page.

And now with Game 5 coming Wednesday night back at Oracle, the Rockets face elimination against the defending champions. And despite having rallied last season from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the West semifinals, such a rally appears doubtful based on the poor chemistry and inconsistency displayed of late. Though don't tell that to the Rockets.

"If you don't believe you can win, stay in Houston," Dwight Howard said. "Don't get on the plane."

Maybe so, but during this series, the Rockets have argued with one another on the court and on the bench. After the Game 4 loss in Houston, players could be heard yelling from outside the locker room.

It's no big surprise since this has often been a season of dysfunction. It starts with Harden and Howard, the team's two stars. They have tried to be friends -- Harden picked up Howard's tab for dinner in New York on his birthday. During dinner in Phoenix at the All-Star break, the two discussed their on-court issues.

But ultimately, the chemistry between the two hasn't been there. One team source said: "It's cordially bad."

Howard feels he's a star and should be respected in the locker room. Howard, known to be playful with media members, was distant over the last two months of the regular season. He was largely frozen out of the offense despite coaches and players saying he needs the ball.

In Game 4 against the Warriors, Howard took only five shots in the first half, and in the third quarter turned invisible. He scored his first fourth-quarter points during the series with 8:11 left. Asked why he didn't get more touches, Howard said: "You have to ask the appropriate people."

One of those appropriate people is Harden, a shooting guard, who handles the ball more than anybody else on the team. Harden has repeatedly said he wants to get Howard the ball, even playfully referring to him as "big fella."

But Howard's stature on the team is in question. There is a perception that several players are not happy with Howard based on a February team meeting, after which one person close to the Rockets said, "If you want the ball, you need to speak up about it. He lost players' respect."

One player offered a different view, saying he didn't mind if Howard spoke up or not. "We just need to play basketball," the player said.

Former Rockets coach Kevin McHale said last week on a Sirius XM Radio show hosted by Rick Mahorn and Jonathan Hood that Howard isn't the same player that he once was. "Throw it down to him occasionally," McHale said. "But if you throw it down to him on a steady diet, the poor guy just can't get down low and move anymore. I think that [his] back bothered him, his hips are tight from that and he just wasn't the same player."

Harden, who has the ear of Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and general manager Daryl Morey, is a mixture of many things. He's aloof, has a dry sense of humor and a passion for winning. His frustration over losing bothers him greatly.

While Howard is irked by not getting the ball as often as he would like, it is Harden who is dismayed by the center. He wishes Howard would demand the ball and not goof around so much. Howard's personality -- bubbly, friendly, warm -- often can rub guarded people such as Harden the wrong way. Howard jokes with fans during games and easily becomes frustrated with referees.

After picking up a fifth foul in Game 1, Josh Smith, who played AAU ball with Howard while growing up in Atlanta, pointed to his head. He was asking Howard to mentally stay in the game.

Howard can do wonderful things off the court. He hosted a blood drive for TNT announcer Craig Sager, who is battling cancer. But Howard can look uninterested during games.

In the Rockets' Game 2 loss to the Warriors, Howard was jogging up the floor and not making a strong effort to reach spots on the floor for post plays. After the game, Rockets interim coach JB Bickerstaff was asked if Howard looked disinterested.

"No, I don't think he was disinterested," Bickerstaff said. "I thought he was good on the glass. I thought he was running."

Howard is frustrated because he believes Harden doesn't respect him enough. Howard texts former teammates asking what can be done to solve the problems. That same poor dynamic between Harden and Howard, and the inconsistent play of others has hurt Bickerstaff, who took over 11 games into the season when Alexander fired McHale.

"The team was not responding to Kevin," Morey said at the time of the firing. "There is no time in the West."

With the Rockets' struggles, it makes it difficult for Alexander to give the job to Bickerstaff full time. The players respect Bickerstaff and his staff. But while communication between staff and players is good, things have gone awry on the court.

When asked before the series about the job Bickerstaff has done, Alexander told ESPN: "He's got a winning record, which is good from where he started from."

The Rockets will have a comprehensive list of coaches to view whenever the season ends. Bickerstaff, who remains in good standing with management, will be part of that conversation. Alexander and Morey believe that Harden will play a role in helping to hire a coach and potentially sign free agents.

Howard is not expected to have a role. It's expected that he will become a free agent and seek a new team. Orlando, Milwaukee, Portland and Charlotte are the favorites.

What's left for the Rockets is Harden, a star who needs to find a willing partner whom he respects to help him achieve his goal of winning a championship.

Unless the Rockets turn things around immediately, this will go down as a season of disappointment. It will lead to more questions than answers about the future of a franchise that was so bright just a year ago, when it reached the Western Conference finals.
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i3artow i3aller · Apr 27, 2016

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lalala902102001 · Apr 27, 2016

End of the Rockets season tonight.

Let's get a good coach this summer, get rid of the cancers on the team, and build some good chemistry for next year.

I for one am glad this season is finally over.

Deuce · Apr 27, 2016

J.R. said: ↑

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Officials for Rockets-Warriors Game 5 (9:30 central tip Ken Mauer, Brian Forte and Ed Malloy.</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/status/725337068600090625">April 27, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Rockets are dead. Mauer? Howard gonna be ejected.

....and Ed Malloy. "Oh Malloy". Malloy "on the road" is the worst. Harden gonna get 3 charging calls in the 1st half. 3 screen calls on Howard, before he is ejected by Mauer.

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ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Warriors 4/27/2016 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 5)

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REEKO_HTOWN I'm Rich Biiiiaaatch!

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ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Warriors 4/27/2016 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 5)

Snow Villiers Member

zeeshan2 Member

J.R. Member

pippendagimp Member

J Sizzle Member

REEKO_HTOWN I'm Rich Biiiiaaatch!

Down19 Member

FTW Rockets FTW Member

TheRealist137 Member

LabMouse Member

count_dough-ku Member

BigShasta Member

R=$ Member

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Deuce Context & Nuance

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