All, Just a little more than 24 hours 'til showtime. I trust everyone here is as pumped as I am for what should be an amazing two months. Here are just a few of my playoff thoughts: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/ballz/2008/04/nba_playoff_preview_your_guess.php As always, thank you so much for your comments, questions and critiques. Looking forward to seeing you at the game. Thanks for reading! JCF
That's what I've been wrestling with. I want to believe that the Rockets will win, and my heart says that they will prevail. But if I had to gamble my daughter's college fund, I'd put the money on the Jazz. I think the Spurs will win the West though. They'll beat Phoenix, they'll beat the Mavs (who will upset the Hornets), and then they'll take the WCF (Rockets, Lakers, or Jazz). I'm looking forward to seeing Sam and Horry square off in the Finals.
Wow, really great job. I thought pretty much the same thing...I wish I'd be able to put it into words like that. Of course, my vocabulary is much weaker since english is my second language. I really do hope the Rockets can win in 7. Maybe lose in 7. But not 6!
Not to steal the title from a great book, but this has to be the longest day. The anticipation for tomorrow's game grows with every browser that i open. As long as we can play a physical brand of Basketball, I think we will win in 6.
I know, but if the Rockets don't win it this year, that's my next best hope: Horry and Cassell swapping 3's in the final minutes of one of the Finals games before they both ride off into the sunset.
your head? i guess you should say "on paper" jazz CAN win. but in rox players' heart, they WILL win. GO ROX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I truly believe the Rockets have a decent chance to win this series, but the first two games are key. Lose one of those, and it will become nearly impossilble to win the series. If we can win them, we get back to Houston no worse than 2-2 and probably will have Rafer back on the return. Utah needs to win it in six. Rockets are a much better home team this year (even without Yao). There's no way the Jazz win another game seven in Houston this year. Look for them to strike quick and frantically try to steal one of these first two games. If they can't, then I believe you will see Rockets in the second round. That is what both my head AND my heart tell me!
I find the lack of respect the Hornets get to be even worse than the Rockets. The Mavs are the trendy pick. Never mind that they are known choke artists in the playoffs and the Hornets were consistently the better team all year (oh, and there's that HCA thing). I pick the Lakers, Hornets, Suns, and Rockets (I can't pick the Jazz no matter what...college fund or my life on the line, and I will still have to pick the Rockets. I actually put money on the Rockets when challenged by an arrogant Mavs fan when the Rockets were down 1-3 to the Suns in 95. I am not much of a gambling man anymore, but I never enjoyed taking someone's money more!)
I actually like the Jazz to win the West, if they get by us (which as I have stated I can't pick the Jazz to do). So, I say Suns and Celtics, same as you and Celtics over Suns. However, there's no way the Mavericks or going to be beat the Hornets. I don't know where all this new found confidence in Dallas is coming from. Could it be their shocking back-to-back losses to Seattle and Portland during the last week of the season? I am telling you the Hornets will make short work of them. They are good and get no respect. It seems us Rockets fans ought to find some solidarity with them for that reason alone.
The Hornets are a solid team, but I think they are a bit of fool's gold. They're one of those teams that overachieves and is tough to match up with in the regular season. In a 7 game series, I think the Mavs will find a way to neutralize or at least minimize Chris Paul. Avery won't get outcoached by Scott either like he did by Riley and Nelson. That last game of the season was an eye-opener. Scott gave his players good minutes (they win that game and they draw the Nuggets in round 1), and the Mavs handled them. The Hornets could very well win this series, but I don't think it's a lack of respect to pick against them. The Mavs are a good team. If I was picking the Nuggets over the Hornets that would be another matter. The Rockets <B>have</B> to win those first two games. If they do, I think they win this series. It's going to be tough to win a game back in Utah, and I just don't think they pull it out if they blow home court in the first two games.
We agree about the Rockets. The Hornets have had plenty of chances to fade all year and the didn't. If you are a #2 seed with HCA and picked to lose (and your healthy) against a team who has struggled for consistency and identity all year then you are disrespected. I am just amazed that so many people are picking the Mavs, based on this somewhat questionable idea that they are suddenly going to be insufficient in the playoffs. Now your disrespect may proved justified, but I say you don't respect their accomplishments, or at least believe they have any relevancy in the playoffs (again, much like people do to the Rockets). Regular season or playoffs the Hornets are the better team, with the better chemistry, and identity. Scott more than matches Johnson at coach. The experience factor doesn't matter as much when Dallas' recent playoff experiences have historic disasters. There's just hardly a reason at all (logical) to pick the Mavs, and everyone is doing it! That's what I call disrespect!
I can understand you picking the Hornets, and they are certainly are a valid pick. But to pick against them is not disrepect. There's only 5 game separating the Hornets and Mavs. I think it will go 6 or 7 games, and the Mavs will have to work their butts off to win the series. It will definitely not be a cakewalk for Dallas. And I'm not confident of that pick, it's just my prediction. I could easily see the Hornets making a run to the WCF. If it was another year without so deep a field, the Hornets would be a lock for the second round. Also, I don't think Avery is a vastly better coach than Scott. I just don't think Avery will get schooled by Scott. Nelson and Riley took Avery out of his game and clearly won the coaching battle over the Mavs the past two seasons. Riley's reputation clearly intimidated Avery in the Finals, and Nelson knew the ins and outs of the Mavs and got in Avery's head. Scott is a good coach and he is to be commended for the job he did this season, but he's not going to outlcass Avery. This is such a deep Western Conference. You could really pick any team to make the WCF with the exception of the Nuggets. There's no disrepect intended, but the teams are so stacked this year. There's no dominant team where you say "They <B>will</B> that series without a doubt". It's going to be a monster playoffs in the West this year.
Okay, okay! I am really just speaking from an overall sense about the Hornets getting disrespect. But the great thing about sports is no one can tell you what you can and can't do. It will be done on the court.
