Every time Rafer shoots I still go "oh no...." It is a deeply conditioned reflex. I am glad for the Magic and hope they win the title. They remind me a bit of the the first championship Rockets team: veteran players, good outside shooters, dominant post player. Best wishes to Rafer, never hated him personally, just convinced he should take no more that five shots a game unless he makes all of them.
Actually 4th, if Shane is starting. So freaking true. People will put most of the blame on Mo Williams not showing up, but the truth is that Rafer can play some damn fine defense on most point guards. And his contribution on that side of the ball for much of the season and post season is one of the main reasons the Magic are going to the Finals. I was against the trade at first but I have gotten over it as it worked out pretty well for both teams and we did need to give Brooks playing time to gain experience if he was ever going to take over the starting position like he was intended to and it put Rafer in a position that his value shoots through the roof.
I remember Rafer exploded on the Cavs at their home, being the game high scorer of 30 or something. So he definitely matches up well against Mo. He's also pretty good against Fisher. I hope Magic pull it out in 7.
Hate all you want about Rafer, but fact of the matter is... he will still be the best QB out of Fresno State that Houston ever had
stop contradicting yourself...stop contradicting yourself...stop contradicting yourself....stop contradicting yourself. you get the point.
I expect Alston vs. Fisher matchup to be a wash, though you can bet the Lakers will be daring Alston to shoot throughout the series. He just needs to hit just enough to keep the defense honest. The backup PG Anthony Johnson has the more difficult job of keeping Jordan Farmar in check. IMO the keys to the series is pretty much everything else besides the PG spot - whether the Magic SGs will be able to slow down Bryant, how the Magic frontcourt will adjust to the better and more physical Lakers bigs, and how reliable the Magic backcourt will be.
rockets had chuck hayes in the middle and shane battier in the wing. magic has dwight howard in the middle and turkey and lewis in the wing. youve gotta be a r****d to think rafer wouldve took rockets to the finals
hows that contradadicting.. magic would not have been there without rafer, but rafer did not carry the team to the finals. its like saying rockets wouldnt have went seven games with lakers without chuck hayes, but chuck did not carry the team to seven games with lakers
Btw, all this Rafer talk has me remembering one of my favorite Rocket, Chucky Brown. To quote the Chuckster: "Who the heck is Chucky Brown?" That's right. He who led the Rockets to the 1995 NBA Finals.
The only problem I have had with the Rafer criticism over the years is the idea that there was no chance to go any where as long as he was the PG, which his run with the Magic disproves, and the idea that ANY ONE would be an upgrade, even though he beat out every player we brought in that was supposed to replace him. Some fans just have unrealistic expectations of all star level play at every position, and others way over value scoring from the PG position and disregard every thing else. Certainly you would rather have an all star than Rafer, but compared to non-all star PG's I would rate him as average, which is about what you expect from a role player. If you're expecting him to match Deron Williams, Steve Nash and Chris Paul in production every night then you just have unrealistic expectations about what your role players are going to do for you. The bottom line is that as a role player, Rafer is more than sufficient for a contending team to have a shot.
So much for Rafer never being in the Finals. I'm happy for him. It would also be wise to realize he's like the 5th scoring option on the floor, maybe even 6th if you start counting bench players, haha. With us, b/c Yao or Tracy was always out, he was basically our 2nd option. Rafer seems to be a great fit for the Magic. Hope it works out for them. Would be awesome if the Magic beat the Lakers and Rafer get into it with Sasha again. Maybe even another slap to the back of the head? haha.
Magic has done heck of trade. For Houston, yes, we see something in Lowry and believe he can develop into something. But if Lowry doesn't start next season, the fact is we traded a controversial starter for a bench player. Since Rafer's contract comes off next season, and I don't see Lowry seriously outplay Rafer from the bench, the assumption has to be that we can't find someone as good as Rafer in the FA or draft. For Magic, the best part is that they not only get an adequate PG, they get to dump utterly useless Brain Cook on the Rockets, whose contract is as long as Rafer.
I will cheer Rafer because he is an ex-rocket. Apart from that this guy took us nowhere, its amazing how much you people tend to overrate him. I love his attitude, but hate his game.
Compared to non-all star PGs, I'd rate Rafer near the top of the group. He isn't an offensive weapon like your better PG but compared to most role players, he is smart defensively, a very good ball handler and can control the team on the floor better then most. I do agree that he is a role player of sorts but he is obviously one of the better ones available no question.
Shane handled the balls a few times in the top of key in last few games. It showed how Rockets missed Rafer. AB is no pg as simple as that.
