[CBS Sports] Why Houston's first-round struggles bode well for its playoff future

I hear ya for sure...and maybe this is me living within an hour of San Antonio for most of my adult life, but I think Kawhi is scary good. I feel like this is kind of like saying Cleveland is in trouble if Lebron doesn't play well - that he is their trump card. While that's true, Lebron is still one of if not THE very best player in the league and I feel like Kawhi isn't too far behind him - he never "doesn't play well" - just has better and worse games by his own standards. Again though - I could very well be overselling Kawhi. If I'm wrong and he does have some moments where he struggles, I agree that the Spurs are going to have a hard time keeping up with Houston.

 

it'll be a great series..and I'm definitely looking forward to the matchup and how the Rockets stack up against a Pop team in the playoffs. Still can't believe the Rockets have NEVER played POP (but that's more the Rockets fault than anything).

As good as you think Kawhi is, where does Harden stack up on your scale? I personally think Harden is the best player in the league arguably next to Lebron. I just really appreciate the talent that Harden is. He's unbelievable.

 

I think Harden is the MVP of the league - it can't be underestimated how vital he is to the success of his team. That being said, I draw a distinction between MVP and the best player. I agree Lebron may still be the best player. Kawhi I think is close to Harden - obviously not as gifted offensively(honestly, he just kind of goes through guys similar to Lebron early in his career) but his defense is some of the best I have ever seen. I guess if I had to rate them it would be Lebron narrowly trailed by Harden, who narrowly would be trailed by Kawhi....Westbrook would be behind those 3 by a wide margin - he's inefficient, doesn't make his teammates better, and a big part of his perceived value is found in stat padding (like the fact his teammates box out on rebounds and let him get the ball when every other team in the league has their big gobble up those rebounds). Lebron takes plays/quarters off at this stage in his career so the stats don't grab you like they do for other players but when he needs to make a play, he can still do it on both ends. I think Harden is a better defender than people give him credit for but he obviously doesn't put that to good use on most plays because he is pacing himself just like Lebron. Kawhi does it all over the floor all game but I think he is a good but not elite playmaker like Lebron & Harden are.

 

We gave up 105 ppg to a team that puts a lot of weak offensive players on the floor and we're proud of winning with "defense"?

We won because:
-Westbrook has atrocious shot selection and killed their momentum with heat checks
-Most of their other players can't score
-Harden drew some absolutely comical fouls

None of the above has anything to do with "defense."