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The unfortunate results of bias media coverage.

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by JMAD21, Dec 24, 2020.

  1. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Contributing Member

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    Half a honey bun is better than no honey bun.
     
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  2. IBTL

    IBTL Member

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    A good sports story like a good novel has someone play the "challenger" role to the main character. Generally if following good form the main character wins most of the time. When making brands and gaining traction you go where the fans are..call it a mix of luck too but in this play the 2 main characters are celtics and lakers. All else from then forward is who can you add as a challenger? A good dummy punching bag since you can't win every time..

    If you look at big picture long term in this play the rockets are top team as dutiful long term villain and challenger.. best #3 behind lakers and celts
    Whether it's people on the streets of boston and nyc making fun of olajuwon name or shaq going full ching chong making fun of yao..all good houston the dutiful willing challenger.

    No team has really embraced that role long term.
    You can argue jazz at .541 winning % lifetime and blazers at. 536 winning % lifetime are more "lucky" and "good" long term but jazz have no titles and portland hardly putting fear in anyone. Portland would be a cute side character if this were a story.

    The only other luckiest and good team by winning % above rockets is spurs at .599 which if you are honest is just the doing of a good team core Duncan ginobilu Parker. Not an expanse of years and don't give me that george gervin bullshi*t they were crap often and are again now.

    Rockets at .529 so not far off portland and jazz and over longer expanses - early 80s 90s ,yao era , harden era

    It's about longevity. Rocket down years short...luck the spurs blazers jazz don't have..

    Notable other teams win % lifetime:
    Heat .521
    Bucks .519
    Warriors .482
    76ers .516
    Celtics .591

    my biased but somewhat supportable conclusion:
    Rockets by win% , titles, expanse of years challenging (multiple eras) the rockets by definition are the top challenger team. The natural team to hate.. The natural #3

    The media enemy ..and in a play that's playing 50 years or so the rockets are that distinct #3 to the main lakers and celtics main story line..

    That's just who rockets are in the story
     
  3. tinman

    tinman Contributing Member
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    State media is the enemy of the people
     
  4. Nook

    Nook Member

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    He is certainly in the top 3-4 offensive players in 100 years of basketball.

    Had he been blessed to be drafted by the Lakers or had he forced a trade there earlier, the narrative around him would be quite different.
     
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  5. Nook

    Nook Member

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    At the minimum he is in a very, very select group of players that is at most 3-4 players long..... when you consider that basketball is roughly 100 years old, that gives you an idea of how special he is.
     
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  6. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    Decent read.

    Shaq would have called out 'Wang Zhu, whatever your name is, come n get some of Shaqfu.' if Yao would be drafted by the Atlanta Hawks or any other team for that matter.

    While obviously promoting his brand.
     
  7. glynch

    glynch Contributing Member

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    Many sports reporters have said that. Certainly top 5 all time.
     
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  8. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Contributing Member
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    whereas steak media is yummy

     
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  9. Haymitch

    Haymitch Custom Title
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    The fortunate part about this is you can now get a real hobby
     
  10. IBTL

    IBTL Member

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    Sure but rockets are that outsider 3rd wheel. It's funny haha when shaq says it since he's "our" guy from media point of view.

    Houston is 3rd coast. #3 to new York and LA and thats us being that buffer in between. We are like that 3rd chick lana in superman 3..ny and la are both great places themselves btw but you gotta have a challenger better than glass joe..

    No one cares about blazers or Oklahoma city as a #3 .. why not feel better about yourself trying to always slap the main #3? Who cares if it's loaded against the challenger teams? They are like bad guys in a novel.

    Atl. as you mention ..chicago might try but it's not sustained.
    Houston is the #3 in all ways. Think about it
     
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  11. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    Do not forget the Heat, from a party paradise to a very solid franchise.

    David Beckham with Inter Miami.
    Some exciting new projects down there.
     
  12. glynch

    glynch Contributing Member

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    The stages of grief are over. Thanks sincerely for the eight years. Loved Harden since his first game with the 45 points, his assists through his legs etc. I hope James gets his championship in his next team and then most of the bs negative coverage of him will disappear. After that hope his next team has some injuries and and bad luck so we can get better FRP's.

    The whole media bs that only championships count is frustrating. I appreciated it when James commented sort of dismissively when he heard that his free agent friend Kevin Durant, who he tried to recruit to Houston was going to the Warriors. "Durant wants to do the super team thing". James is now going with the flow. I still hold Durant's p***y move to GS against him and I loved him at UT, but the media continues to love it.

    I hope he doesn't have to keep chasing it from team to team and finally win one at 38 as a bench player like Dwight Howard ridiculously had to do. I think James' best chance of the usual teams mentioned is Philadelphia. Embied and James are better than Davis and Lebron and Morey should be able to assemble the rest. Of course with actually winning there is usually a bit of luck involved.

    Simmons and Wood etc will be fun to watch. Same w Wall, Cousins and our 2 young energy defensive guys. Maybe we can get lucky and Simmons can learn to shoot a bit or we hit the lottery, a great trade or one of our probably late FRP's is gold.
     
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  13. Newlin

    Newlin Member

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    Do you like watching basketball, or do you like watching people TALK about basketball?

    The media gets paid to talk or write about sports. A lot has happened with the Rockets this past offseason and so they are talking. Let’s be honest, not a lot that has happened with the Rockets recently has been very positive. We have a lot of turmoil happening right now, and it wasn’t created by the media. I think most fans think the media is being unfair to their team.

    Just focus on what happens on the court. You will probably be much happier.
     
  14. IBTL

    IBTL Member

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    I'm saying houston is role of antagonist / foil to the main characters. Primary long term #3 to celtics and lakers .. no one over long period really comes close rockets

    Including heat...heat is all recent and a good story..
    Heat were trash before lebron.

    South beach is a fun place.

    I'm talking media bias , villains , main characters.. then the opposition challengers that come in for lakers #1...celtics#2

    rockets as main #3 challenger and punching bag against those 2 since 80s
     
  15. Milos

    Milos Member

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    Harden is pure LA to me ... All style but no substance, and the first to b!tch out and run away when the sh*t really hits the fan

    Basically the exact opposite of what makes me proud to be Houstonian and Texan
    We don't ever run or ask for help when it gets hard ... we stand our ground and defend our own or go out fighting

    When we got wiped out by a hurricane 3 years ago, I've never been prouder of my community's response
    No whining, begging for help, or waiting for someone else to come rescue us ...
    We got to work rebuilding our city

    Texans never lack fortitude or integrity when it really matters
    Harden has never had the heart of a fighter

    There's a reason the Astros got the ring and the Rockets didn't ...
    That team is full of guys who let their nuts hang lowest when the moment is the biggest
    That's why I will defend them forever and I will be glad to see Harden hit the road
     
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  16. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    The villain part to me is overblown.

    I get that the 2018 Rockets with Chris Paul fully embraced that.

    I didn't feel the 2020 Rockets were like that.

    I think the media treats the Rockets like evil village idiots, not villains.

    Harden alone is the villain for sure.
    (Hated Morey's guts too.)

    You have to make the Finals more than once to qualify as 'villain' IMHO.

    The Rockets as a whole are belittled. Yes.
     
  17. lakersuck2

    lakersuck2 Member

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    It's impressive how Harden managed to be in the top tier of both the best offensive player and the most offensive player in NBA history.
     
  18. DonKnock

    DonKnock Member

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    Anyone that is posting on a team specific message board likes watching/hearing/reading people discussing basketball. This is a self-selection bias group.
     
  19. Newlin

    Newlin Member

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    There is a difference between a fans message board and the media. The media do what they do for money. The media just wants more views, more clicks, more money. The media wants to create controversy. I value the opinions of people on this message board far more than anyone in the media.
     
  20. Spacemoth

    Spacemoth Contributing Member

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    The national NBA media has been trying to turn Houston into a "flyover" city since Bill Simmons visited for the 2003 Super Bowl and decided after 48 hours that we were an exurban sprawl dump of a town. This is only about 30% true and does a great disservice to the city as a living entity through time and cultures. The only high profile national person honestly to give us a fair shake was Anthony Bourdain in one of his final episodes.
     
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