Do you feel the Rockets snuck up on you guys? They matched up with you so well. DG: They thought… They thought but it’s not clear anyone else gave them a chance going into those series. DG: I don't think there was any other team that could have beaten them. Now in saying that, you still have to beat LeBron James, which is a very tall task to do. LeBron will walk the ball up the floor every play before he lets you determine the game on your terms. However, I don't think there was any other team that could have beaten that Rockets team. As far as them sneaking up on us, I can’t say they snuck up because they were playing so well throughout the regular season that you knew they had to be reckoned with and we had some great games with them in the regular season. But I will tell you where they made their biggest mistake. Where they made their biggest mistake was Daryl Morey coming out and saying, “This team is built to beat the Warriors. We built this team specifically to beat the Warriors.” What I would say Daryl Morey is real G's move in silence. They just kinda do what they do and move in silence Daryl. If you take any advice from this interview Daryl, that was their biggest mistake. They come out like “This team is built to beat the Warriors.” So for the rest of the year, we’re like “Alright, we’ll get there, we’ll get to that game and beat them. They’re not gonna beat us. We don’t think they can beat us.” Why didn’t we think they can beat us? We felt in our game plan James Harden and if you go watch them games, they were up 15-20 each game, but our game plan was to let James Harden do everything he’s going to do. We’re probably not gonna stop him and that’s fine but we’re gonna stop everyone else. Then James is gonna get tired because he’s dribbling the ball 32 times per possession. I don’t care how good of shape you’re in, I don’t care who you are, that is taxing. So our game plan was let James do his thing even if we get down 15 points, we’ll be fine. Stay the course and we’ll come back and win. Every game they were up, every game that we won, they were up 15-20 points and we came back, walked them down. Most time we walked them down by halftime. We knew going into those games they couldn’t beat us. Everyone made a big deal out of Chris getting injured. “Oh, if Chris didn’t get injured, they were about to beat the Warriors.” You can make that argument, that’s all fine and dandy until you come back next year and Kevin’s injured and you’re up 3-2. They were up 3-2, if I’m not mistaken. No matter of fact, they were up 2-1 when Kevin got hurt. Golden opportunity now. Kevin’s hurt. It’s even, right? You lost Chris last year. We lost Kevin this year. Alright, here’s your chance. They lost and they lost game 7 at home. Everything you needed for this to go your way you had going for you. It still didn’t work. So did they sneak up on us? I guess they were trying to…Daryl Morey made it obvious “Hey, we want them.” Alright buddy, we want y’all to. Get y’all outta here. I was not expecting Daryl Morey shade. DG: It’s advice more than shade. (Redick): You have to give the Rockets some credit. It felt during those Durant Warrior years, the rest of the league — non-LeBron teams — the rest of the league was kinda out of it. No one was actually going for it. Daryl Morey and the Rockets were probably the only team minus the Cavs that really went for it. The other thing about the Rockets and Chris talked about this last time he was on the show, was their switching defense, the only reason they played that defense was because they knew to beat you guys, that’s how they had to play so they wanted to master the switching defense. I can appreciate that. That’s a boss move right there. We’re gonna play one way to beat the Warriors.
Does he do his show and be on TNT and still be playing? Harden does get tired..... Draymond is unlikable but a friggin smart mind on basketball.
Everyone made a big deal out of Chris getting injured. “Oh, if Chris didn’t get injured, they were about to beat the Warriors.” You can make that argument, that’s all fine and dandy until you come back next year and Kevin’s injured and you’re up 3-2. They were up 3-2, if I’m not mistaken. No matter of fact, they were up 2-1 when Kevin got hurt. Golden opportunity now. Kevin’s hurt. It’s even, right? You lost Chris last year. We lost Kevin this year. Alright, here’s your chance. Does this make sense to anyone else? Not expecting it to. Btw Draymond, Kerr and others kept taking shots at the Rockets years after that 2018 series. They know that team was better. Rockets live in Kerrs head. 2017-18 regular season proved the same thing. The wear Harden down strategy doesn't work with Paul as your alpha closer. You could tell by Currys reaction to the game winner a couple weeks ago, he knows. That hamstring snaps 4 quarters later and Harden, Paul, Morey are probably still here in Houston, we are all wearing championship gear and the NBA community is recognizing how 2 all stars went toe to toe with 4 and beat the team that called themselves unbeatable, just like Lebron did. The Golden State Snake Dynasty suddenly is very mortal.
Agree that Morey's big mouth always comes back to bite him. Morey cannot help himself. Just keep your mouth shut.
Yeah sure they only beat us cause of DM's comments. LMAM and CP being out had very little to do with that and we can use the following year as an example to prove it despite the team being vastly different. Sounds good to me.
Cannot hate and in fact only embrace what he said about Morey. Even we as fans were not happy with that quote. In fact we were not only not happy with the words, but that this was the strategy and or the way we went about it. In the end even if Morey did fuel the fire, it was the lack of fire from our team, coach and the injuries that put us at a serious disadvantage. The strategy or our coach and players unwillingness to deviate from the path killed us. Refs be damned, nobody can overcome 0-27 from three.
Morey intended that as a show of respect to the Warriors, not bravado. Basically, the Rockets are wasting their time if they aren't 100% focused on building a team that can take down the Warriors. I understand why the Warriors would take his words and convince themselves it was disrespect and try to use it as motivation, but it was exactly the opposite.
If the refs called the fouls on the 3s, 0-27 doesn’t happen (also don’t forget harden made one during that 0-27 stretch)
That’s always how it works though and nobody’s denying any of it, of course it was a sign of respect, it’s just something that doesn’t need to be said. Exactly because at least I felt we shouldn’t respect them.
game 7 was 1 of the biggest rig jobs ever Warriors probably mailed a ring and a thank u letter to the refs
Well, now we knew what we were watching the rest of the league knew too. That Rockets team was damn good and a real contender. So close to a title. Still stings.
Those Fifty fifty half truths narratives, the Winner always get the last laugh, Loser has to suck it up.
