What if Portland rests all their starters and their scrubs are losing to ours? To what lengths will Rudy go? I assume that, KT, Eddie and Moochie catch the same flu that Cuttino has and are sitting on the bench in street clothes or have their shoulders tighten up or somesuch over the half time. Fininishing backcourt of Tierre and Langhi. Front court of Oscar, Morris and Collier. What if we are still winning in the fourth quarter? Is there anything else Rudy can do? Funny true story-- back many years ago. I heard the game on the radio. Late August, St. Louis Cardinals in pennant race and up 9 or 10 runs. Only the fourth inning. Clouding up and the Pirates, I believe, start changing pitchers constantly and calling time outs as it gets darker and darker and the wind picks up. Cardinals complain, but no warnings. You need 5 innings for an official game. Cardinals on first and second with one out. Runner on second takes off with no jump to steal third, Pirate 3bman "drops" the ball. Runner continues toward home plate. where he is tagged out. Than the runner at first takes off. Ball dropped at second base. Continues to third where it is "dropped". Umpires go beserk. Threaten to call the game. Big conference etc. It doesn't rain for another hour or so till the game is official. Heavy fines for the Cardinals and I believe the Pirates, too.
You're right the Cardinals were trying to win. However, they were making a complete mockery of the game, by deliberately trying to end the inning by making outs. I guess I thought of that baseball game because of the extremes to which the Cardinals went to accomplish their goals. I'm wondering to what extremes the Rockets would go to accomplish their goal of more pingpong balls. Oh well, maybe it only makes a sort of sense to me.
You obviously weren't paying attention when we tanked against Denver. As for the Portland game; no tanking is necessary. Portland has no scrubs. They have good players down to the 12th man.
It isn't necessarily their "goal." However, there is no doubt that (at the very least) coach simply doesn't care about the outcome of these games.
Here's an extreme example. Rockets up by 10 with 1:30 to go. Each time dow the Rockets jack up a three with only 5 seconds off the clock. Each time Portland gets the ball, the Rockets foul asap to avoid letting the clock run down and give them foul shots. Since you are trying to lose, you have to be much more subtle than making a mockery of the game to essentially win as in the Cardinal's example. I'm not saying anything this blatant would happen, but you might see some more careful tanking.
Freak, you're right on that. He really did look happy. However, then we had a rash of mysterious injuries. It is almost like after a couple of heroic victories or close losses he decided that was enough for morale and it was time to rest Steve and Cuttino.
Rudy isn't "resting" Steve and Cuttino. He recognized after the 46 minute, 2 assist night followed by the infamous, 53-minute, Zero Assist night that Steve was trying to win the season scoring title...so, Rudy let Cuttino pass him back up and called it a season to teach Mr. "I wanna be a quarterback" a lesson. Although, "<i>I haven't heard any quotes on that</i>."
However, then we had a rash of mysterious injuries. What, you mean Mobley doesn't really have a "season-ending flu"?!?
Crispee, I think you are right on the money......and that is something Rudy should do more of, if a player is making terrible decisions, sit his ass on the bench for a spell. DaDakota
If the Rockets really wanted to go to the extreme, they could just forfeit the game. He who forfeits first, loses the game. We'll show them who the better losers are!
