if we win tomorrow, will the nba be forever changed?

although you say three years, I'm more amazed at the fact that the "starting" team is really only been in its current state since the Rafer trade.

But ya, maybe going for good players that aren't super stars may start to catch on

 

i do think we'll be remembered as one of the best underdog and teamwork stories in sports history, but i don't see how that would lead to any significant changes to the game of the nba.

also remember that not all the teams (owners and mgmt) are aiming for championships, there is big money on the table.

 

I don't think we have enough offensive power to beat the lakers, we would need yao and tmac for that, HOWEVER, if the lakers come out like they did in game 6 and game 4 then we will blow them out again.

 

Didn't the Pistons win the title in 2004 with no true superstar and used team basketball to win over the star studded Lakers that had Kobe, Shaq, Gary Payton, and the Mailman? Sure they had better talented players throughout their roster then the Rockets of this playoff run, but the concept was the same.

 

Sure they had no superstar, but Ben + Rasheed Wallace in their prime, along with a backcourt of Billups and Hamilton and Tayshaun running around on Kobe made for one hell of a team against Kobe and Shaq and a roster way past their prime.

 

My post was merely pointing out that what the Rockets are doing now has been done before as far as assembling players that perform better as a whole as opposed to the sum of the parts.

 

I dont necessarily agree with the premise because we have three previous all-stars on our team, even if two of them are hurt. So the team wasn't "built" without any all-stars, they just so happen to be hurt and our reserves are doing a fantistic job.

I think you still need all stars to win big in this league. If our team even goes on to win the championship, it will be because they got on a run to do it. NO WAY would I want this to be our team for all of next season without Yao, Tmac and even Deke....you need that star power through out the whole season to even get here.

 

If the Rockets win tomorrow, it will be bigger than David vs Goliath.

 

i think rockets will be forever changed...and also kobe's legacy. NBA, not so much.

 

Ben - defensive player of the year
Rasheed - third most talented power forward in the game at the time even though he was a head case
Billups - well we all now how good Chauncey is now
Rip - highest scorer on the wizards team with MJ on it

You have to remember that that Detroit team had won their division the two previous years without Rasheed and they got him for free that year. Even though that team may not have a "Superstar", they had plenty of stars. The closes person we have on our team to a star is Artest.

 

i'm expecting that it will be 8 v 5 tomorrow, but if we win, maybe the whole shroud of the nba rigging games might be alleviated a little.

 

If the Rockets win Game 7, that means "Judgement Day" for the whole Lakers team.

 

Uhhhhh....

...no.

At least, not in the way you think, friend.

Because in all honesty, nothing's changed about what wins at this time of year.

We're all of us here only entertaining the notion that it's different is because, as fans and viewers, we are all tempted to say that only one or two guys will get the job done. Part of what basketball is at this level is entertainment.

And you need star power to entertain. Not necessarily to win.
The NBA respects what the San Antonio Spurs have done over the last 10 years. They have to be one of the least lauded dynasties in league history. They've got all the commercial appeal of minted toothpaste.

And they've won championships. It's not about who's going to drive the Neilsen ratings up, or who's going to have the best commercial spots ( I personally love those T-Mobile spots with Dwayne Wade).

It's about winning games. And the best way (the ONLY way, really) to win at this level at this time of year is to win with a TEAM.

And the better the payers on your team are individually, the better they will be collectively.

That's what we'll see happen with the Rockets, eventually. The better team will win, and it won't be the Rockets, whether that's against the Lakers or the Nuggets. The Rockets are playing with extraordinary resolve and determination. They're scoring the ball pretty well, too. But they won't keep this up against Denver, should they get past the Lakers.

They're going to give a game effort no matter what. But they need Yao and McGrady and Mutombo. They're not crying about not having them. They're finding ways to win without them. That lays the foundation for success next season, with everybody relatively healthy.

I'd love nothing more that to see the Rockets win against the Lakers. It would serve them right for underestimating the Rockets. But I don't expect much more than that. Teams that win this time of year are focused, resilient and balanced.

We have to wait and see if the Rockets can generate the offensive consistency they'd need to go on...but first, let's beat L.A....

 

Ben Wallace - undrafted, was a no name player before he was traded to the Pistons
Rasheed - trade to Pistons arguably resurrected his career that was tarnished by his Jailblazer rep and erratic behaviour
Billups - was a journeyman PG who was arguably viewed as a bust before he signed with the Pistons and elevated his career to what we know him today
Rip - Well Pistons got a steal with this trade, but then again MJ has been proven to be horrible at personnel moves, Dumars owns him in the front office realm

I'm not questioning the overall superior talent the Pistons had, that's why I said "Sure they had better talented players throughout their roster then the Rockets of this playoff run". But it has to be pointed out that Joe Dumars did a fantastic job assembling the Pistons from players that either were not thought of much, or were viewed as gambles. (He got Tayshaun Prince with the 23rd pick of 2002 also.) And the players he assembled came together chemistry wise and that culminated into a title, which even resulted into elevating the careers of certain players Dumars assembled.

So my point still stands that what Morey has done to the roster has been, while fantastic, is not exactly groundbreaking.

And I highly doubt that Morey assembled the roster thinking in the back of his mind, "Yep, we now should be prepared for situations when our 2 superstars and our backup center will be out indefinitely, and be capable of winning playoff games without them. Plan B/C/D roster assembling is now complete."

 

no the nba will not be forever changed as novel as it sounds.

 

This was the first thing that came to my mind as well.

If the Rockets win tomorrow (actually, later today, in about 12 hours), then the 39-point beatdown by the Celtics last year in the NBA Finals will be long forgotten to the disaster of the "can't-miss" Lakers losing in the second round, to a team without it's two best players and the second all-time shotblocker in league history even suited up.

We will get HUGE props, but the fall the Lakers would take would be 100 times farther.

 

You got a good point here and I hope this more scientific approach will be adapted by the owners. At least to me, seeing the games played more "correctly" is more fun.

 

There will absolutely be more Morey clones, and those that already work for organizations will be given larger budgets and extra personal. Whether any of them will be as good as Morey remains to be seen. Some might even surpass him. This could also impact the league in other ways, such as fewer ex players in management roles, and it might even carry over into college basketball. Interesting times, interesting times.

 

If we win ,there will not be any ridiculous calls forever ,because the league will start to know that refs can't change the fate of a real team !