I disagree. Orlando, Boston, and Cleveland have comparable or better 'star power' than LA, Denver, Houston, etc. But, I believe the difference is that those Western teams are much deeper. I think the Rockets would have had a good chance of going to the finals in the East simply because of their depth. Cleveland's lack of depth was badly exposed in the playoffs. They did not face a true test until they met Orlando, and then their flaws were obvious. Eastern Conference teams had a much easier road in the regular season and playoffs because the sheer number of crap teams in the East. Any Western Conference playoff contender has to battle through more tough teams to advance. For example, Portland, Utah, San Antonio, and Dallas are much better teams than Detroit, Atlanta, Miami, and even Chicago.
Exactly. I'm a big fan of Yao, and his jokes after our wins in the post game interviews were gold. But after so many years of adjusting the surrounding players and very little progress.....it makes one think. What is the damn problem? This year I guess there's an answer in that TMAC was a no show....then Yao had his annual season ending injury. ...sigh.
Boston was without KG. And Cleveland wasn't that good. Remember what happen when they face Houston here. Lebron have his worst game of the season, they just have a incredible Home Court success, and Orlando is always dominated by Houston. Now Boston fully healthy and Orlando + Jameer Nelson is a different story, but that wasn't a case in the playoff.
And yet struggles vs the single cover smaller player in Perkins. He is in the finals and? Is a team success not a individual award. Is easy to be a front runner now that Howard have team success, Yao can't get to the finals if he can't play just like KG can't get to the Finals if he can't play. So now Gasol and Rashard pass KG as much better PF?
Hmm I don't think Yao is really better than Dwight. Just look at the stats, Yao wasn't putting up even 20 ppg in the playoffs. Sometimes he is almost useless on the court. D12 is never useless neither on D or in offense even when he doesn't get the ball. People always come up with the same old '' yea but Yao owns dwight everytime they meet up '' and yes it's true. It doesn't meen that Yao is better than Dwight far from that .. If Yao was on the magic and Dwight on the rockets IMO Houston would be a much better team and the magic much worst.
Yao useless???? What game did you watch? Went Yao got treated defensibly like DH was, he put HOF number in the playoff. Then team decided to just denied him fronting and waiting with a guy behind, and send all the help they got. Reason why Scola and other went off in those games. Yao just being there even without touching the ball is getting other wide open shots, and not mention him in the middle, Houston got worked in the boards when he was out. Houston did have any other to protect the glass when Deke went down. Pls stop leving the moment.
I never said you were a racist, i said its a racist comment. I'm just saying that calf's doesn't have anything to do with strength and jumping ability, it comes from the thighs or quads. Maybe MD in training can clear it up for us. Power through the thighs is what propels a person through the air. If you find any person that can squat x amount, that indicates explosion. I know plenty of white guys that can jump out the gym and its because they have the quad power and stregnth. Anyway, Howard may not be shaq strong on the blks, but he does have a strong lower body. What happens to guys like howard is sometimes, they get to playing too high against the ben wallace types. That doesn't mean its a lack of strength as much as a lack of leverage.
How many 20 point 20 rebound games did Yao have in the playoffs? Howard has 3 in the playoffs. Yao had 0 in the playoffs and 0 the entire season. How many 30 point games? Howard has 4 in the playoffs. Yao had 0 in the playoffs and 7 the entire season. How many 15 rebound games? Howard has 9 in the playoffs. Yao had 0 in the playoffs and 10 all season. How many 20, 10, and 3 games did Yao Have? Howard has 4 in the playoffs. Yao had 0 in the playoffs and had 3 all season. You can keep going around and around, if this and that and if Yao played with Oscar Robertson and Jerry West but there's a significant gap between these two right now.
Keep talking about stats. They are two different teams. Stats can be flawed. Just like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Their stats may look a bit similar, but anybody who watches basketball knows Michael Jordan is better. You fail again in nobody's surprise you T-Mac only fan.
Cheer for Superman as much as you like...but every time while Mr. Superman play against Yao, he's a midget, that's all...
Give me that midget with a conference title and a trip to the final over a second round exit with the annual injure any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
that is laughable. howard is playing against some of the softest big men in the league. oden, pryzbila, gasol, byum>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>whatever trash howard has played against /end thread
The only decent center that he has played against so far is Kendrick Perkins and that would be the guy who contained him and that would be the guy who also scored in isolation plays in the low-post against him. Let's face it Dwight is a great player and the 2nd best center in the NBA. But he's still young and still has time to improve. Dwight is the flavor of the week, just like Melo was last week. Where's Melo now? Kenny Smith said Melo surpassed D. Wade, you really think he's going to stick with it now? I expect the same tish to happen with Dwight.
The "flavor of the week" has been voted to the All-NBA first team the last 2 seasons, was voted to the All-Defense 1st team, was DPOY, and was voted as the best center in the league by the majority of NBA GMs before the season started on the NBA.com GM survey. Flavor of the last 12 months would be closer to the mark.
Who was he competing against last season? A Yao Ming on crutches? Do you have any values besides using stats and accomplishments? I could just say Shaquille O'Neal is still the best center in the league since he has the MVP's and the accomplishments can't I? Get a god damn opinion and stop riding Holligner. Sheesh.
That would be a good point if Dwight Howard wasn't also getting higher billing in all the unofficial midseason awards last year, before Yao Ming went down. And if "Yao Ming on crutches", sadly, wasn't such a familiar sight at this stage of his career. Yeah ... 3 years ago when he was last voted to an All-NBA 1st team. I don't believe I've referred to John Hollinger or any of his stats once in the entire thread, and yet you've now used this line twice.
