We'd have no problem with the Spurs if Harden would stop carelessly throwing the damn ball away. Those stupid turnovers work against Phoenix, but not against the Spurs. Also he doesn't seem to have any sense of urgency against SAS. Baffling
I understand your viewpoint - but if you want to be a champion - have to beat those guys. I know yesterday game put a bad taste in everyones mouth. But I want to see them - get over the mental hurdle that they have over us will go a long way
I'm sure this win by a desperate Spurs team over the snoozing Rockets has given Skip Bayless hope that the Spurs could go all the way. LOL
Which is why the loss yesterday was a good thing. The Spurs and Thunder winning coupled with the Pelicans and T'Wolves losing means it's highly likely our first round opponent is one of the latter 2 teams(or maybe the Nuggets who are still within striking distance of the 8th seed).
We wanted to be a champion in 1994. We were. I'm still grateful we didn't have to beat the Sonics to get there, though. Just a bad matchup for us. Styles make fights. I hear what you're saying though. I'd get great pleasure in beating the piss out of the Spurs in the playoffs.
With a fully healthy roster meaning harden and paul We’re pretty much unbeatable Rockets are the bad matchups for everyone else
I'm as disappointed as anyone about how the Rockets have folded their tents so early with nothing to play for. I'd like to believe they threw the game to help ensure the Spurs don't slide to the 8th spot. I don't believe it, mind you; they came out with the same lackadaisical attitude against Phoenix and should have lost that game, too. Harden did say they've been coasting and need to buckle down or whatever his phrasing happened to be. But before the SAS game Dan Tony said how the "next four games will be more competitive" and the Rox come out and lay an egg. My small fear is that they don't get back that fire, that edge, whatever it was. When I see them playing Rox basketball again I'll be okay as far as the Rockets go. The next stretch of games against teams NEEDING to win (and probably wanting to show up the "best team in basketball") will be telling.
These comments about the Spurs having our number don't hold water. The Rockets were going for a sweep of San Antonio yesterday. They didn't have CP3. They didn't have any stake in the game with nothing left to gain in the regular season. The Rockets getting "shut down" in San Antonio might be a concern about the Spurs if the Rockets didn't just lay the same egg at home to Phoenix. I'm worried about the Rockets recent play (and even that may be unwarranted). I'm not worried about the Spurs, with or without Kawhi.
Any team with a solid offensive big man who can create his own shot will threaten Houston - Aldridge pretty much got what he wanted and forced Houston to double in the post which unlocked their other players' shooting. We have similar troubles with the Pelicans - ESPECIALLY with Boogie and AD. That's the cost of playing a small ball lineup. That Houston doesn't get punished more in this way(or Golden State for that matter) is really more about the lack of solid offensively skilled big men in the league. That being said - I still think the benefits of 3pt shooting outweigh the minuses of playing small ball. We just didn't have it yesterday or the game before in Phoenix like Clutch said. This is definitely NOT a game to panic on.
Except that Aldridge has never been a playoff performer. Well, except when Kevin McFail is coaching against him.
I don't think the Spurs are a bad matchup. But they are a concern because of their disciple defensively. The whole "stick to 3pt shooters" and "sag the bigs" thing is an issue. Yes, CP busts that. BUT, I would like Harden to be able to bust that himself. Nothing is stopping Harden from mixing in some "floaters" and medium range jumpers into his drives. Just pepper the offense with a lot of that to mix it up. Force the spurs to do more thinking and be more indecisive defensively. Those indecisions hurt their defensive discipline and expose their lack of athleticism to make up for it. Also, Capela has to man up and FINISH STRONG on Gasol and Aldridge.
