Harden to play game 5. Those picks looking better and better

Our dream scenario.. in regards to the Rockets future:

2021
Nets beat the Bucks - Ends up winning a ring.

2022-2023
Bucks begin their rebuild or this is the beginning of their decline.
Nets lose early in 2022 playoffs due to stronger competition and bad luck.

2023 Bucks Pick is lottery bound.
2023 + Later Nets Picks increases in value 10 folds.

Some delusional fans will hope that Harden rejoins the team for the MLE in 2022. But since this is a dream scenario - why not.

 

Where was he when his team needed him in Houston? Before he quit on us

 

Tillman quit on the Rockets before anyone else did

 

Luxury Tax $avings never quit.

 

He had 5 points. KD bailed him out with a insane performance

 

2x MVP, but can’t score in the clutch or be his team’s closer…they gotta leave that up to Middleton or Jrue

DPOY, but wants no parts of KD when he’s out there cooking shrimp and chicken on the court annihilating everybody

smh

They need to stop handing out DPOY awards to guys who hardly ever try to guard elite offensive threats. It’s not like Giannis is Gobert either erasing everything at the rim or even Draymond who does everything defensively.

How is KD going off, and u as the DPOY guy, stay in the corner guarding the Shamets, Joe Harris, and Blake Griffins of the world? Since it’s always up to Middleton to close offensively, the least he could do is take the challenge defensively against KD in the 4th, but nope…

 

Only KD was a Warrior, Harden was a Rocket! Lol

KD is the man, that game last night showed me hands down that he is the best in the league.

 

I have said it before and I will keep saying is.

Giannis is a very good athlete and a very good player, but he isn't a great player and he never will be a great player because he is too stupid to be great. He lacks the intelligence to have the personal growth necessary to realize his own weaknesses and address them.

He reminds me a lot of Dwight Howard in that respect.... both have poor emotional development and cannot overcome it because of a lack of intelligence. The fact that Giannis is a DPOY and a two time MVP is disgusting when you have players like Durant and Harden and Olajuwon and Bryant and O'Neal having only won it once.

I would like to know at what point the media turns on him as he has been a walking failure when games matter. Everyone can blame their coach, but building an offense around someone as limited as Giannis is very difficult and that doesn't even get into the extreme amount of ass kissing the organization has to do to Giannis.

 

Well the joke is that Giannis isn't even the best defender on his own team. Holiday is their best defender and likely the best perimeter defender in the NBA since Bruce Bowen.

 

He rushed back from a hamstring injury in 2019 and proceeded to go on a two month run of scoring 40 per game to dig us out of an 11-14 hole. Or are you just not gonna count that...?

 

Im still laughing at Nash Dantony playing a 1-legged, high injury risk Harden 44 minutes - like wtf?

Also, he needs to pull out that 1 legged step back 3 that kind of flamed out in 2019 off-season!

 

Hardens playstyle that only really works in the regular season still hasn't translated into playoff success.

Durant is Durant, same great player with questionable cast members.

Irving will always be a ? , is he going to play to his potential or is he focused on other world related things.

Still the Nets will get out of the East but will they have enough to get through the West?

 

Not sure what you mean. He was an ironman in Houston, played an incredible amount of minutes and carried an extremely large load with the Rockets and improved every season. He "brought it" for the Rockets.

 

Dwight is exactly who he is. He doesn't recognize that he needs to be a second fiddle to win it all. He needs to play center and be the second option. He can't create for others.

 

I don't agree with this actually. Harden had been very good in the playoffs the last few seasons. it isn't his fault that the team around him has been very flawed. Over the course of his career he has certainly been up and down, but that is the case for Durant as well.

 

Harden quit on the FO not Houston

 

I'm laughing too....@ the fully healthy bucks who can't even beat them with the nets hurting the way they are

meanwhile you have torn meniscus embiid still playing heavy minutes and oh and kawhi out for the series after hurting his knee when he is in the game with 5 mins to play up 17.

 

I wouldn't play the long game. Play the short game, and try to win the title. The door is wide open. They are the favorites. And they have NEVER won anything. It's now.

 

You guys are way harsh on Giannis in the clutch.

He was great, letting dudes cut back-door for layups in the 4th, and chunking free throws everywhere.

 

Giannis and Gobert, especially gobert still anchors the defense. Their presecne even when they don't block shots, they deflect, or discourage shots and it allows their guards to gamble and then send em downlow to the paint. They are both long as hell, athletic, agile, aggressive with great timing to discourage inside shots. Jazz and Bucks would not be where they are without those two, especially and including on defense. I don't expect gobert to guard someone on the perimiter 1-1, but doesnt change that jazz are no 1, leading a top defensive team, and the anchor of that is gobert. Likewise with Giannis. There are a lot of players who can win it, but they both have a strong case.

Defense is all about schemes, like rockets best year with switch everything was just about a scheme to make the players go where you want. The nba obviously caters towards offensive showcasing so you have to be more creative then just 90s 1-1 stops.

giannis is disappointing in the playoffs, even when he puts up ungodly stats. But to his benefit he has worked on his shot yearly and he is so clearly getting better. It will take time, but he is still young and committed to improving every year, if he doesnt let his foot off the gas I think he has a window to fix his playoff voes. Hopefully it works in the time line with holidy and middleton for their sake.