my sentiments exactly. i stated the same thing in another thread someone started about tanking to avoid the jazz. i dunno. i know this isnt the olajuwon squad but pulling my hair out during the showtime lakers series in the 80s, the phoenix series, malone/stockton jazz series and the 1st game of the orlando series during the 90s has desensitized me to any sort of fear of any opponent. we have a good team. we have a great center. we have a similar team to the championship team. we are built to contend with the lakers and any top tier team. any self respecting rockets fan would relish the opportunity to get some payback on utah. some members on here said they were "a rockets fan first and a utah hater second." accusing me of hating utah more than wanting the rockets to win... i will state again. u cant be a rockets fan without being a jazz hater. its symbiotic. its an inherent part of being a rockets fan. that goes for the mavericks as well. for all the pu$$ys on here wanting to avoid Dallas as well.
Ahhh haha, I was coming in here to say you were a punk, but I was nicely surprised. I feel the same way, the fear that stupid team has instilled in so many people here absolutely puzzles me.
Agreed. Anybody that tries to take that away from us because of Jordan's absence is an idiot. You can't even assume that he would have won 8 straight championships. Our back to back years are legit. If we go all the way this year without facing the Jazz or even the Lakers this year it's legit. Its all about the matchups and if you match up poorly to a lower seeded team and lose its tough luck...
There are going to be softies tonight, trying to throw tonight's game too... You might as well come out of the woodwork right here, because I don't want to hear any of that garbage . We Are Going For the 2nd Seed and the First Division Title Since the Glory Years. You think some 6-8 seed fodder is getting in the way of the Rockets goals this year?
I can't get into the minds of such cowards, so I really don't know. But I imagine some "fans" tonight will not want to see the Mavs as our next potential matchup...
Batman certainly can correct me, but I don't think that's what he's saying. What do you hear most often from non-Rockets fans and the national media about the two glorious championships? What is the first thing out of their mouths? Never would have happened if Jordan and the Bulls had been in the finals. No way Houston could have beaten Jordan, Pippen and company. Houston should have an "asterisk" by their titles. That's what they say. And while I think this thread is a bit over the top, I have always agreed with the sentiment that the Bulls were the prefered team out of the East both years. That we matched up well with them (there's that thing Batman doesn't like... talking about matchups, at least in the context of this thread). We did. We played them tougher than any other team in the league. They had no answer for Dream. None. Maxwell was one of the only players who could D-up Jordan and take him out of his game. We had a good record against them. I have never doubted that the Rockets would have beaten the Bulls in 7 games. It's a damn shame it couldn't happen. And remember this... it wasn't the fault of the Houston Rockets. Remember also that Jordan was glad they didn't have to play us. I read that somewhere, believe it or not. So you are wrong here, in my opinion. We should have played the Bulls and we would have still had the banners hanging from the rafters. Believe or not. I do.
I bet the '94 and '95 championship teams sure were glad they didn't have to face the Seattle Sonics. There was no shame not having to face the Sonics and winning the championship. If avoiding Utah means an easier road to the championship, then so be it.
The machismo and things like quoting the word fans has got to stop. Just because some of us have a philosophical difference about playing matchups doesn't make anyone less of a fan. The goal is still for the Rockets to win a championship. Some of you need to get over yourselves. It's like the entire board is experiencing 'roid rage. That being said, anyone rooting against the Rockets tonight is obviously not fully grasping the ramifications. If the Rockets lose, they could end up playing the Spurs without homecourt advantage, so it shouldn't even be a question.
The Utah Jazz are a different team this year. I don't think Carlos Boozer is at the Rocket destroyer level that he was before. The Jazz this year lost to the TWolves and Warriors at home recently.
I've said this before in a few other threads. Fear and respect when you are talking about your opponent are really the same thing. Should we admire the Jazz absolutely not but we should fear and respect them in that they are terrible matchups for us and we have to play at our best to beat them. As a coach I always tell my players you have to respect your toughest opponents even if you hate their style and they cheat. Respect means you have to bring your best game when you face them not paying them homage. Just whining about the other team cheating might make you feel better but in the end it doesn't win the game. What it should do is motivate you to work harder than ever. I totally agree that we shouldn't be tanking to avoid the Jazz, thankfully that is moot. If you want to win a championship you have to take on all comers even your most hated and feared rival.
I don't know which dictionary you use ... You say yes to fear and respect. FEAR = RESPECT Yet you say no to admire? ADMIRE != RESPECT
I fear and respect Kobe...do I admire him? Hell no! If he played for the Rockets would I admire him? Hell yes! There's your difference...
