Saw this article on Yahoo: None of the West’s powers a perfect team - By Kenny Smith Everyone knows the Western Conference is loaded. Every team currently seeded first through ninth can claim it has a shot at winning the championship. Barring injury (sorry Houston) they all have a legitimate chance. But while all of them have superior strengths to flaunt, each also has its own flaws. Here are the potential trouble spots each contender has to guard against. San Antonio Spurs: Fatigue, both mental and physical. Going through the wars last year to win it all and then enduring the grind of trying to repeat can drain the Spurs enough to suffer an early exit. Somehow coach Gregg Popovich will need to rest his aging veterans as he goes for a top-four seed and home-court advantage. The Spurs do have a deep bench, so that should help. Los Angeles Lakers: Their bench. As great as the Lakers have played this year, one question persists: Can they continue to perform at a high level under playoff pressure? For a team to win a championship, it usually has to have an effective second unit. Regardless of how great Kobe Bryant and the rest of the starting five are, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Ronny Turiaf and the rest of the bench brigade better be ready. New Orleans Hornets: Lack of experience. These guys have never played together on the biggest of stages. They have made a name for themselves but the playoffs is where you make your fame. Coach Byron Scott can only hope his championship pedigree rubs off on his team. They’re talented but they’ve never stood under the bright lights together. Utah Jazz: Easy baskets. Few teams execute better in the halfcourt than Jerry Sloan’s Jazz, but Utah can still afford to get more transition opportunities. Houston Rockets: No Yao Ming. The Rockets won their first three games since Yao’s season-ending foot injury, but eventually they’re going to miss his inside presence. It’s too much to expect a team to challenge for the championship without its best player. Phoenix Suns: Defense, or lack of it. The Suns have improved their halfcourt offense with Shaquille O’Neal, but he hasn’t made an impact on the area they need most: defense. Until they figure out how to make key stops, they’re not going to make a serious run in the West. Dallas Mavericks: Their bench. Jason Kidd has made them a better overall team, but at what cost? Losing backup center DeSagana Diop could hurt them when it comes time to match up with Tim Duncan and the West’s other talented big men. Golden State Warriors: Lack of size. This is the same problem the Warriors had last season. The West is loaded with big, agile forwards and centers that can defend the perimeter, limiting the impact of the small-ball system coach Don Nelson loves. Denver Nuggets: Sticky fingers. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony are great scorers, but they can also be “ball stoppers.” The ball gets in their hands and stops while their teammates stand and watch. So I was wondering, if Yao wasn't out, what would be our weakness?
so Houston can lose it's big man and he deems us out. However Golden State whole team has lack of size and they have a legit chance? They are underrating Houston's defense tremendously. Kenny will be kissing asses soon enough.
I just love random number crunches. I think it's closer to 20.233 (repeating of course) chance though.
Right before Yao got injured, I was going to post a thread like this: We all noticed that we had a tough schedule this month, and I believed many people were worrying about it, but we still had chance to make home-court advantage. Because if you check all the other teams' (I mean the west nine) schedule, they eah at least has as tough one as ours. I'm glad that we beat the Nuggets, and I just want to see how many games we are gonna win in this five: 16 vs Lakers 18 vs Celtics 19 @ Hornets 21 @ Warriors 22 @ Suns If we can win at least 3 out of 5, then I definitely think we can do something in the playoffs. otherwise, I hate to say this: we're gonna have to wait till next season.
So, with Yao, does Kenny think Rockets are a perfect team? Or does he just find something else to whine about?
yeah, that's my point.... I hope he thinks we are a perfect team with Yao(well I think so), but somehow, I know he's gonna find something else....
Sports writers are not meant to be taken seriously (and yes, I know its Kenny). Most of them are bandwagoners who only follow the Lakers, Mavs or Suns and just say general things that they only know. And they all have the shortest memory of any type of people, because just last year they were praising Tmac, Mt Mutumbo and the "amazing job JVG did to pull the Rockets together" during their 20-10 stretch to the end of the season. We now have a better bench, a more leader-like Mcgrady with a burden on his shoulders (which he had last year too), same old Mutumbo, and a better coach for this team, in my opinion, than JVG ever was. Not only have we been more efficient on offense this year, we are playing sound defense-and its even better, I might add, in terms of opponents' FG%. But did they even think about this? Or even remember what happened last year, when the same thing occured? (yes, I know this time Yao will be out for the playoffs too-so thats the only different thing). I can bet you they will do a 180 reverse once we get to the playoffs (which evidently no one believes will happen)- a la the New York sports media. So I say let the naysayers keep farting old cliches that we will simply fall over and die without our big guy, we'll simply go on with our business-which hopefully means a winning streak the rest of the way
We miss Yao very much for sure, but I wont believe unless I see it myself. Let's what's happening from now on.
2nd round would be very good for a team without one of their superstar. I have a feeling that we will make to the WCF!!! Watch out next year guys!!!!
this may sound apathetic, but hey it true: the silver lining in yao going out is scola and landry emerging. they'll get the PT to be truly NBA tested. and assuming we get into the playoffs, get some payoff experience as well.
They will not. It will become: "Nice job by Houston for getting into the playoffs. But they have no shot of winning a series." And then, if we do win a series, it becomes: "Man, [defeated opponent] sure gave that series away. Not to take anything away from Houston, but there's no way they should have won that series if [defeated opponent] played up to their abilities." The Rockets need to play for themselves and the fans, and forget about getting respect from the national media. It's not coming.
