they don't apply to this team anymore whatsoever. Early in the season they lost the florida teams and on National TV, now that Charles is gone and they have totally handed the team to Stevie they have got the confidence to beat anyone under any curcumstances. Is any team safe against us? I think not, the Rockets beat the Lakers early in the season too.... why can't they do it again??? We pose too many mismatches..... Twolves? comon..... All we need to do is put Cato on Garnett. This team is totally a different team than they were earlier in the season.... get ready for a long streak. --Rocketman
"the Rockets beat the Lakers early in the season too.... why can't they do it again???" Maybe because Shaq and Kobe weren't playing? Hope that doesn't get me blasted for being pessimistic because it's exciting to see the Rockets playing so well, but why the Rockets can't beat the Lakers because they did it once before ... simple answer to that one.
The Lakers are a totally different team from the beginning of the season as well. Not only do they have Shaq and Kobe healthy but I think they're getting used to Jackson's coaching.
Not gonna blast the Admin, but Clutch...keep the faith buddy. We can beat the Lakers. Portland pulled out a win over them just 2 nights ago. We beat Portland just a few nights ago and almost beat them the on Nov. 26th. The Lakers are the almost the same team we saw in November(Kobe was out)...the Rockets are not. Sorry, maybe I am in the minority, but I think we stand a good chance of beating the Lakers. ------------------ The key for the Rockets is a winning attitude and mentality which can only be had by winning basketball games. [This message has been edited by RocketsPimp (edited January 23, 2000).]
"The Lakers are the exact same team we saw in November...the Rockets are not." How can the Lakers be the "exact same team we saw in November" if they did not have Kobe Bryant then nor did they have Shaquille O'Neal? Both are MVP candidates. I'm on the Rockets' side here ... lets just be realistic. The Lakers are not the same team we saw before. I should clarify this: I'm not saying the Rockets can't beat the Lakers at all. I'm saying we shouldn't expect them to beat this Lakers squad "because we beat them before"
As much as Im loving seeing the Rox in the win column, I wouldn't bet anything more than a 5 spot on them beating the Lakers. With that being said. Ive always thought the Rox matched up well with the Heat. Never fully understood how they kept losing to them. And with that, Ill be cheering for a win over the Wolves who are playing inspired ball. I believe they have won something like 14 of 17 and have a 5 game road winning streak. KG has never really gone nuts on the Rox, it was always Maurbury. So a win isn't out of the question. But can't wait for the National game on NBC. Dont be surprised if you see alot of Kobe guarding Francis. With Harper sliding over to guard Anderson. Harper can handle Andersons game, but Steve may be too much for him. But a Steve-Kobe national game has all the seasoning. If Steve can play to the level of Kobe, Hakeem and Cato can at least come close to shaq. I don't think Rice will be a huge problem, if Williams can just produce about 12-15 pts. Anderson is the key. If he can have a good-great game, the Rox can steal one.
I know, Clutch, I read that after I submitted it and went back to correct it. I hoped I could fix it before anyone got to it. Kobe an MVP canidate? Maybe on the LONG list. There are too many other players on other teams directly carrying their teams for him to be the winner. Just my opinion. I always expect the Rockets to win. I honestly feel they can go out and win on any given night...even during their rough stretches this season, I belived they would win and many times they came awfully close. "I'm not saying the Rockets can't beat the Lakers at all. I'm saying we shouldn't expect them to beat this Lakers squad "because we beat them before"" OK, that's like saying we shouldn't expect the Yankee's to win the World Series because they have won it the past two years. That's the easy way out. I don't think Rocketman intended to give the perception that he expected them to win. He Just believes they have the capabilities to do so. Just because they have Shaq and Kobe does not mean they will win. The Lakers have had much better fortunes than the Rockets by avoiding serious injuries. They have had more time to gel and won alot of games early, but they have a tough stretch of games coming up. They have lost 3 of their last 5. Don't be suprised if they lose another 4-6 games before the All-Star break. Against the Rockets Shaq WILL get his regardless. If we can get him into foul trouble like the first game before he got tossed, he could be less of a factor. If it is a close game late, I say throw Curly in there to hack-a-Shaq. I think the key matchup will be who guards Kobe and who guards Rice. If I were Rudy, I'd put Shandon on Kobe and possibly Williams on Rice. The reason being Anderson is arguably the best defender on this team. We all know Williams isn't a great defender, but neither is Rice and they might(I hate using this term) cancel each other out. Other than those two, who do the Lakers have? They do not have a PF of any sorts. The Rockets have a multitude of PF's that could be a factor. All I am saying, Clutch, is I belive the Rockets can beat the Lakers. I'm not going to be so bold and say they WILL, but I think they have have a great chance to do so. ------------------ The key for the Rockets is a winning attitude and mentality which can only be had by winning basketball games.
"OK, that's like saying we shouldn't expect the Yankee's to win the World Series because they have won it the past two years. That's the easy way out." I have absolutely no clue what you're saying here. I'm guessing it's an attempt at a slam but I'm not sure. But do try inserting the 1997 Florida Marlins into your argument. Take out Alou, Kevin Brown, Bonilla, Sheffield, Hernandez etc. etc. etc. and you think many 1998 teams went around crowing they "beat the World Champions"? Or was it a different team then? That's my only point here -- refuting the claim that because we beat "them" before there is no reason we can't beat "them" again when one big reason might be "them" were without 2 highly regarded players. If you dispute that ... I give up. Not much else I can say. PS. Kobe Bryant is averaging nearly 23 points per game, over 6 boards per game, 4 assists per and over 1.5 steals per. I doubt that list is that long. [This message has been edited by Clutch (edited January 24, 2000).]
