But they can defend. They can put Gobert on Westbrook and it messes up our rhythm. OKC is our best matchup.
Did y’all forget the Jazz eliminated Westbrick in 2018 and how badly Harden struggled against them in the last 2 years we played them? I don’t expect us to lose to them but it’s anything but a cakewalk. Nothing is ever really easy when it comes to the Rockets and the playoffs (well except for Minnesota). Stay humble my friends.
nobody is scared of utah and in fact all the top seeds are looking for that matchup. There's nothing scary about a Utah team who dearly misses their 2nd leading scorer. Utah is just buying time to find a way to get the preferred matchup they want and it ain't houston for the 3rd time in a row to get eliminated 4-1
A dark comedy, to be sure. Let's hope that the Rockets make the most of this mashup that is the ending of the "regular season," and the resulting playoffs. Whoever wins the title will have an asterisk forever attached to the trophy. I couldn't care less. The title, if we manage to win it, would have me over the moon, and I wouldn't need SpaceX to make the trip.
All I’m saying is nobody was scared of Portland in 2014 and definitely nobody was scared of a Kawhi-less Spurs in 2017. What is scary is Westbrick’s recent playoff history the last 3 years. I can see the Jazz not wanting to play us but it’s far from signed, sealed and delivered if we do play them. If you want to blow off the Jazz and Westbrick’s playoff woes that’s your prerogative and I’m not gonna stop you but I’m proceeding with caution and I hope our guys do as well. I will not trust Russ in the playoffs until I can and even then I still won’t. https://www.sbnation.com/platform/a...westbrook-damian-lillard-thunder-nba-playoffs
We killed utah the last time they tried to put Gobert on westbrook. I don't see how anyone can think okc is better matchup for us with all their quick guards good shooting. The jazz don't have as many skilled players especially with bogdanovic out. Gobert basically IS their entire defense and it isn't what it used to be. OKC just has great balance on both sides of the ball. Nothing is all about one guy. Plus there is the extra pressure to win because of the trade and revenge factor. I think any tteam in this bubble will be tough but utah makes the most sense and gives us the best chance to advance.
Utah is 13th in defensive rating and their second leading scorer is injured. OKC is 8th in defensive rating and completely healthy. Our record against Utah this season is 2-1 and we score 120ppg on average against them. Our record against OKC this season is 1-2 and we score 105ppg on average against them.
I’d like Utah /lakers/ plus random team not named clippers that make it to the conference finals... One can hope
The two games we played against the Jazz Since we went small we averaged 115 pts and Westbrook scored 39 and 34 on Gobert. They can put him on Westbrook if they want but it wasn’t effective. shoulda been 2-0 but bogdanvic who is now injured hit a miracle three to win. Also Utah loses their best asset which is home court advantage in the bubble. No one is scared of them.
Yes, because Gobert can actually cover Westbrook, right? Where do you get this **** from? I look forward to watching Gobert try to cover the perimeter during the few minutes he's on the court before they're forced to pull him.
Maybe it's just me but if your team is playing games to lose and to avoid certain teams in the playoffs, you're not going to win the championship. Denver did it last year when they tanked to avoid Houston and they barely made it out alive against an old San Antonio team in the 1st Round. Then they got beaten by Portland in 7 who, by the way, got seeded higher than Houston because Denver threw a late season game. Like if your coach is presenting to with this strategy rather than trusting in his team to just play and win against anyone, you've already lost the war.
