Portland is SCARY

Crisco- I hope you are right, just doesn't seem very likely. You may see a huge game from our Big 3, but until others step up it won't matter.
Portland may be the deepest team in years, and injuries aren't a factor unless 3 or more players are out.
At this point I would be happy to see at least Dream & Chuck have huge games and hope Pip has another games like he has been having (6 points or so). Also I would also like to see Augmon get pushed around a little as well.
It could be a turning point, but the way both teams are playing, I don't think so. God, I hope I am wrong.

 

Teams that win 60 games don't always win championships.

I just want to know what will the Blazers do, when at crunchtime, they need a key bucket against a halfcourt team. Whos the go to guy? Smith? Yeah, ok. I gotta see it to believe it. Every championship team has to have a go to guy and they don't have one. You saw what Utah did to them when the game was close. The Blazers were chunking bricks while the Jazz ran that tiring pick and roll to perfection.

I would hold off on the trophy engraving for a while longer.

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Live Rocketball. Breathe Rocketball. Die with Rocketball.

 

Hey, c'mon now. Our team is pretty scary too. I'm getting scared already, thinking about the Dallas game.

 

If we don't beat Dallas at home, then I am cancelling Thanksgiving!!!!!! We might as well forfeit the game against Portland because they are going to beat us to a bloody pulp. They will laugh at our embarrassing inconsistency. Plus, we get to listen to another PipSqueak interview about how horrible the Rockets are. Thanks but no thanks, Quitten CrackWhore. We better come to play this weak or this will be the worst Thanksgiving I can remember in a long time.

Surfguy

 

I'm sorry to say it but we won't beat Dallas this year unless we make some trades. They simply have us solved. They are a much better fast breaking team. They have Hakeem bottled up by a 7-6 giant. Finley destroys us, no matter who guards him. Cedric Ceballos is a Rocket killer from Hell, and Pack is almost as bad. They are young, they are athletic, they are tall, and they are deep. Again they are better breakers, and again they bottle up our big men. Their guards ain't bad either. What's worse is they are dangerous because everybody is fighting hard to start and the line-up is never really set.

 

The one REAL interesting aspect of this game is not Pippen vs. Charles, but Cato and Rogers (and Williams to a lesser degree) wanting to show the Blazers that they deserved more minutes than they were getting in Portland.

That said, it doesn't look good for the good guys.

 

Just like nobody deserved to beat us in 94-95
we don't deserve to beat a great organization like Portland they stuck it to us so hard with the Pippen trade and Rudy and co. were to stupid to see that it was a joke, Portland did nothing wrong we should be more mad at ourselves. The three players I liked in the trade were Cato, Carlos, and Augman and it seems like these are the only ones we aint playing.


We didnt even get a draft pick for Pippen that really burns me.

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"We need to fockass".....Dream back in the day

 

PF Barkley vs. Wallace: Matchup from hell. We all saw what an athletic big man like CWebb did to Barkley. If we take this talent for talent, Rasheed should destroy Barkley, but I will give the advantage to Barkley for this game. Playing against Pippen should get him motivated. I am predicting, and I am serious, 18 and 24 from Charles on Friday night.

SF Williams vs. Pippen: Walt Williams is a joke. 'Nuff said. Pippen will destroy him in attempts to shove it back at his old team. Pippen will have a solid line of 23 points, 12 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals (all off of Walt Williams weak attempts to drive), and 1 clean block off of a Steve Francis breakaway dunk which will get the crowd roaring. Sorry guys, but the bad guy will win this time, and Pip will be THE SHOW on Friday.

C Hakeem vs. Sabonis: Dream always has trouble with 'Vydas. I am looking for a 12 and 6 night from Dream. Arvydas hardly plays anyways.

SG Shandon vs. Smith: Steve Smith for 21 points. Shandon will stand around at the 3 point line, and won't be able to get into the flow of things all night.

PG Francis vs. Stoudamire: Hell yea. Francis will really stick it to Stoudamire, here. 25 and 10 for Stevie while holding that little bug to 4 points off 1-9 shooting.

Coaching: Rudy vs. Dunleavy: Judging from the last few games, Rudy will make all the wrong substitutions at the wrong times. Look for Bryce Drew on Steve Smith during stretches in the game. A little Matt Bullard on Wallace doesn't help matters either.

Final: Portland - 120; Houston - 95. The Rockets will be in the game until late, when Portland turns the defensive intensity up. The Rockets will react by dumping the ball back into the post and substituting Bryce Drew for Steve Francis. All hell will break loose at this time.

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"Museum officials outside of Houston have reported an ancient artifact identified as "Rudy's Postup Plays - 1994" stolen, as of November 2, 1999...officials urge residents to contact...

 

Give CB a break, CB destroyed Webber in the first game vs the kings. CB always destroy Brina Grant and Wallace too.

 

What are you talking about, "give CB a break"? I gave him the advantage, didn't I?

 

Nah, portland is easy to beat.

Let Pippen take outside shots, let Hakeem beat the old and tired Sabonis, let CB own Brian Grant and Wallace as usual, let Stoudamire shoots as many as he wants to. Be sure to put Rogers in the face of Shrempf, and if either Cato or Tmass have a good game we will easily win, one more thing if you want a guarateed win activate Tbone Ham, play him 35 minutes, he will register 30 points, 20 rebounds, 5 blocks and 2 steals , eventually single handedly destroy the Jailblazers.

As to Steve Smith, just keep mentioning Allan Houston and Sprewell's names to him, he will then throw up bricks like he did in the last playoffs vs the Knicks, 27 FG%, no kidding.

Man the Rockets should hire me and fire Rudy.

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Coors lite tastes better than Miller lite........

zzzzzZZZZZZZZZZ

 

LOL..Thats a good one FINALFANTASY. Before the game Rudy should get all the players in a huddle and tell them that this is CLUTCHCITY and we all have the hearts of champions and that its time to become WORLD BEATERS..(tell Rudy to look Charles in the eyes while giving this speech and utter every word without laughing)

All kidding aside..Porland reminds me of Seattle a couple of years ago except Wallace can take the last shot and make it. Though I hate to say it, they're my pick to win it all.

[This message has been edited by Rocket101 (edited November 23, 1999).]

 

It's gonna be interesting game all the way around. Gonna tell us alot about the heart & soul of the Rockets...cuz if they can't get up and I'm mean really up for this one, then they deserve to be in the lottery. But it can be the straw that breaks Rudy's back or the bus ticket out for some folks ie.(Williams, Drew,....???). I guarantee Les is going to be watching this one real closely. Personally, I hope like h*ll they do pull it out, but my faith is wavering these days.

 

why can't karl malone have a shining moment in which he gives scottie's sarah jessica parker looking face a big elbow? he's pals w/ charles right? hell, i'm just a fan and i want to give him an elbow... scottie is evil... he's a 4 year old tagalong w/ long arms. tmass please be the enforcer on this team.

too bad that tbone is on the ir... (he seems too nice anyway) that's a charge i would like to see scottie take...

 

Ive casually watched the Blazer 3 times this year hoping to fall in love with the "The don't have the clutch player to hit the shoots" routine.

Let me say that all biases aside, that Portland team has a legit shot at breaking the Bulls 72 win mark.

They play a stiffling D

Their Offensive flow is a wonderful.

And no longer can the excuse be made that the Blazers don't have guys to continuously make shots. I watched Wallace not only dominate on the inside, but when he wasn't in a Post up position, he was DRAINING 17 footers. Smith was posting up every guard short of the 6'5 mark with great success, and Shrimpy was doing his thing.

The worst thing was seeing Pippen, all over the court on D. It very much reminded me of his performances against the Jazz, where he was basically a free safety. On O, he was setting mad picks, rolling off of them, and creating dunk opportunities. Watching him smile it up for 3 games made me want to puke.

I am not afraid to admit that the Blazers team plays like I wish the Rox would. Not to say that the Blazers are my favorites, but their O has sooooo much fluidity it was uncanny. And their D is just impressive.

If the Rox want to really know where they stand. Every body put up their absolute best effort, and see what the outcome is. This is the biggest test the Rox will face all year. Mentally at least.

 

I hate to have to agree with you TDS99, but wow the Trailpissers are an explosive team. Their D is sufficating and the bench never ends. I will say this "if" a team plays them close enough for the Trailpissers to need a clutch shot they have plenty of players who can get the ball and create. Wallace is clutch, and so is Smith and Shrempf, us Rockets fans should know that he always kills us. I really think in some ways we can match up with them, but we simply are not playing as a team like the Trailpissers are. They don't have breakdowns, and they dont make mental mistakes. Trust me I am far from a Pissers fan, but I wish the Rockets would get a little more on their level. Just my opinion

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Stevie Wonder says "they call him FRANCHISE because his dunks are for sale at an arena near you."

 

Larry Brown was very impressed after his team lost to the Blazers, both on D and O, and he said they are playing like a team.

 

The sky is the limit for that Blazers team. The only thing that can beat them is themselves. Watch for Brian Grant's return. It will push Rasheed Wallace back to the bench, cutting both his and Scottie Pippen's minutes in half. If they can survive their own ego's, the championship is their's for the taking.

[Though for some reason, something tells me that the Lakers are a better team...]

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"Museum officials outside of Houston have reported an ancient artifact identified as "Rudy's Postup Plays - 1994" stolen, as of November 2, 1999...officials urge residents to contact...