We'll see who takes them this time. 1 guy is from dallas so we are already down one in the respect department. edit: dah. yea ur right. I was wanting to watch pti when i turned espn on. thanks
Paige: SELL. Mavs steal in houston becuase Yao soft. Mariotti: BUY. Mcgrady unstoppable. Bench great. Blackistone: SELL. Nowitski will not play that bad again. close in 5 games. Plaschke: SELL. Mavs plays defense.
Marrioti buys: "McGrady is unstoppable! Their bench was better." Woody Paige: Sell. "Mavs gonna steal one in Houston 'cuz Yao is too soft." Plaschke: Sell. "Mavs play defense!" Blackistone: Sell. "Dirk is Christ, these guys will roast the Rockets!" Edit: Damn you, Brando!
Question: Buy or Sell. Will Rox beat Mavs? Paige - Sell (Yao is soft) Mariotti - Buy (Rox have good bench) Blackistone - Sell (Dirk will get better, Mavs win in 5) Plashke - Sell (Mavs play defense) peleincubus called it right...
tonight will be very very interesting. you know at least a few of the rockets were watching that and will relay the message.
You guys actually think the pundits on ATH are worth listening to? I'd rather take a random person off the street's opinion than these bozos... who still have loyalty to their local team. Blackistone's denial is just awesome....
Idiot Blackistone said the Mavs will win by 10 tonight then finish the Rockets off in 5 games... (meaning he thinks the Rox will get swept from now on..) Idiot Paige went on and on for about 20 seconds talking about soft Yao is--but he's hated Yao since before he got drafted so not a shock Plaschke picks Mavs because they play defense now... Jay Mariotti picked the Rox though....
Woody Paige has to be the most worthless piece of trash leeching off of ESPN's payroll. I'd rather listen to Ford than this guy's absolute garbage. Evan
If Blackistone thinks the Mavs will win in 5 he needs to put down the crackpipe. Rockets in 4 baby!!!!!!!!!!
easy counters to these guys' arguments: Blackistone: I really don't have to make an argument against this guy. The least he could have done was give the rockets a modicum of respect and say that the mavs win in 6 or 7 at home. Plaschke: Their defense was torched by us, and they looked completely lost all game long. Woody: If Yao is soft, what exactly does that make Dirk? Mutombo picks up any of Yao's slack anyway. Mariotti: only guy who seems to know what he is talking about, today at least.
Not really, but I'm bored and hyped about the playoffs. Around the Horn is pretty high up there on the list of TV's most worthless shows, right alongside SportsCenter.
i dont watch these shows (cold pizza, around the horn, pti) that often, but it seems like the people always have to disagree with each other. instead of having a discussion sometime they seem to promote arguing constantly. i suppose its kind of the same as crossfire or some other political show also.
Why is everyone so upset? I want the media piling on the Rockets. The more bulletin board material, the better.
The great thing about the internet is that it has shown us what sportswriters are: random guys with opinions, no different from the rest of us. save for the not small johnsons -- it's the shrinkage.
It's funny that everyone is so enamoured of the Mavs' defense. I get the sense this is a relative thing. They were just not good previously so any improvement is a big deal for them. By the numbers, they were well below the best defensive teams in the league, which include Houston, San Antonio and Detroit among others. Dallas ranked 14th in points allowed and 8th in opponent field goal percentage which is respectable, but not that high when you consider the fact that they were middle of the pack in defensive rebounding. The Rockets ranked in the TOP 3 in all three categories including defensive rebounding. All that has really happened is that AJ has pushed his players to take personal responsibility for their defensive assignments. He wants them to D up and put pressure on the ball. That's fine, but that isn't how great defensive teams are successful. Great defensive teams play solid TEAM defense. The individual, man-on-man defense is not as responsible for shutting down opponents as the strategic double team and primary philosophies of closing the lane and closing out on a shooter. The Rockets - and most of the best defensive teams - rely on three big keys: 1. Always help on defense. Never leave your teammate on an island, particularly on a drive to the basked. 2. Close in and out. Do not allow easy penetration into the lane and do not allow a player to shoot a shot without a hand in his face. Every shot should be contested and every drive should be defened. 3. Know your rotations. This was the primary staple of the Rockets defenses in the early 90's when they were one of the best defensive teams in the league. It is why this team has taken such a leap under JVG in defense and why teams like Dallas often leave players open. It is fine to cover one on one, but, eventually, you have to double and good ball movement means an open shot if your rotations are slow or not well organized. So, they can talk all about Mav defense, but it doesn't currently hold a candle to Houston.
