Its like there are two games. One is the fantasy marketing "my superstars are cooler than your superstars" game, the other is basketball. Clearly the Heat win the former. But who really cares about that part of it unless you are still a teenager? The part thats fun to watch is the basketball, and I'm looking forward to watching both the Heat and Rockets. I think we'll beat the Heat easily if we are healthy. Just my feeling.
i'm not gonna hate on riles, he's just along for the ride and enjoying it. that team had a lot of hands in its creation i have no doubt. from advertisers to networks to vegas to stern himself.
I agree with most of Riley says. But the way LeBron made a jerk of himself on TV still makes me want the Heat to fail. But the completely ridiculous and stupid comments by Barkley, SVG and members here has almost forced me to go the other way and pull for the Heat. Some of the dislike people have for LeBron is understandable. But those of you who refuse to acknowledge how great a player he is are just juvenile. Same for those who resent Bosh because he didn't want to come here. Go Heat and disappoint the haters.
I don't know about that one. Will Yao be healthly? WILL HE? That is the main question. But right now the LAKERS are the team to beat. Agree or not, they've won the last 2 championships....
Orlando paid Rashard like he's a great one. I suppose they wouldn't have offered that same money to an actual great one, because those guys are supposed to stick to one team? Riles was right. That was a stupid thing for Otis Smith to say.
With the rosters as they are today, there is no way in hell the Rockets are winning a championship. I love the team as much as anyone else here, but I'm just being realistic. To claim that we have the same shot at a championship as LA, Boston, Miami, or Orlando is just ridiculous.
I'm not going to root for the Miami Heat because I'm a Houston Rockets fan. Sure trading entire rosters at once would be extreme. But on the other hand, roster turnover is quite common. There's only a few players on this Rockets team who were here just a few years ago anyway. Ultimately, I root for the Rockets until they are out. Once that happens, I start rooting for the teams that are playing the teams I hate the most (LA, Utah).
The Lakers chances against Miami heavily rest on Bynum's knee, he's their best mismatch and will probably go 20/10 in a series against the crap at centre Miami have, plus Odom is needed to lead their 2nd unit in what will also likely be an advantage.
Morey is our GM and folks wouldn't trade our roster for one that includes 3 studs in their prime, with the best one being 25? If I trust Morey to do anything, it's find cheap quality talent. Letting him start with those 3 just wouldn't be fair.*
We're comparable to Orlando, rosters unchanged, the other 3 (I'm assuming KG's knee improves as expected) will likely be whose center the 2011 banner is added too. Of the tier 2 teams, who are probably 1 roster addition from being comparable to the tier 1's, we're up there with Orlando, Dallas, Chicago (Denver technically too), but unlike them we don't really have any white elephant contracts. That being said, Orlando though they have Rashard, that Vince Carter expiring is decent (although the new CBA with the guaranteed 4m makes it not quite Tracy gold).
I'm not quite ready to put a team that's won only a single playoff series in the last 13 years and is heavily dependent on a franchise player who is never healthy in the same class as a team that's played in the Eastern conference Finals two years in a row (winning once).
I'm not really talking about past performances, rosters change, and the magic's finals appearance was predicated on being an unworthy opponent in a weak conference (like cleveland in 07), as its been except the celtics for a while now (they would have probably lost to any of the wc semi finalists). When they lose, they really don't put much of a contest.
