Did you not watch those playoffs? Drexler went head-to-head with Penny, and just smoked him. It wasn't close. And Bobby Horry had the series of his life, drained a bunch of 3s, hit the boards, and set a finals record with 7 assists in 1 game. The Rockets across the board showed up in that series, or at least the 6 man rotation used by Rudy T. Only the starters and Sam got any significant minutes in the sweep.
Were you not talking about 95 when the Rockets played the Magic? The 2nd title (Orlando sweep) WAS the 95 season. Drexler was on the team, he also was an all-star in 94, 96, 97 and 3rd team all NBA in 95. He was still a star player and he was an MVP (if they awarded such) of the Utah series, Hakeem goes out in the 1st round if Clyde doesn't carry us for that stretch. Also, Cassell was in his 2nd year. Horry was better in 93-95 (probably 3rd best Rocket) than the less athletic version of him for 99-03 with the Lakers (probably the 3rd best Laker). So if you argue he wasn't much if a player for the Rockets and Hakeem, you have to argue he was even "less" of a player for Shaq and the Lakers. Hakeem was better than Shaq in 95, and Penny was obviously better than Kenny, but the Rockets also won or were even with all other match-ups (Drexler >> Nick, Elie > Scott, Horry = Grant) and had Cassell off the bench. That Rocket team was humming by the finals, it wasn't just Hakeem.
Sure I did, that just tells you how much better Dream is compared with Shaq, and how much better Rudy T is compared with Hill, the Orlando coach. Rudy T is a coach who will maximize a player's potential if that player plays the right way.
Humming is true. But nearly all experts picked Magic to win. Why? Because talent wise, Magic was better. The coaching of the Magic was overmatched by Rudy T's staff. No wonder Hill hasn't got much a good job afterwards. With Magic's talent, even if the chemistry is not right, they should not get sweeped.
If Nick Anderson didn't pull a Shaq at the free throw line, then there isn't a sweep and no telling how that would have boosted the team's confidence and we might even have lost that series. I'm glad that the Rockets won, but I know we got lucky too.
A major difference not often mentioned in that series was the wing and forward play. Horry, Elie, and Drexler smoked Grant, Scott and Nick. They were draining 3s on offense, and smoothing the Orlando shooters (did the same thing versus the Rifleman and Co with the Spurs). The Rockets defense was vastly superior to Orlando's and why we won. Further, by all acounts we should have lost game 1 and easily game 3, we were going to win the series anyway, but it wasn't the typical overmatch most think in a "sweep" (e.g., total domination like Miami over the Nets or Wiz this year or like the Lakers over the Nets in 01). It was the kind of sweep like SA over the Lakers in 99--really far more even teams where the immediately following two years with a good coach (Phil Jackson) and the accumulation of better fitting role players (Rice/Grant/Horry/Fox) the outcome was entirely different (4-0 to 1-8).
Was it really the matchups? We lost to them at Orlando in the regular season for a long time after those Finals.
speaking of dominating sweeps and the spurs and lakers, just where does the lakers sweep of the spurs in '01 in their 15-1 run to the title rank. i mean the spurs were in the middle of their current "always a contender" phase and the lakers just obliterated them. kobe just ripped the spurs apart and made them his b**** all series and the lakers won the last two games by 29 and 39. san antonio was just begging for it to stop by the end. that's like the hakeem/drob of sweeps in terms of both teams being good and one just completely slaughtering the other. i hated the lakers, but since i hate the spurs also, it's fun to think about.
That may have been the year Derek Anderson was hurt, can't remember. He was SA's best perimeter player by far that year.
don't ruin these happy thoughts for me. and since derek anderson always seems to be injured, i'm gonna say it doesn't count.
1) I think this needs to be posted at LakersGround.net. Last time I checked out that board, they still thought Bryant was the best player in the league, even after no playoffs was assured this year. I heard the Sports Reporters all say last week that Wade was THE BEST player in the NBA right now last week. Amazing. 2) I think we can also talk about the Duncan Effect. The Duncan Effect is why everyone thinks the Spurs are the model by which all organizations in the NBA should be run. The Duncan Effect is why Malik Rose can be signed to Cato money, Nesterovic can be signed to Cato money, both of them put up Cato numbers or less, and people still call the Spur brass 'shrewd'. The Duncan effect is why guys like Parker and Ginobili can sign multi-year deals for 11 mil and 9 mil a year. These are both 'smart players' who 'know their limitations', 'play team ball' and 'don't make mistakes'. Those kind of guys aren't worth 10 mil a year unless they have a Tim Duncan on their team.
Freak, I with you all the way here. TD has made lots of guys look much better than they are. Tony Parker has to be the most overrated player in the league. The only thing defensable in his contract is that he is 23--so he still could get a lot better than he is. In my morning paper they are talking about a match-up of one of the two best PGs in the league "Nash-Paper". Hello, Parker is barely top 10 and not close to top 5, how can he be on of the best in the league? The paper also says in his last big time match-up he smoked "Kidd". Completely revisionist, do they not remember he was benched for Kerr and Claxton for most fo the key moments in the series. Further, a couple series before, versus Marbury, he was embarrassad on both ends as bad as any playoff point guard I can remember--right up there with Stockton-Maloney. Now Manu I don't think he is that overrated. I hate the international soccer type flopping and walks he is allowed (same with Parker there), but he is a very fine all around player for them. But let us think about other moves the "great" Spurs front office could have done with all their cap room they burned on Rasha and Rose and some of their own free agents (Rose, Manu). With all the talk about them going after Kidd and J Oneal in 03 and settling for Rasha--they could have had the best young FA of that year, Gilbert Arenas. Not only the same age as Parker, but 3x the game--him on the outside and Duncan on the inside would have been disaster for the rest of the league. Could have had him than much less money than Kidd, and even less than what they paid to extend Parker. Last year they also could have had Damon Jones (FA 04) for a lot less than Barry. He is much younger and had a much better season, would have been the perfect knock down 3 shooter for them this year and years to come. Last year they probably could have picked up Q Rich as well. Potentially they could have had Rip Hamilton (FA 03 like Arenas). Instead of Rasha or Horry they could had Deke in 03 (Their defense would have been suffocating and they probably could have done an Horry type deal that does nto tie up long term money). How about Larry Hughes, Rashard Lewis, Harpring, or Donyell Marshall over Rose in 02. Overall, the Spurs front office was lucky enough to tank the right year and get Duncan, and had a good Euro draft staff before the league catch up. They are not some kind of light years ahead of the rest (consider Detriot and the Suns) cracker jack staff.
That was the year indeed. If DA played, perhaps the Spurs would have lost by 22 ppg instead of 30 ppg. DA is not an all-star, not known for his defense, and wasn't even a top 50 player in the NBA. He was in the Cuttino Mobley tier of average 2 guards. The main thing I remember about that series is how Horry was just completely shutting down Tim Duncan and Shaq and Kobe were just getting dunk after dunk. Fisher also shot an insane % from the arc in that series. I've never, ever seen a series where one team just destroyed the other like that one. It was like watching the games of Dream Team I when they were just toying with people. Pure and complete domination. LA probably could have swept them if SA was allowed a 6th guy on the court. Then SA went and got Bruce Bowen and Ginobili who helped make the matchups much more competitive.
Very impressive by Wade. More game to be played, but I didn't think any guard could break down the Pistons like that--guys like Tmac, Kobe, Nash, AI included. He just may be the best guard in the league. Offensive and defensive stamp all over the world champions. Not saying defintively he is the best yet, but it at least has to be considered. Miami w/o Shaq close to his best is not a very talented team outside of Wade, and the man is winning lots of playoff games.
Well, Kobe had a very impressive game two last season and then followed that up with 3 straight stinkers. I don't think that's Wade's fate though, because of the fact that the Heat are doing so much to help him out. From setting pick after pick to allowing him to control the ball more than they normally do, great game though, rinse and repeat.
why did it seem like prince didn't guard him all that much tonight (and especially in the first half)? i wasn't completely paying attention but after the start and then a few possessions mixed in here and there it seemed like prince wasn't his primary defender. when he was put back on him late there wade threw up an airball. detroit let wade get way to loose tonight even with all the picks and billups committed about 7 too many turnovers in the first half.
Cabbage is my vote for best poster ever on this board, seriously. Since as long as I can remember he comes up with original, well-thought-out posts, does not overpost, is clear writer, a presents solid, logic-based observations of this sport. This is another great one, and I swear I am going to plagarize it and call it my own around non CF.net crowd. Not that I have a CF.net crowd in the first place, but you get the idea. CBFC's awesome Shaq Effect theory. Thanks, Cab.
Pretty obvious now whom the Heat would pick if they had to choose between missing Shaq and missing Wade.
But, Easy, Shaq is the MDE! Whatever. Kobe missed a game against Indiana that game was also a lost, although Shaq really was the most dominating player back at that particular time.
