we might not play the Wolves 1st

gosh......i think bill walton would have a heart attack if it was shaq vs. yao in the first round

 

so would all the TV execs and NBA execs..

it would be like a made for TV movie..

Yao vs. Shaq 4 haha

J

 

Indeed. Heart attack as a result of constant non stopping Yaogasm

 

wolves are our best chance to advance. some days spree and cassell play well, and they are unbeatable. but... those guys are both inconsistent. some days the both score less than 10 points a peice, and the wolves kinda stink because KG, though VERY consistent, can't do it all. Candy Man, once dubbed the second best center in the league... is not good. Wally's not all the way back yet.

I say the odds of us beating Minny is fifty fifty.

Meanwhile, Karl Malone's passing and knowledge of basketball seems to be helping the Lakers. I actually don't think we can beat them anymore.

I say bring on the Spurs. They aren't really that good this year. Duncan's not 100 percent. and their role players aren't as solid as in years past. No more Shawn Elliots or Stephen Jacksons that can score in bunches. Manu is a volume shooter. Hedo is okay. Horry lost a step several years ago and loses another one every year. The only reason it'd be tough to beat the spurs than the Wolves is because they have more experience and know what to do in winning time.

I'd still rather play the kings than the Lakers. We CAN beat them, we've been able to play them close. Brad Miller is off now, Webber isn't really in great shape. I think Yao can do well against that frontcourt, but needs to adjust to divac. Christie and Bibby give our backcourt fits with their speed though.

BTW I almost shed tears of joy watching Kobe and Payton make Bibby their b**** yesterday. I actually wonder if playing a longer defender on him helps shut him down. Maybe the Rockets need to go with Mobley guarding him instead of Francis... not a huge increase, but Mobley is a better defender.

 

It seems that Karla has been more valuable to the Lakers than a lot of people thought. Looks like they're moving around and passing better with him in the lineup. The Rox haven't played the Lakers when Malone is in the lineup, correct? We'll see how they do against them soon. The Kings are in a tailspin and if nobody stops the Lakers they could very well be the top seed. I still say Minny is our best bet if we wanna see the Rox advance this year.

LOL about Bibby, I thought I was the only one that really hated that guy and that dumb dance that he does.

 

The Lakers are just too good.

The Lakers record with all 4 stars is absolutely unbelievable. We have never played the full Lakers, much less a Lakers team who may very well charge into the playoffs having lost not more than 2 or 3 in their last 25.

I just took a close look at the Houston-Minny boxscores, and one good thing is that Francis seems to be able to score consistently against them. On the other hand, Cassell lights him right back up. On the other hand, I'm not sure he can win a matchup vs. Bibby or Parker. He doesn't really get lit up by these guys, but he can't seem to do well against them consistently.

So what do we want, both PG's struggling, or both PG's doin well?

 

It's ok, we'll get our shot at the Lakers in the 2nd round after we kick the sh-t out of the T-wolves in the 1st.

 

that's an interesting take. but it's frustrating that francis can't guard quicker PGs.

for Spurs, I'd rather see both do poorly. Because take away Parker's scoring, where else are they gonna get points from? i mean this argument isn't exactly logical because Parker accounts for less of his teams points than Francis does ours. but it's just a feeling I have.

for Kings, I'm not sure we can win unless both do well. Because if Bibby doesn't score a lot, they still have tons of other options. We need to match their scoring and the only way to do that is if Francis plays well.

 

I think a Laker/Houston series would be awesome and I suspect one that the media would love.

 

I thought JVG has addressed this with the addition of Oakley


--daoshi

 

LOL.... I hope so daoshi

 

I don't think it matters much.

Sac, Minn, LA and SA will be heavy favorites against whomever they play assuming they take the top 4 seeds.

I think those teams will probably all move on, but it terms of dangerous lower seeds, I would say it is Dallas 1, Hou 2, Memphis 3 and 4--whomever takes the 8th seed is a cake walk. Dallas is the worst draw for the top seeds because though they have underperformed as a team they are loaded with weapons and if they get hot they can get unguardable and perhaps beat anyone in a single series--though I don't see them sustaining it and their defense will catch up to them. Houston is a worse match-up than Memphis because the latter does not have Yao to creating match-up advantages in a slow down playoff style game.

Personally, I'd like the Rockets to draw anyone but the Lakers. It is kind of scary that the Lakers have hung with the other seeds in record despite their injuries. The Lakers may break down by late in the playoffs--but I can't see them losing to anyone, including the Rockets, in the 1st series. I think the Rockets could give the Kings, Spers and Wolves a heck of a run.

 

All I know is, I'd be ecstatic if we somehow end up facing both the Lakers and T'wolves in the playoffs. I'm confident the Rockets would beat either team in either the first or second round. Everyone would be stunned if the Rockets made it to the WCF.

 

the only team i don't want to play is the spurs. (kings too i guess) they play our game but better and absolutely shut down our offense. we can beat any other team out there. i'm not saying the chances are all that wonderful but i definitely am not giving up the first round. obviously i'd like to match up with minnesota first.

 

The x factor is Ming....will he dominate at 20+/10+....if he does against Minnesota or the Lakers, then there will be a tight series.... and Game 7 is a likely situation and do not count the home team out. Also, will Francis put up a better %....