Around the NBA - Conference Finals

That's not fair KS....I've watched all these teams all year...I can still project from even watching the playoffs sparingly and reading the recaps of games I don't watch....I'm no basketball expert but I am an armchair critic of some teams

 

I think rivalries are great....these playoffs aren't as great as many in the past in my view.

 

I am tired of the Warriors....

 

Warriors/Warriors is the greatest sports rivalry of the millennium. Let's enjoy it while it lasts.

 

Choke Harden strikes again! Fools gold MVP

 

That's a hot take if I've ever seen one, not sure it's a good one though. You are talking about a guy that put up historic numbers for a few years now. Not his fault he's playing in a league where Durant decided to play the game on rookie mode...

Any ways, I'm used to the hate. I've learned when your team is irrelevant people always love those players. All opposing fans loved the hard scrapping Lowry led Rockets, people hate these Rockets because they are actually good, great even. They took one of the most talented teams in NBA history to 7 games and just ran out of gas and probably win the series if CP3 doesn't pull his hammy. Harden played his heart out, did all he could do. How anyone can look at this series and say he failed his team is pretty puzzling to me. The guy is guilty for missing shots I guess and not beating a team with 2 MVP players, a DPOY, and another all-star just in case...not even counting Iguodala who was an all-star player, older, but still capable of having flashes...

Other than Lebron or Durant, I'm taking Harden over anyone else...I guess maybe Kawhi too but he's being a whiny baby right now...everyone else...Davis, Giannis, KAT, Westbrook, Dame whoever, haven't accomplished what Harden has, that's just simply a fact. Not a knock on those guys but Harden has had an extremely accomplished career and literally all he's missing is a championship. Not special at all...

 

Maybe enjoy it yourself and don't act like others have to enjoy it or else you'll throw a fit?

 

Harden is consistently awful in the playoffs. The team was winning despite his awfulness in this series. 0-11 from three in a playoff game from an MVP candidate? He needed to lead his team in Game 7 and he couldn't do it. Could barely get off shots when they needed him to hit shots. He's not good. Whether or not Houston would've won with CP3, we'll never know. Yes they won two in a row but they lost by 41 with CP3 too. Look, Superbeard. I was rooting for the Rockets tonight. He let me down big time. He didn't play well. In the biggest game of the year. Just like Game 6 last year vs Spurs. He simply isn't a big time player in big time games. Never has been. It's why OKC wouldn't pay him max deal. He wasn't worth it. He's a quality 6th man. Nothing more.

 

Maybe you should stop acting like only REAL FANS shouldn't enjoy the NBA Finals.

 

I watched every playoff game this postseason. Thank the lord for the DVR. This should be a fun finals. Just hope the Cavs supporting cast shows up. Curious when the last time a #4 seed made the finals......especially being the lower seed in the first 3 rounds?
Amazing the LeBron has carried this team once again. Glad my kids are old enough to say they were able to watch him play.

 

Lmao. Why through a fit and freak out because I said "real fans lose"?

 

Read your post directed to the NBA. That is a fit and freakout that will never be topped in these parts. When you're getting excited about or bitching about the Blazers next season, I'll remind you what you think about the NBA.

 

Nope. That is an opinion of the state of the NBA. You think that's a freakout? That makes me wonder what would happen if you ran into someone like yourself.

 

He's not consistently awful? Everyone always looks at his FG% when it's a poor stat for a player that gets to the line as much as he does and a player that only shoots 3s and layups. Therefore most of his shots are 3s, layups, or FTs. Harden continues to have great games in the playoffs, but people are putting him on some Jordan/Lebron standard where he needs to have great games in the playoffs every single game. Very very few players are capable of this. The reason Harden dominates the regular season is the reason many star players do...because the Hawks are coming to town or the Knicks or coming to town so time to get a 50 point triple double and have a little fun. In the playoffs, no such thing as that. In the playoffs Harden has to get past the likes of Butler every trip down, has to score on Gobert, then play against the best defensive team in the NBA. No wonder he has bad playoff games then.

Harden created enough open shots for his teammates, if they hit 3...three of those open shots...the Rockets win this game. Hell, if the refs called 3 obvious shooting fouls for Harden, they probably win this game. I'm not blaming the role players for not hitting shots, I'm going to blame MDA for running his 7 man rotations and completely destroying Ryan Anderson's confidence before I put any blame on Ariza, Tucker, Gerald Green, or any of the others for missing open shots. They balled out, they probably had dead legs, every player on the Rockets gave their most. I think the Rockets paid for their short rotation tonight

This is nothing like Game 6 last year. Nothing at all. Game 6 last year Harden didn't even shoot the ball. I mean you go too far saying Harden is not a good player. Harden was gritty this series, grinded, he missed shots but those are his shots man. You don't tell a superstar player to stop taking his signature shot. In the end, Harden has to hit his shots for his team to have a chance while Durant can sit back and watch Curry take over. Harden didn't have that anymore, although props to Gordon for stepping up like he did, he was really bad previous series and woke right up for this one. Problem is Gordon can't create for anyone but himself.

CP3 is huge for Harden the same way that Kyrie was huge for Lebron or why Durant ran to GSW (Actually, Durant's just a chump, he had enough talent in OKC), CP3 allows Harden to not carry his team so much. The entire offense runs through Harden, the entire offense. Just like any MDA offense it is entirely dependent on its Point guards. In MDA's offense it is practically impossible for the team to succeed without Harden or CP3, they create everything.

If the rockets hit 3-5 more 3s, they win the game tonight, if Ariza hit 3 threes, Gerald Green 1, Tucker 1 more, the Rockets win. So blaming this lost on Harden is puzzling to me. I put the blame on MDA for his 7 man rotations. At one point he put in Joe Johnson, Rockets go on a 7-1 run...then he suddenly takes out JJ to put Harden back in after giving him like 2 mins of rest. Why do that? Just let the bench unit make their run, get the man all the rest he can get. He has to learn to trust more of his players and you can't just throw them in game 7 and expect them to flick a switch and give you big minutes like that.

Even then I blame Durant for ruining the parity of the NBA by running to a team he choked against. I'm still keeping MDA as a coach. The only solace I have is knowing that Durant did this because he wants to be considered better than Lebron and thinks if he wins more rings than him he'll get that, but I don't think anyone is fooled. Rockets did all they could do, CP3 going down was huge already going up against that stupidly stacked team. He settles the team down and prevents a lot of those GSW spurts just by his pace and controlling the game. Harden doesn't do that, no fault of his own, every player has flaws, even superstar players. That's why you need good complimentary players around them, the right ones fit for that particular star. Harden's flaws are mainly that he gets tired at a certain point. This usually affects his shooting and defense. Although his defense outside of like 2 games were pretty stellar actually.

Any ways, I've ranted long enough. I don't even care who wins the finals at this point. It hurts to be so close and to lose like that but I didn't expect to beat this team. But I think Harden and CP3 can get one with a few more moves and getting MDA more players he can apparently trust to play in the playoffs.

 

I swear he travels on that fucking step back every time!!

 

It would have been enough for Rockets to shoot 12-44 from three, which would have still been terrible, rather than 7-44. It really feels like a massive lost opportunity for them, Warriors didn’t even play well.

 

The Rockets died by the 3.