<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nitro1118 @ Jan 18 2007, 03:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>AI will pass, sure, but the offense will still be run through him, and even in Denver he runs the offense the same as he did in Philly....iso's and holding the ball a ton. Yes, Andre was slowed, but he ran the break more and with him at points there was a lot more ball movement.That's fine, but you made it seem like you were using that to show why the Nuggets are a better team.</div>Ah he will pass when Melo get's back and he is the PG he of course handles the ball. Who you want handling now Diawara for god sake. He is the PG he will run, and pass they will be playing like the Suns.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Serge @ Jan 18 2007, 09:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Ah he will pass when Melo get's back and he is the PG he of course handles the ball. Who you want handling now Diawara for god sake. He is the PG he will run, and pass they will be playing like the Suns.</div>Melo gets his points off iso's from the wing, not off of ball movement. That will slow the game down even more.I never said AI is a worse choice at PG than Miller, that is not true. They will still score probably just as many PPG, but they will do it mostly in halfcourt rather than running the opponents out of the building. That favors the Rockets as they thrive off slowing the game down and it makes their job easier.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nitro1118 @ Jan 18 2007, 09:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Melo gets his points off iso's from the wing, not off of ball movement. That will slow the game down even more.I never said AI is a worse choice at PG than Miller, that is not true. They will still score probably just as many PPG, but they will do it mostly in halfcourt rather than running the opponents out of the building. That favors the Rockets as they thrive off slowing the game down and it makes their job easier.</div>I think they won't just score just as many I say they will score more.And they can run so if they want they can run a team out of the building.They might not be as good as the Suns offense, but they can be close.I say when Nuggets, and Suns play each other at some point we will see one of the highest socring games.
Nuggets have a better starting lineup then the Rockets, but the Rockets have major height downlow. I think the Nuggets also have a better bench and remember, we don't even have K-Mart yet.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Iverson3 @ Jan 22 2007, 04:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Nuggets have a better starting lineup then the Rockets, but the Rockets have major height downlow. I think the Nuggets also have a better bench and remember, we don't even have K-Mart yet.</div>You say yet like he's gonna play another game for the Nuggets...Soem Nuggets fan you are lol jk
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nitro1118 @ Jan 8 2007, 05:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Interesting topic, give me Rockets. I will not include KMart as he isn't going to be playing all year. Here's why I take Houston:-When T-Mac needs to, he can score. He is showing that right now. Since Yao is out he has put up 4 or 5 straight 30pt+ games, one 44pt game, and the team is 5-2. When he is right, he is definately better than Melo, and on same level as AI.-Nuggets are quicker, but with AI as PG, don't expect them to be quite as up and down as they were with Miller at PG. What the Rockets do best is make you play to their slowed down, halfcourt tempo, in which they would beat the Nuggets.-Rockets have better shooters, rebounders and defenders to compliment the stars. Battier, Alston, Head, Hayes, Mutombo, Howard, etc... are all fantastic role players. Outside of Melo/Camby/AI/Smith, the Nuggets are lacking a bit. Houston has the perfect role players and stars for the type of tempo they play at. -Camby is a great defender, but Yao has been unstoppable. Yao would dominate any matchup, and with T-Mac STILL demanding doube and triple teams, he will gets lots of one on one oppertunities. And if you double him, then you got all those great shooters open.So yeah, in a 7 games series, give me Rockets.</div>I dont really feel like getting in to another debate, but I just wanted to comment on a couple things that you posted.Blake is starting at the PG, and he is doing a very good job at it IMO. He can definitely play in the open court and allow this team to play a fast paced game. Denver has alot of role players as well. Eduardo Najera and Reggie Evans are both hustles players that can get you boards and lose balls. Linas Kleiza has proven himself to be a pretty damn good scorer, and now you have JR Smith coming off of the bench to give them a big scoring boost. Also, if there was one player in the league to bother Yao IMO, it would be Camby. He is tall, long, athletic, and is an amazing shot blocker. Yao obviously would still do good agaisnt Camby, but he wouldnt do as good as he wuold against other players.And you are saying how McGrady is such a great scorer, and how he can break double teams or whatever, but look at what Denver is giving you. They give you one of the best 2 scores in the NBA on the same team. If one of them is having an off night, the other one is going to have a good night.I dont know who would win in a 7 game series, but I know that it would be a very close 7 game series. I just wanted to note that alot of things that you said about Houston, Denver has them as well.
After seeing Steve Blake play PG tonight, I pretty much take my previous comment back. Id rather see Steve Blake play PG then Allen Iverson, he's a beast.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nitro1118 @ Jan 8 2007, 02:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Interesting topic, give me Rockets. I will not include KMart as he isn't going to be playing all year. Here's why I take Houston:-When T-Mac needs to, he can score. He is showing that right now. Since Yao is out he has put up 4 or 5 straight 30pt+ games, one 44pt game, and the team is 5-2. When he is right, he is definately better than Melo, and on same level as AI.-Nuggets are quicker, but with AI as PG, don't expect them to be quite as up and down as they were with Miller at PG. What the Rockets do best is make you play to their slowed down, halfcourt tempo, in which they would beat the Nuggets.-Rockets have better shooters, rebounders and defenders to compliment the stars. Battier, Alston, Head, Hayes, Mutombo, Howard, etc... are all fantastic role players. Outside of Melo/Camby/AI/Smith, the Nuggets are lacking a bit. Houston has the perfect role players and stars for the type of tempo they play at. -Camby is a great defender, but Yao has been unstoppable. Yao would dominate any matchup, and with T-Mac STILL demanding doube and triple teams, he will gets lots of one on one oppertunities. And if you double him, then you got all those great shooters open.So yeah, in a 7 games series, give me Rockets.</div>-You are right, yet 'Melo + AI are better than T-Mac. Both average in the high 20s to low 30s.- Well, now they have Blake, which he wasn't then, but he can run and is a great passer. He can go out on the run and with AI, Melo, and JR on the wings, that is pretty deadly. What the Nuggets do best is make you run, so he tempo could go either way.- Najera, Evans, Nene, Blake, Diawara, etc. We have some pretty good role players also. Nene is a pretty good low post threat and good rebounder. Najera is mr. hustle, he is just all over the floor every game. Evans is a great rebounder and good low post defender. Blake is a pass first point guard that is a good shooter. - Same thing goes for us, you double 'Melo, give AI one on one or someone else an open shot. Vice versa. 7 game series would be a good one, but in the end I would take the Nuggets,Also, you say Houston has better rebounders so they would dominate the boards. Camby averages around 22 rebounds a game against them. Last two games against them he had 22 and 24 rebounds.
Dang if they play like they did with Melo first game back I will get to say I told you so those who don't think Denver could beat the Rockets in a 7 game series.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Serge @ Jan 23 2007, 08:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Dang if they play like they did with Melo first game back I will get to say I told you so those who don't think Denver could beat the Rockets in a 7 game series.</div>If they played the Grizzlies every game who knows how good their record could be. The fact the rockets play defense and the nuggets don't. In a playoff series that will be a huge factor.
[quote name='Camby23Land' post='269663' date='Jan 23 2007, 01:56 AM']-You are right, yet 'Melo + AI are better than T-Mac. Both average in the high 20s to low 30s.[/quote]Yes to AI, no to Melo. Outside of possibly scoring (remember, T-Mac is a 2x scoring champ, and since he has taken scoring load for Rockets is putting up around 30PPG, including 2 40pt+ games) T-Mac does everything better than Melo. better rebounder, much better playmaker, just as good of a defender, etc... You can say clutch for Melo, but his stats always decrease in playoffs and in the oppertunities he has had chances to win games in playoffs he hasn't. T-Mac, despite never winning a playoff series, always puts up huge numbers in the playoffs...31/7/7 in 04-05 playoffs, 32/7/5 in 02-03 playoffs, 31/6/6 in 01-02 playoffs, and 34/8/7 in 00-01 playoffs. Meanwhile you look at what melo has done in the playoffs past 2 years....not good. Blake changes things a bit, and could be a great addition, but I still feel, with AI and melo mostly being effective in halfcourt sets, that they will be more halfcourt than they were with Miller. Give me Battier, Mutombo, Howard, Wells, Hayes, Head, Lucas and Alston over the Nuggets role players. We'll have to agree to disagree there. Yao didn't play either of those games, and I don't think Hayes played in either of them as well.
[quote name='Nitro1118' post='269826' date='Jan 23 2007, 12:32 PM']Yes to AI, no to Melo. Outside of possibly scoring (remember, T-Mac is a 2x scoring champ, and since he has taken scoring load for Rockets is putting up around 30PPG, including 2 40pt+ games) T-Mac does everything better than Melo. better rebounder, much better playmaker, just as good of a defender, etc... You can say clutch for Melo, but his stats always decrease in playoffs and in the oppertunities he has had chances to win games in playoffs he hasn't. T-Mac, despite never winning a playoff series, always puts up huge numbers in the playoffs...31/7/7 in 04-05 playoffs, 32/7/5 in 02-03 playoffs, 31/6/6 in 01-02 playoffs, and 34/8/7 in 00-01 playoffs. Meanwhile you look at what melo has done in the playoffs past 2 years....not good.[/quote]'Melo is still young. I don't expect him to dominate the playoffs in his first 2 years and last year I thought the Clippers were the better team at the moment. This year there are no exceptions. This team is coached to run and have tried to been built to run. Our first option is the fast break. If there is nothing I don't see there being any problem scoring in the halfcourt sets. All good role players there, can't deny it, besides Alston. Nuggets aren't lacking like you said though. Yes, but 22 rebounds a game against them. It isn't like he hasn't played in any of them.In a series it would be all about the tempo I think. Half court game would go to the Rockets, up tempo game would go to the Nuggets.
[quote name='Camby23Land' post='270391' date='Jan 23 2007, 10:33 PM']'Melo is still young. I don't expect him to dominate the playoffs in his first 2 years and last year I thought the Clippers were the better team at the moment. This year there are no exceptions.[/quote]Last year he was in his 3rd year and the leader of the team. During the season he showed he could put up 27PPG on a very high %. To averaged 20PPG on 33% shooting against a middle of the road defensive team in the Clippers is unacceptable. I agree, but with AI handling the ball most of the time and Melo being most effective in isolation sets, I just don't see this team being as run and gun as most people think. And with those 2 stars, the ball movement will stall at times. Lacking isn't the best word, but with Phoenix having 6 guys that can go for 30 on any given night, Dallas stacked, SA stacked, Houston stacked, Lakers pretty deep....they will have to make up for the role players and lack of depth. Yao is still a 10RPG guy that would make it harder for Camby to get those rebounds. Without him the Rockets are undersized by even NCAA standards. I agree. I just think Rockets have an edge in overall talent. I love the combo of Yao (the most dominant center in the league, bar none this year) and T-Mac (still easily a top 10 player). They have fantastic role players, great defense, and 2 superstars who can domiante inside and out. If they can find a way to sort out the PG position a bit better (aka either trade or break Rafer Alston's legs) then I just can't see Nuggets beating Rockets in a 7 game series.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nitro1118 @ Jan 23 2007, 10:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Last year he was in his 3rd year and the leader of the team. During the season he showed he could put up 27PPG on a very high %. To averaged 20PPG on 33% shooting against a middle of the road defensive team in the Clippers is unacceptable.I agree, but with AI handling the ball most of the time and Melo being most effective in isolation sets, I just don't see this team being as run and gun as most people think. And with those 2 stars, the ball movement will stall at times. Lacking isn't the best word, but with Phoenix having 6 guys that can go for 30 on any given night, Dallas stacked, SA stacked, Houston stacked, Lakers pretty deep....they will have to make up for the role players and lack of depth.Yao is still a 10RPG guy that would make it harder for Camby to get those rebounds. Without him the Rockets are undersized by even NCAA standards.I agree. I just think Rockets have an edge in overall talent. I love the combo of Yao (the most dominant center in the league, bar none this year) and T-Mac (still easily a top 10 player). They have fantastic role players, great defense, and 2 superstars who can domiante inside and out. If they can find a way to sort out the PG position a bit better (aka either trade or break Rafer Alston's legs) then I just can't see Nuggets beating Rockets in a 7 game series.</div>- Yes, but he is way more mature this year. Just look at how he led the USA team this off season and with AI it will take a huge load off of him. Last year he was our only scoring threat in the playoffs. Now we have 3.- If they fast break is open, they will go for it. Yes it will stall, but the majority of the time we try to get the fast break going. We got Blake for a reason and that was to have a true point guard so AI doesn't have to handle the ball most of the time. - That is definitely true, I just think some players need to step up. We have the talent, just Diawara needs to realize his role, Nene needs to play to his full potential or he should be traded like he wants for some more depth. Reggie Evans needs to learn how to hit free throw. Najera is doing just what we need him to and Blake is overachieving right now I think.- Yes, but I just don't see how the Rockets are a better rebounding team. We have 4 guys that oculd get 10 rebounds on any given night in Camby, Nene, Evans, and Carmelo. I just think we would have the edge.- We have a great duo also in AI and 'Melo then an all star center in Camby and a great guy off the bench in JR. We have great scoring and same thing goes for us if we can play some defense I don't see how you can beat us in a 7 game series.
[quote name='Camby23Land' post='270597' date='Jan 24 2007, 01:28 AM']- Yes, but he is way more mature this year. Just look at how he led the USA team this off season and with AI it will take a huge load off of him. Last year he was our only scoring threat in the playoffs. Now we have 3.[/quote]Melo more mature? The same Melo that was suspended for 15 games for sucker punching then running like a little girl? Now, of course I know he has matured as a player and the punch doesn't have much to do with basketball, but he is still not a true leader or what I would call much more mature from previous years. Nene is the western conference version of Eddy Curry, but even more overweight and less effective. Yao, Howard, Hayes, Mutombo and T-Mac can all grab 10 rebounds on any given night as well. I prefer the T-Mac and Yao tandem to AI and Melo, although no one knows how either tandem will play out until each get more time playing together (T-Mac and Yao have played like only 50 games together the past 2 seasons, and only 20 or so this year with Yao at his peak). But I think Rockets have a big edge in role players, I love the Yao/T-Mac tandem, and I think that they would slow the tempo down enough to beat the Nuggets.
