Houston were lucky to not get swept

[Black and White]

If it wasn't for Troy Daniels, the Rockets would have been swept, they truely have been a dissapointment, or is it that some posters just made them out to be better than they actually were?? What do you think ISH?

[Cocaine80s]

bad timing. Daniels gets fouled for 3. 1 point game. houston can still win

[Black and White]

bad timing. Daniels gets fouled for 3. 1 point game. houston can still win

Still doesn't mean that Houston have been a dissapointment, they do not deserve to win this game.

[PickernRoller]

Terry Stotts is a clown who can't draw a clean play late in games nor keep his team composed.

On top of that the Blazers are too young and have difficulty closing...

That's why the Rockets are not eliminated after this game.

[Black and White]

Terry Stotts is a clown who can't draw a clean play late in games nor keep his team composed.

On top of that the Blazers are too young and have difficulty closing...

That's why the Rockets are not eliminated after this game.

The Rockets were lucky to win game 3, they were crap down the stretch, but you are right, the Blazers have trouble closing games out.

[Brokenbeat]

Yup - Houston lucked out. Still not getting past the first round though, lol. :cry:

[Smook A.]

Absolutely correct.

[ImKobe]

So, Dwight Howard left LA for this? have fun winning 0 championships, loser.

[Black and White]

Absolutely correct.

It just sucks that a team with that type of talent can look so disorganised on the court, this is part McHale and part Hardens fault, people are not going to set up on offense if you are just running up the court to take a 3, McHale needed to pull him aside, the team needed direction and consistent ball movement.

[Mr Exlax]

The hell you mean lucky? A sweep and McHale would be gone. We basically screwed ourselves.

[russwest0]

The hell you mean lucky? A sweep and McHale would be gone. We basically screwed ourselves.

How can you be so sure?

[SCdac]

They went into the playoffs giving up 103+ points per game, 23rd out of 30, and play at one of the fastest paces. They're basically a worse version of the mid-2000's Phoenix Suns. Dwight in place of prime Amare, and chucking Harden basically in place of Nash (who was efficient and always gave it his all despite his defensive woes). Houston matched up well against the older Spurs but outside of that teams with all stars/super stars and gritty defenders will expose them badly.

[Mr Exlax]

How can you be so sure?

Gut feeling / hope

[andremiller07]

Honestly they could actually have swept Portland just as easily if it were not for Harden and Lin.

[Mr Exlax]

They went into the playoffs giving up 103+ points per game, 23rd out of 30, and play at one of the fastest paces. They're basically a worse version of the mid-2000's Phoenix Suns. Dwight in place of prime Amare, and chucking Harden basically in place of Nash (who was efficient and always gave it his all despite his defensive woes). Houston matched up well against the older Spurs but outside of that teams with all stars/super stars and gritty defenders will expose them badly.

That right there is why I said we weren't contenders. I said it from the start. We need a different coach. I'm gonna go ahead and say we need a veteran PG. I have given up on Lin. He just lacks the poise that I feel PGs need to have.

[ShackEelOKneel]

Rockets were a Harden playing defense possession per game away from sweeping the Blazers.

[Mr Exlax]

Honestly they could actually have swept Portland just as easily if it were not for Harden and Lin.

I'm glad we didn't. I'm beyond happy that we got exposed. Hopefully this shakes things up. I can't handle the no defense shit we do.

[JebronLames]

Portland was the lucky team in game 1.

[ShackEelOKneel]

I'm glad we didn't. I'm beyond happy that we got exposed. Hopefully this shakes things up. I can't handle the no defense shit we do.

What shake up would you like to see? The biggest problem I see is that Rockets won't shake up having Harden, who gives up more points than he drops when teams decide to attack him directly.

[jbryan1984]

I did not see a lot of either of these teams but wow this has been the best series of the playoffs. To me, Houston cannot close and Portland is clutch as f#ck.

[russwest0]

Rockets were a Harden playing defense possession per game away from sweeping the Blazers.

So basically, they were ****ed

[Mr Exlax]

What shake up would you like to see? The biggest problem I see is that Rockets won't shake up having Harden, who gives up more points than he drops when teams decide to attack him directly.

First off I'd like to see a coach that isn't afraid to bench him when he's slacking on defense. That's top priority. All this shit has been happening since last season. He has the ability to play decent defense. He just picks and chooses when he wants to.

[Derka]

Last night's game was the first time I managed to stay awake for an entire Rockets/Blazers game and I couldn't help but feel like the Blazers were searching for ways to throw the game away. Blessedly for them, the Rockets were searching just a bit harder.

Not sure either of these teams survives their second round opponent.

[deja vu]

Honestly they could actually have swept Portland just as easily if it were not for Harden and Lin.
This.

[UK2K]

They went into the playoffs giving up 103+ points per game, 23rd out of 30, and play at one of the fastest paces. They're basically a worse version of the mid-2000's Phoenix Suns. Dwight in place of prime Amare, and chucking Harden basically in place of Nash (who was efficient and always gave it his all despite his defensive woes). Houston matched up well against the older Spurs but outside of that teams with all stars/super stars and gritty defenders will expose them badly.
It doesnt matter if you give up 200 points a game if you have 300 possessions.

Rockets were top 10 in defensive rating, and top 5 in offensive rating.

They are a good team, and played an equally good team (hence the 4/5 matchup, who would jave thought?) And the scoreboard shows it. 3 of the 4 games went into OT. Portland has a similar defensive rating, they have a similar offensive rating, they have a similar pace. So how can that be Houston's problem when Portland is winning doing the same thing? Theres been like 12 total points separating the winner and loser in 4 games. Just two equally matched teams.

LMA played the series of his life and Harden played like a bag of ass and STILL Portland was only able to squeak out wins by single digit points, two of those coming in OT.

Lets not act like its the end of the world. Its two teams, who are equally good, playing each other. Thats all.

[DoodleDa]

It doesnt matter if you give up 200 points a game if you have 300 possessions.

Rockets were top 10 in defensive rating, and top 5 in offensive rating.

They are a good team, and played an equally good team (hence the 4/5 matchup, who would jave thought?) And the scoreboard shows it. 3 of the 4 games went into OT. Portland has a similar defensive rating, they have a similar offensive rating, they have a similar pace. So how can that be Houston's problem when Portland is winning doing the same thing? Theres been like 12 total points separating the winner and loser in 4 games. Just two equally matched teams.

LMA played the series of his life and Harden played like a bag of ass and STILL Portland was only able to squeak out wins by single digit points, two of those coming in OT.

Lets not act like its the end of the world. Its two teams, who are equally good, playing each other. Thats all.

You make it seem like there aren't major problems with your Rockets.

[Nick Young]

I'm glad we didn't. I'm beyond happy that we got exposed. Hopefully this shakes things up. I can't handle the no defense shit we do.
you keep trying to convince yourself that kid. You almost have me convinced too:lol

[Nick Young]

It doesnt matter if you give up 200 points a game if you have 300 possessions.

Rockets were top 10 in defensive rating, and top 5 in offensive rating.

They are a good team, and played an equally good team (hence the 4/5 matchup, who would jave thought?) And the scoreboard shows it. 3 of the 4 games went into OT. Portland has a similar defensive rating, they have a similar offensive rating, they have a similar pace. So how can that be Houston's problem when Portland is winning doing the same thing? Theres been like 12 total points separating the winner and loser in 4 games. Just two equally matched teams.

LMA played the series of his life and Harden played like a bag of ass and STILL Portland was only able to squeak out wins by single digit points, two of those coming in OT.

Lets not act like its the end of the world. Its two teams, who are equally good, playing each other. Thats all.
dat blind optimism. Must suck to be a rockets fan, specially after the Yao/T-Mac years only to witness Yao/T-Mac 2.0:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[SCdac]

It doesnt matter if you give up 200 points a game if you have 300 possessions.

Rockets were top 10 in defensive rating, and top 5 in offensive rating.

They are a good team, and played an equally good team (hence the 4/5 matchup, who would jave thought?) And the scoreboard shows it. 3 of the 4 games went into OT. Portland has a similar defensive rating, they have a similar offensive rating, they have a similar pace. So how can that be Houston's problem when Portland is winning doing the same thing? Theres been like 12 total points separating the winner and loser in 4 games. Just two equally matched teams.

LMA played the series of his life and Harden played like a bag of ass and STILL Portland was only able to squeak out wins by single digit points, two of those coming in OT.

Lets not act like its the end of the world. Its two teams, who are equally good, playing each other. Thats all.

The Rockets finished 13th in Defensive rating... and currently have the worst Defensive rating of all the playoff teams...

When Portland really moves the ball around the way they should, they get almost any shot they want. Blazers are not defensive powerhouse but they're putting in the work in shutting down Harden.

Nobody is saying "the Rockets are not good", merely that they're not contenders and didn't look like contenders going into the playoffs. Their style of play isn't taking them far, which shouldn't be a huge surprise to knowledgable fans.

I don't think Portland is in serious contention either. Personally, I've had (and still have) OKC and the Heat as the best teams in the league.

Rockets gave up this many points to Portland (OT's excluded)

Game 1: 106 points
Game 2: 112 points
Game 3: 110 points
Game 4: 106 points
Average: 109 ppg

That's not going to cut it. It's not necessarily about how close it is (many ball games end in close scores), it's about Portland being able to erase leads because Houston doesn't play much D and the Blazers can flourish in the fast pace. 109 points is way too much to give up in the playoffs.

[UK2K]

The Rockets finished 13th in Defensive rating... and currently have the worst Defensive rating of all the playoff teams...

When Portland really moves the ball around the way they should, they get almost any shot they want. Blazers are not defensive powerhouse but they're putting in the work in shutting down Harden.

Nobody is saying "the Rockets are not good", merely that they're not contenders and didn't look like contenders going into the playoffs. Their style of play isn't taking them far, which shouldn't be a huge surprise to knowledgable fans.

I don't think Portland is in serious contention either. Personally, I've had (and still have) OKC and the Heat as the best teams in the league.

Rockets gave up this many points to Portland (OT's excluded)

Game 1: 106 points
Game 2: 112 points
Game 3: 110 points
Game 4: 106 points
Average: 109 ppg

That's not going to cut it. It's not necessarily about how close it is (many ball games end in close scores), it's about Portland being able to erase leads because Houston doesn't play much D and the Blazers can flourish in the fast pace. 109 points is way too much to give up in the playoffs.
And OT's included, how many points has Portland given up to Houston. You cant use ppg as a measure and say 'well they give up 109ppg so their defense isn't up to par' when they've gone into 3 OT's meaning Portland is giving up damn near the same. So somehow its killing Houston but it works for Portland?

Dont get me wrong, there are issues with Houston. Starting with a bench and an actual PF, but dont blindly use statistics and say Houston is giving up X amount of points, thats the rrason theyre losing when the team that is up 3-1 is giving up almost an identical amount.

The series could just as easily be 3-1 in Houston's favor, every game has come down to 1 or 2 possessions. Literally. One possession, one bad call, one missed free throw, thats how close he games have been. There were 5 teams that separated themselves in the west (seeds 1-5) and this is the only series where 2 of those 5 teams play each other. Of course the series is gonna be close. One team wont dominate the other, statistics aside they're almost identical except for a possession here or there.

[Jameerthefear]

Portland could just as easily be down 3-1 or 4-0 if some calls went in Houston's favor.

[brantonli]

A few lucky bounces here and there more calls, and it would be Portland being the one 'lucky not to get swept'. Seriously, when 3 out of 4 of the games so far have gone into OT, it's pretty much a tossup between these two teams as to which is truly better, and literally just comes down to 1 or 2 possessions each game.

[JUDGE WITNESS]

agreed op

[SCdac]

And OT's included, how many points has Portland given up to Houston. You cant use ppg as a measure and say 'well they give up 109ppg so their defense isn't up to par' when they've gone into 3 OT's meaning Portland is giving up damn near the same. So somehow its killing Houston but it works for Portland?

Dont get me wrong, there are issues with Houston. Starting with a bench and an actual PF, but dont blindly use statistics and say Houston is giving up X amount of points, thats the rrason theyre losing when the team that is up 3-1 is giving up almost an identical amount.

The series could just as easily be 3-1 in Houston's favor, every game has come down to 1 or 2 possessions. Literally. One possession, one bad call, one missed free throw, thats how close he games have been. There were 5 teams that separated themselves in the west (seeds 1-5) and this is the only series where 2 of those 5 teams play each other. Of course the series is gonna be close. One team wont dominate the other, statistics aside they're almost identical except for a possession here or there.

:facepalm There's nothing "blind" about using those stats, I've watched the games, watched Houston give up comfortable leads. The scores emphasize the point that Houston is a weak defensive team. Which is a fact. I watched the Blazers cap off the Rockets last night with a steal in the half court (great defensive play), watched Portland get wide open layups and jumpers on many plays, watched players blow by Harden.

Basketball games coming down to a few possessions isn't exactly unique to this series - it happens all the time. For instance, when the Spurs swept the Cavs in 07, the last two games were decided by one possession... but it was still a sweep! ... When OKC swept the Mavs in 2012, some of the games were very close, yet it was still a sweep!

You're naive if you think giving up near 110 points a game on average is a good sign because the scores are close by the end of the match. It's a horrible sign to be giving up that much, even if they barely win. Portland is beating the Rockets at their own game and they're not even a great defensive team either. 4 players dropped 20+ points on the Rockets last night.

If you want to the play the "what if" or "it could be this" game... If LaMarcus Aldridge makes even 1 of those late FT's the game would have been comfortably sealed.

[ShackEelOKneel]

I'm just glad Dwight had a good series. Nothing more rewarding than a traditional center going to work.