WCSF series: (2) Spurs vs (3) Rockets Official Predictions Thread

[SAGirl]

I voted Rockets in 6, but since then I rewatched the RS games. They can't guard Kawhi nor have a player to slow down LMA. Only one good game from Parker and one from Gasol and it's Spurs in 5, TBH.

[bic50]

So essentially people are picking the rockets due to Aldridge/Gasol doing poorly against Gasol/Randolph..
Last time i checked the Rockets didnt have Gasol/Randolph on the their current roster..

[Indazone]

But we do have Nene and he is no slouch

[HarlemHeat37]

Impossible to predict the outcome of Rockets games, they're all high variance by design

The only easy prediction is that Spurs fans will be infuriated by Harden and Lou Williams drawing phantom fouls for most of the series..

[TD 21]

- I think they're going to win this series by limiting possessions and being an opportunistic Fast break team. The Rockets are going to play the same way, bombard the threeball but in general some of their players have struggled greatly in the last three months. Ryan Anderson to be specific not only has struggled against the spurs but against most teams.

- I'd like to See Kawhi Utilize the post more and take closer shot in half-court situations. If Aldridge is posting up, i'd crash the offensive board. Again the Grizz, thought I don't have the exact numbers..Kawhi' offense was almost exclusively on the PnR..Which should be fine, but more post ups would be nice.

- Also, unless its David Lee who is fantastic at getting the ball to the perimeter guys after a defensive board...I really want Leonard and Parker to be opportunistic reboubders. Grab mpre defensive boards on those long threes and attack.

- Yeah, but all that means is they're due to progress to the mean.

- Leonard should be able to overpower Ariza and since they lack a second credible wing defender, they can't afford for him to be in foul trouble.


Not that the Spurs can't win obviously, but I don't understand the amount of confidence so many have. This team predictably struggled mightily (trailed by double digits in 4 of 6 games) against a Grizzlies team, that didn't have any of the things (superstar(s), depth, ability to cause match-up issues) going for it that an underdog typically would to push a favorite. Any team a clear level up from them should be favored against this team.

[LoneStarState'sPride]

Spurs in 6. houston.

[cutewizard]

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2017/...rden-pick-roll

[Spursone]

Kawhi in 5

[RD2191]

Will LMA show up in this series?

[GuerillaBlack]

The Rockets forum, those guys sound super confident. Some think 5 games for them .. they're so stuck on the fact that the reg season meetings were close.

People never seem to realize that means nothing once the series starts

Harden has played well vs the Spurs his entire career and this year isnt different. His shooting percentages being higher than his season averages. Danny Green is not gonna stop James Harden and you're not gonna put Kawhi on him all game like OKC did Roberson last round.

[TheDoctor]

harden plays under more control this series i think. i think part of him was trying to outplay westbrook the last round.

he can get his teammates some EASY looks. he needs to understand how valuable that is.





no one is playing on that man-on-a-mission level like kawhi though...

So you saying he won't try to outplay the other-truer-MVP in this round?

[Robz4000]

Houston getting Sam Dekker back could prove to be huge for them. He played well against the Spurs in a few games this season and he's a much more capable athlete/defender than anyone else off their bench.

[TheDoctor]

Where's the GameThread TBH?!?

[spurraider21]

Houston getting Sam Dekker back could prove to be huge for them. He played well against the Spurs in a few games this season and he's a much more capable athlete/defender than anyone else off their bench.

wat?

he had 1 solid game, 1 uneventful game, and 2 trash games (counting a role player shooting 3-9 and 0-3 from three as trash)

[Robz4000]

wat?

he had 1 solid game, 1 uneventful game, and 2 trash games

Didn't realize he shot so bad in the third game. Still, two of those games he was a positive off the bench and offers more on the defensive end than Williams/Gordon.

[UZER]

Prediction?.......pain

[TheDoctor]

G A M E T H R E A D .

M O F O S .

[NameLess Scrub]

Prediction:
- Harden will get tons and tons of fouls, including obvious lean-ins and grabbing other players arms. You'll see some of the cheapest fouls you have ever seen. Multiple reports stating they shouldn't be fouls when they are called in the last minutes. Harden will get this until he wins the series. Media will be all "w00t w00t I told you so".

- Lou Williams will look like a star off the bench. He'll make all sorts of bad shots and make the Spurs look like really bad defenders.
- Ariza will get the Draymond treatment on defense, be called a Kawhi stopper
- Some random scrub will start making 3s, which is D'Antoni's version of a random scrub making long 2s.

Spurs go fishing in 6.

[bklynspursfan]

Harden has played well vs the Spurs his entire career and this year isnt different. His shooting percentages being higher than his season averages. Danny Green is not gonna stop James Harden and you're not gonna put Kawhi on him all game like OKC did Roberson last round.

We'll see how it plays out, im not disagreeing with that.

Playoffs are a different animal tho

[kaji157]

If the Refs allow the Spurs to defend Harden the same way they allowed Memphis to defend LMA and Kawhi then the series is over in 4.
I really don´t see a scenario where Harden can keep up being the two way players he needs to be for his team to be successful.
The only way Houston could get away with Harden defense is if Green continues to be MIA in offense.

[Chinook]

Looking at those highlights, it's obvious that Harden will dominate anyone outside of WingStop. Therefore, the team needs to keep those guys out of foul trouble, avoid switching away from Harden if at all possible and then not help on him a whole lot. While it's hard to avoid some of those 'oop plays (especially if the team doesn't switch), there's little reason for the perimeter guys in the corners to help. They shouldn't be reaching at Harden in the first place, and they have too many shooters to leave open in the second.

Play the dude straight up and live with the consequences of him finding points against two of the best perimeter defenders in the league don't let the other guys get involved.

[Budkin]

Pop owns Pringles. The end.

[look_at_g_shred]

Don't switch on the PnR with Harden for the love of god!!!!!!!!!!!!

[spursistan]

Lowe has Rockets in 6..

[hater]

Downgrading my predictions to Spurs in 7 fellas

This is going to be a TOUGH series