Difference between the rockets defense and the spurs defense.

[DazedAndConfused]

[Matchman]

I guess the phrase is right...
"Better Late than Never"
GO ROCKETS~!

[Obstructed_View]

So if Duncan gets hurt tomorrow and misses the playoffs, is that a "built-in excuse" for not repeating or basically something that's pretty damn self-evident?

Can you name me one team in NBA History which has won a le after their best player got hurt and missed the playoffs entirely? Better yet, name one that made the Finals.

Some of this Tmac Hate is laughable. His team loses it's best player in a yr in which 50 wins may not make the playoffs in the West and the bar is still winning an NBA Championship?

Define "making noise". You cant seriously expect Houston to win a championship without Yao over teams like SA, LAL, DET, BOS. Is Noise getting to the WCF? Or merely just "getting out of the first round"?

Okay, so you're saying that the win streak, even the games they've won without Yao, are just a fluke. I've seen a team that's playing great basketball on both ends of the floor with contributions from everyone, which is why they didn't miss a beat without Yao. Are they at a disadvantage? Yes. But if they end up with home court in the first round in the western conference based on their play AFTER Yao was out then there's really not any excuse for failing to get to the second round.

[Indazone]

I"d like to see the Spurs lose Duncan and keep winning.

[Obstructed_View]

I"d like to see the Spurs lose Duncan and keep winning.

Only if they had Scola.

[rAm]

I"d like to see the Spurs lose Duncan and keep winning.

I don't think Yao is to the Rockets what Duncan is to the Spurs. That and maybe not having Yao in there is actually a good thing for the Rockets?

[spurms]

I don't think Yao is to the Rockets what Duncan is to the Spurs. That and maybe not having Yao in there is actually a good thing for the Rockets?

lets see rockets with yao blew out the hornets by 20 points, sans yao by 10, hornets blew out the spurs with their big 3 by 25, lets face it, rockets are the main threat in the west, i did rather the spurs face any other teams then the rockets in the playoffs.

[hater]

LMAO at the Rockets hype. it reminds me of last years mavs hype and 2 years ago Detroit hype.

I will bet anything to any Houston fan that Houston will NOT get past the 2nd round of the playoffs.

[Obstructed_View]

Rockets win a bajillion games in a row without Yao.

Rockets fan: We're the best team in the league!

Someone points out that they need to get to the second round of the playoffs.

Rockets fan: But Yao is hurt!

[robbie380]

Rockets win a bajillion games in a row without Yao.

Rockets fan: We're the best team in the league!

Someone points out that they need to get to the second round of the playoffs.

Rockets fan: But Yao is hurt!

maybe i am blind but.....show me a rockets fan that believes this team won't make it out of the first round. i know it's fun to make stuff up in your head but no fan who actually thinks this team is good (like me) believes we will get knocked out in the first round.

[Obstructed_View]

maybe i am blind but.....show me a rockets fan that believes this team won't make it out of the first round. i know it's fun to make stuff up in your head but no fan who actually thinks this team is good (like me) believes we will get knocked out in the first round.

Good. Then there won't be any excuses if they do get knocked out in the first round.

[Indazone]

Well..the original thread about the difference between the Spurs defense and the Rockets defense? Rockets actually play some lol.

[bobbyjoe]

Okay, so you're saying that the win streak, even the games they've won without Yao, are just a fluke. I've seen a team that's playing great basketball on both ends of the floor with contributions from everyone, which is why they didn't miss a beat without Yao. Are they at a disadvantage? Yes. But if they end up with home court in the first round in the western conference based on their play AFTER Yao was out then there's really not any excuse for failing to get to the second round.

The HCA is overstated in a 7 game series. It really only comes into play if there's a Game 7.

While not a fluke, the Houston win streak has really been a result if you watch them of outworking and hustling opponents.

The problem is in the playoffs everyone plays balls out, you cant just win by outhustling and outworking opponents.

Like I said, if they lose to the Nuggets and maybe throw the Warriors in there, it's just a choke. But a loss to the Suns, Mavs, Hornets, or Jazz shouldnt surprise anyone.

Winning streaks are great, but they just dont help you in the playoffs when it starts at 0-0. Matchups come into play and I'm sorry but a Dikembe Mutombo, Luis Scola frontcourt against Duncan, Stoudemire/Shaq, Boozer/Okur, D. West, etc is just not going to cut it.

[bobbyjoe]

I don't think Yao is to the Rockets what Duncan is to the Spurs. That and maybe not having Yao in there is actually a good thing for the Rockets?

He's not that far off. He's a 22/10 guy who's a big changer defensively due to length.

If the Spurs lost Duncan for the yr, they could probably suck it up for a short stretch and manage, but long term they'd be screwed.

Like I said, name me one team in NBA history which has lost it's best or 2nd best player and still won a le or advanced to the NBA Finals. It just doesnt happen. And of all years, this is the wrong one to try that in a loaded WC.

Gotta have an inside presence to win in the postseason. Perimeter teams dont make it unless led by MJ.

[FromWayDowntown]

I don't know that it has particular application to this thread, but there's an observation that has bugged me of late, so I'll add it here:

Spurs fans have become way too obsessed with definining individual greatness by team accomplishments. There was a time when Spurs fans argued vociferously that David Robinson was a great, great player despite the fact that his teams were generally playoff failures. Now, those same sorts of arguments about similar players get shouted down around here by a fanbase that has only recently come to understand the accomplishment that a le represents. I'm not saying that McGrady's career record doesn't deserve some skepticism, but defining whether he's a quality player or not by how his teams have performed at playoff time seems a bit absurd. Does McGrady's historical luster suffer in comparison to guys whose teams have won les or been deep in the playoffs routinely? Sure. But does defining McGrady as a player depend entirely on what his teams do in the playoffs? I don't think it should -- after all, Spurs fans made those same arguments about David.

[Flopper]

I don't know that it has particular application to this thread, but there's an observation that has bugged me of late, so I'll add it here:

Spurs fans have become way too obsessed with definining individual greatness by team accomplishments. There was a time when Spurs fans argued vociferously that David Robinson was a great, great player despite the fact that his teams were generally playoff failures. Now, those same sorts of arguments about similar players get shouted down around here by a fanbase that has only recently come to understand the accomplishment that a le represents. I'm not saying that McGrady's career record doesn't deserve some skepticism, but defining whether he's a quality player or not by how his teams have performed at playoff time seems a bit absurd. Does McGrady's historical luster suffer in comparison to guys whose teams have won les or been deep in the playoffs routinely? Sure. But does defining McGrady as a player depend entirely on what his teams do in the playoffs? I don't think it should -- after all, Spurs fans made those same arguments about David.

some of the fans probably became fans after duncan join.

[bobbyjoe]

I don't know that it has particular application to this thread, but there's an observation that has bugged me of late, so I'll add it here:

Spurs fans have become way too obsessed with definining individual greatness by team accomplishments. There was a time when Spurs fans argued vociferously that David Robinson was a great, great player despite the fact that his teams were generally playoff failures. Now, those same sorts of arguments about similar players get shouted down around here by a fanbase that has only recently come to understand the accomplishment that a le represents. I'm not saying that McGrady's career record doesn't deserve some skepticism, but defining whether he's a quality player or not by how his teams have performed at playoff time seems a bit absurd. Does McGrady's historical luster suffer in comparison to guys whose teams have won les or been deep in the playoffs routinely? Sure. But does defining McGrady as a player depend entirely on what his teams do in the playoffs? I don't think it should -- after all, Spurs fans made those same arguments about David.

Very fair minded and on-spot post.

[Obstructed_View]

I don't know that it has particular application to this thread, but there's an observation that has bugged me of late, so I'll add it here:

Spurs fans have become way too obsessed with definining individual greatness by team accomplishments. There was a time when Spurs fans argued vociferously that David Robinson was a great, great player despite the fact that his teams were generally playoff failures. Now, those same sorts of arguments about similar players get shouted down around here by a fanbase that has only recently come to understand the accomplishment that a le represents. I'm not saying that McGrady's career record doesn't deserve some skepticism, but defining whether he's a quality player or not by how his teams have performed at playoff time seems a bit absurd. Does McGrady's historical luster suffer in comparison to guys whose teams have won les or been deep in the playoffs routinely? Sure. But does defining McGrady as a player depend entirely on what his teams do in the playoffs? I don't think it should -- after all, Spurs fans made those same arguments about David.

David and Sean were playoff under-achievers, bordering on outright playoff chokers. Regular season streaks don't mean if you can't win in the playoffs. Regular season records don't mean if you can't win in the playoffs. I say this and I believe it precisely because I lived and died with the Spurs' playoff failures in the 90s. Is McGrady a hall of famer? Without question. Is he one of the two or three best players I've ever seen live? Yep. He's an amazing amazing player, and a great talent, but you cannot talk about how great this streak is if we're going to give him a pass for failing in the playoffs again. The Rockets are either one of the best teams in the league or they aren't. Period. While I'm sympathetic to their having lost Yao, history doesn't care any more than the other 15 teams that qualify for the playoffs.

[The Franchise]

David and Sean were playoff under-achievers, bordering on outright playoff chokers. Regular season streaks don't mean if you can't win in the playoffs. Regular season records don't mean if you can't win in the playoffs. I say this and I believe it precisely because I lived and died with the Spurs' playoff failures in the 90s. Is McGrady a hall of famer? Without question. Is he one of the two or three best players I've ever seen live? Yep. He's an amazing amazing player, and a great talent, but you cannot talk about how great this streak is if we're going to give him a pass for failing in the playoffs again. The Rockets are either one of the best teams in the league or they aren't. Period. While I'm sympathetic to their having lost Yao, history doesn't care any more than the other 15 teams that qualify for the playoffs.

I totally agree with you. When the playoffs get here there are no excuses. I do think we are one of the best teams in the league, and after next week a lot of other skeptics will also. I will honestly say before Yao got hurt I felt we could beat any team in the league in a seven game series. After this 8 game streak without Yao I still do, but it also think it will be much more difficult. Alas, we have 18 more games before any of this matters. I can't wait!!!