Let's just wait and see if Spurs get past OKC first. Everybody is acting like GS vs SA is a lock for the WCF. I don't see it as a lock because I can see the Thunder upsetting the Spurs. Granted, GS doesn't have a cake walk either with the Clips in the 2nd round. I just have zero faith in Chris Fail and Fake Griffin to ever beat a team as good as GS.
So, looks like the Rockets WILL make the playoffs afterall. A combination of the Jazz choking, and Harden playing in beast mode lately to win them games.
Clippers got a better chance vs gs than okc does vs the spurs and the rockets can win a game or possibly 2 vs gs
w/All DUE Respect, Brother Tap, You Said the Dubs Would ONLY Get the Record if the Spurs Don't Care...They Most Certainly Cared Sunday Night, yet it Wasn't Enough... Golden State Has Shown they Can BEAT the Spurs @ Home & The Spurs Have YET to Be Competitive in Golden State... Barring Injury, the Spurs Have Next to NO Chance of Beating Golden State 4 Times in a 7 Game Series... REED:hammert:
Diaw was a "Factor" in 1 Game, Neil...Duncan Has YET to Be a Factor in Any of The Warrior Games, However...When Duncan's on the Floor, the Warriors SALIVATE, Because for as GREAT as he Is, Duncan ISN'T Equipped for Small Ball... REED:hammert:
The Spurs SHOULD Be Favored, but it Certainly WOULDN'T Be Shocking if OKC Won that Series... REED:hammert:
The Clippers have a ZERO % Chance of Beating Golden State (Barring Injury, of Course)...The Warriors TOYED w/Them This Season...OKC-San Antonio is a 60-40 / 65-35 Series in the Spurs Favor... Clippers-Golden State is Like 85-15 or HIGHER, in Golden State's Favor... And Yes, the Rockets Could Win "A" Game Over the Dubs, but Definitely NOT 2...Harden Would Have to AVERAGE about 35, and Play EFFICIENTLY, for that to Happen.... REED:hammert:
True indeed brother REED. phonetap didn't see the last game between the Spurs/Warriors to see how much the Spurs really tried. Seems to phonetap GS played with more purpose that SA did. GS was long due for a win in SA, hadn't won there since Duncan was in high school. That being said, phonetap said what he said and will eat his words, . Still though, hard pressed to believe the Spurs can't win in GS, when we all just watched the T-Wolves and Celtics do it recently. The question is can SA win there twice and phonetap doesn't believe so.
So, here's my complete playoff predictions: Eastern Conference - Round 1. 1 Cavs vs 8 Pistons: Cavs in 4. 2 Raptors vs 7 Pacers: Raptors in 5. 3 Heat vs 6 Hornets: Heat in 7. 4 Hawks vs 5 Celtics: Celtics in 6. Western Conference - Round 1 1 Warriors vs 8 Rockets: Dubs in 4. 2 Spurs vs 7 Grizzlies - Spurs in 4. 3. Thunder vs 6 Mavs: Thunder in 6. 4. Clippers vs 5 Blazers: Clips in 5. Eastern Conference Semi-Finals: 1 Cavs vs 5 Celtics: Cavs in 6. 2. Raptors vs 3 Heat: Raptors in 6. Western Conference Semi-Finals: 1 Warriors vs 4 Clippers: Warriors in 5. 2 Spurs vs 3 Thunder: Spurs in 7. Eastern Conference Finals: 1 Cavs vs 2 Raptors: Cavs in 7. Western Conference Finals: 1 Warriors vs 2 Spurs: Warriors in 6. Finals: Warriors vs Cavs: Warriors in 6. Again. Overall, it's just hard to envision the Dubs NOT winning it all. They're the best team in the world with the best player in the world, with that player performing on a level not seen since prime Jordan. It would take an EPIC mental implosion for them NOT to win it all, and mental toughness is NOT something this team lacks. Quite the opposite, actually. They're one of the mentally toughest teams in NBA history.
Clips beating the Warriors would be the biggest playoff upset of all time IMO. Talent ASIDE, on mental toughness alone the Clips have no chance. The Clippers are a mentally weak team. Griffin is a hot head and a mental midget, and Chris Paul simply can't carry an offensive load in deep playoff situations. The Clippers being mentally weak was SOLIDIFIED last year when they had the epic choke job against Houston. It's impossible for the Clips, a mentally weak team, to beat the Warriors, who as I just said are one of the mentally strongest teams there's ever been. Warriors will destroy the Clippers.
As Looooong as Kevin Durant is CONTENT Being a 6'11 PERIMETER Player, Shooting 7-33, 2-11 from 3, he'll NEVER Fulfill his Potential... @ Some Point, Dude will Develop a SEMBLANCE of a Post Game (Jump Hook from the Left Block, Patented 1-Legged Dirk Fadeaway, SOMETHING) Or NEVER Live Up to What he COULD Have Been.... REED:mj:
Fuck I hate Harden! I've never seen a guy rely so much on which referee crew is on the floor on any particular night. Shooting for shit, but refs have decided to bail him out with phantom foul calls all night. Last game he disappeared when they weren't buying his shit.
Harden's the Least Entertaining GOOD Player in the League...6'5, Sneaky Athletic, Very Good Ballhandler Who Can Heat Up w/the BEST of Them, on a Given Night...But the Ref Reliant BULLSHIT and Defensive "Effort" Makes Dude Basically Unwatchable... Of Harden's 16 1st Half Points Last Night, 12 Came from the Line::...When Harrison Barnes Did a VERY Basic Swim Move Towards the Baseline, All Harden Did was WATCH him Go Uncontested for a Dunk... Even Brother TexMex CAN'T Be Bothered Defending Harden's Antics Anymore... REED:hammert:
Lack of heart. He just doesn't care. He's content to have his money and that Kardashian slut. Last night, Klay looked like the best 2-guard in the league, not Softden. Warriors might be able to get away with resting Steph for the remainder of the series, being that last night it seemed like they ripped out the Rocket's souls. Houston musta been thinking that had victory in the bag without Curry, but the Dubs STILL kick their asses. So, keep resting Curry til he's 100%. There's a good chance they'll sweep the Rockets without Curry. But the Warriors CANNOT get past the Clips without Curry, so he'll need to be 100%.
Yep.... Defense is about All PRIDE and EFFORT...A Player ISN'T Supposed to Like or Be Indifferent about Getting Scored On, but James Harden Certainly Is...If He Scored 50, but Gave Up 49, He'd Walk Away Thinking he's the Shit... In Addition to Being an EFFICIENT Shooter, Klay Thompson is a GOOD Defender...A LEGIT 2-Way Player...And Even Though he Doesn't HANDLE as Good as Harden Does, REED Prefers Klay All Day, Head to Head... REED Would Rest Steph in Game 3 for Sure...If the Warriors Win That as Well, Then Rest Curry for Game 4...But REED's Afraid Harden's Going to Get EVERY Call in Game 3...The League DOESN'T Like Sweeps Necessarily, So They'll Throw Harden and Houston a Bone in @ Least 1 of their Home Games... Hell, Harden Shot 15 FT's Last Night...He'll Be in the 20's in that Regard, @ the Crib... REED:hammert:
Klay got to the line an inordinate amount of times to, but he doesn't make you want to hate him in the process. Refs were calling it close for both teams, but when Harden is getting the calls it makes you want to punch him in the face for some reason. :: Klay wasn't making a show of getting mugged. He'd just take his fouls and walk to the line and next play. Harden is comical because when he drives the lane you can see the other team part, hold their hands up at the referee to show they aren't fouling him and just wait and see what happens. The reason they do this is because they know Harden is already in the middle of a flop and the motherfucker is disrupting his own fucking shot in the process. It's about a 55% chance the idiot is going to blow an easy basket anyways. I've seen him drive the lane, dish out to a team-mate, who makes the basket, and then bitch to the referee because he didn't get a foul call on the drive, instead of just taking the basket his team-mate just got. I know people hate Dwight Howard to, but I can see why he wants out of Houston. Harden was throwing up some of the worst lobs I have ever seen to Dwight, whenever Dwight would get open in the box, and Harden would actually pretend to see him.
Softden and Coward are probably the two most unlikable superstars the league has ever had. HOWEVER, Harden is more unlikable at this point. Coward can at least use the excuse that he's past his prime. Injuries have made him a shell of the player he was in Orlando. But in his prime, he was a highly impactful player. Harden is at the very peak of his physical prime, and playing like he just wants the season to be over.
If he wasn't a Cali boy you wouldn't give a shit about him either. Very talented (offensively), but with a horrible playing style and horrible entitled personality.
And that Happens; There's Games where the Refs Call EVERYTHING and a Couple Guys Get 12-15 Attempts, Each...But Harden AVERAGES Double Digit Free Throw Attempts Per Game...He's Got Nearly 200 MORE FT Attempts than the Next Closest Guy to Him, Statistically...And it's Due to the Ref Baiting BULLSHIT You've Pointed Out... If a Guy Fouls You, Sooooo Be it, but Don't MANIPULATE the Refs Into Calling Something that May or May Not Have Happened...Just PLAY the Fucking Game...There's DISHONESTY in the Way Harden Operates On Offense and he's Completely INDIFFERENT on Defense...So Yeah, he's EASY to Dislike, as a Basketball Fan::...REED Couldn't Think of a WORSE Player for a Young, Up and Comer to Emulate, than James Harden... Howard, and His Ever Present Shit Eating Grin, Is FAKE as Hell, but REED Can't Recall EVER Questioning Dude ON the Court...He's NOT What he Used to Be, but Dude is STILL 1 of the More Athletic Bigs in the League...Throwing a Lob to Him ISN'T Difficult...Just Loft the Shit Towards the Rim and Let Howard Out Jump Bogut, Mozgov or Whoever is in the Paint w/Him...Even TODAY, Howard Will Win that Battle, 8 Out of 10 Times...Hell, he Caught a Lob and Dunked on Porzingis Earlier this Year, an Athletic 7'3 Guy... But it Takes 2 to Execute an Effective Lob Play...If the Passer Doesn't TRULY Want the Big to Be Successful, Shitty Lobs Ensue... REED:shit #2:
If Harden played more like Westbrook he'd be much more respected. He'd still get to the line, but he wouldn't be sabotaging his own team-mates and his own shot half the time by acting like Caspar the Unfriendly Ghost is attacking him mid drive. ...act like you give a fuck, and maybe your team-mates would have an easier time following your example. ....or maybe try to emulate his own team-mate Patrick Beverly a little bit more. He's one of the least talented guys on that team, but I swear sometimes I watch the Rockets, and it looks like he's the only one on the floor who gives a shit.
i like hardens game and said he would blow up when he left OKC. the thing is, people want him to be something he's not. He is one of the better players in the league but not good enough to carry a team to a title. what he needs is to be surrounded by better players than currently on the rockets so that he takes a step back and doesnt try to do as much. it would help if they replaced howard with a big guy who can actually play with harden in pick n rolls and hit shots.
Aldrige, Bosh, Butler, Jordan, Randle, Deron Williams Repping Texas...Along w/Smart, Mudiay and Winslow... REED:dance2:
Corny Thompson, Marcus Camby, Vin Baker, Michael Adams, Mike Gminski, Calvin Murphy bitches!!!!!!! ::
REED Was Only Naming CURRENT Players in the League w/Texas Ties... Historically, the State Has Mookie Blalock, Clyde Drexler, Grant Hill, Larry Johnson, K.C. Jones, Ricky Pierce, Dennis Rodman, Shaq and Spud Webb, Among Others... REED:kidcool:
