Houston Rockets @ San Antonio Spurs on 10/24/13

  Eric Nielsen | October 23, 2013 at 9:46 pm

Is this the year that the Spurs and the Rockets trade places? The pendulum is swinging toward the Rockets, and they have the Spurs in their sites.  It’s improbable that the Rockets will go to the finals and the Spurs will drop to the 8th seed, but this could be Houston’s time.

Age/Experience

Experience is one of the most valuable assets in the NBA and it’s often the one most sought by GMs and coaches. It’s especially critical in the playoffs. While the Spurs have experience, the Rockets have youth and the vitality of the Rockets younger players is powerful — Harden and Parsons are 24, Llin and Beverly are 25, Howard and Asik are 27.  Getting Howard increases critical postseason experience for the Rockets and will definitely help in crunch time.

Though certainly experienced, its not clear how long the Spurs group of older men can continue at such a high level, Duncan is 37 and Ginobili is 36.  There is a high probability Duncan won’t be able to perform at last year’s rate. Popovich and Duncan are nearing the end of their careers, and when they retire, this Spurs era is done.

Stability/Chemistry

The Rockets are still building, though the foundation is stabilizing. There is no doubt Morey is one of the best in the league, but now his role will change. He’ll have to build around the stars instead of sacrificing everything to get them. Can he piece in the role players? Can he pull a  blockbuster like the Lakers getting Gasol?  The Rockets need to build on their core and stay together long enough to start a new legacy.  It will take a while to figure out how to play as a team (look at the Lake show of last year).

The Spurs have some serious history and Pop has been one of the most stabilizing and classiest coaches the league has seen.  It’ll be much more of the same this year for the Spurs, though their success will depend on how health and age is taking it’s toll.  Game six of last year’s finals was the peak for this era of the Spurs.  Had they won, Pop and Duncan could have retired on top.

Role Players/The Bench

Coming so successfully off the pine for much of his career in Boston, McHale knows the importance of the bench. For that reason this team doesn’t trade Asik early. The Rockets will spend the better part of the year seeing how he and Howard can play together (maybe 5 – 10 minutes a game), and then how Asik can lead the second team with Beverly or Lin. Can Asik learn from McHale how to happily come off the bench and dominate?

Lin won’t mind coming off the bench, it will afford him more freedom and points, making him a strong leader for the second team.  With Casspi, Asik and Garcia healthy, we’re getting an early look at a potentially great bench.

The Spurs are the masters for developing role players and getting seasoned free agents to come into the fold successfully.  Over the years, they’ve been able to fit the right pieces for the right prices to stay competitive at a high level, and rotate them in and out as they see fit.  But with the success of the Spurs depending on their aging core, this becomes much more difficult.

This year, 70% of GMs pick the Spurs to win the Southwest and 30% pick the Rockets.  40% of the GMs think the Spurs win the West, with only 3% picking the Rockets.  I believe it’s a 50/50 chance the Rockets overtake the Spurs in the standings and the playoffs this year.

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• rockets best fan says 4 months ago

  I guess this site has spoiled me. That site is trash compared to this one.

  TOTALLY AGREE. I love to discuss the Rockets, but it seems every thread on any other site quickly develops into a pissing contest :lol:this is a small community by size, but the members are a cut above.

  as for the Casspi subject..................I'm excited by what I see, but remain cautious. it appears his talents are perfect for us (ie a better version of Delfino).

• thejohnnygold says 4 months ago

  I see you have a lot of faith in Casspi too, he's on your fantasy team.

  Indeed, I have a vested interest in him doing well....I picked him up because I believe he will.

• 2016Champions says 4 months ago

  I'm trying to not get too excited about it, but if Casspi can play essentially the same role as Parsons does I think we are all going to love this forward duo. Two guys who can defend multiple positions, put the ball on the floor, finish at the rim, run fast breaks, and shoot from range with solid %'s....yes, please!

  It will help us defend teams that try to force switches to get mismatches--that no longer works in this scenario.

  To put it differently, if we could clone Parsons and play both "Parsons" together wouldn't you at least want to try it? 15 pts, 6 boards, and 4 assists apiece plus some steals and blocks. Certainly there will be times it is not useful, but I think most of the time it will and I will be surprised if this isn't our best offensive line-up after it is all said and done: Harden, Lin, Parsons, Casspi, Howard (maybe Bev...that was a close call).

  I think T-Jones winds up with the second unit where he can be more assertive and dominate against back-ups (like Summer League). He makes for an excellent complimentary defender next to Asik and along with Garcia will give us some solid defense while the starters rest.

  I see you have a lot of faith in Casspi too, he's on your fantasy team.

• thejohnnygold says 4 months ago

  I'm trying to not get too excited about it, but if Casspi can play essentially the same role as Parsons does I think we are all going to love this forward duo. Two guys who can defend multiple positions, put the ball on the floor, finish at the rim, run fast breaks, and shoot from range with solid %'s....yes, please!

  It will help us defend teams that try to force switches to get mismatches--that no longer works in this scenario.

  To put it differently, if we could clone Parsons and play both "Parsons" together wouldn't you at least want to try it? 15 pts, 6 boards, and 4 assists apiece plus some steals and blocks. Certainly there will be times it is not useful, but I think most of the time it will and I will be surprised if this isn't our best offensive line-up after it is all said and done: Harden, Lin, Parsons, Casspi, Howard (maybe Bev...that was a close call).

  I think T-Jones winds up with the second unit where he can be more assertive and dominate against back-ups (like Summer League). He makes for an excellent complimentary defender next to Asik and along with Garcia will give us some solid defense while the starters rest.

• Buckko says 4 months ago

  I just don't see Casspi as a starter, more of an offensive weapon and shooter off the bench. I have seen asik, casspi, jones, and demo play the 4, but I'm still waiting for some solid minutes for smith to help get some rust off of him from the hip injury and see how he works with Howard.

• 2016Champions says 4 months ago

  Yeah the owner of clutchfans is a really cool guy with some really smart friends but they definitely don't represent the majority unfortunately. The overall quality at RED94 is definitely higher.

• timetodienow1234567 says 4 months ago

  Man after reading that entire thread, I can see why I don't go over to Clutchfans very often. It does look like they have some good seeds there but way too many bad seeds for my taste.

  I guess this site has spoiled me. That site is trash compared to this one.

• Dan G says 4 months ago

  Would you believe me if I told you I called it 4 months ago?

  http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=240183

  Man after reading that entire thread, I can see why I don't go over to Clutchfans very often. It does look like they have some good seeds there but way too many bad seeds for my taste.

• 2016Champions says 4 months ago

  Your prediction looked more like a question to me.....still, I'll give you a little credit for believing in Morey's eye for talent. :)

  4 months ago Casspi wasn't even on the Rockets though, but great minds do think alike :)

• thejohnnygold says 4 months ago

  Would you believe me if I told you I called it 4 months ago?

  http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=240183

  Your prediction looked more like a question to me.....still, I'll give you a little credit for believing in Morey's eye for talent. :)

• 2016Champions says 4 months ago

  Casspri beating out all contenders at the 4 strikes me as the biggest shocker of the pres-season.

  Would you believe me if I told you I called it 4 months ago?

  http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=240183

• Richards says 4 months ago

  We all agreed on who start at C, SF, and SG. But different opinions on other two.

  Everybody was too high on Casspi and he thoroughly deserves the praise. .My choice for PF is Casspi to start but problem was he's not proven. We still need a plan B at PF position just in case he faltered.

  Rahat and Jason Friedman pointed out that Lin's improvement so far is ability to impact the game while shots weren't falling. I saw a few lefty layup and better shooting touch (yep, his shooting was bad last two games). Bev's improvement aren't very visible but he was able to stay in the game without fouling out (that was my biggest worry for him). We all knew Lin is better at offense and Bev at defense. Eye test show Bev looks more comfortable with starters. But Lin still put up better assists and same stat line as Bev for rebound, steal, foul etc. But major weakness for Lin is his turnovers which he didn't improve so far.

  I don't know what to say who should start at PG. I hate to take away Lin's PNR with Howard and his passing ability. Man, I am glad I am not the coach.

• vonsteve says 4 months ago

  I don't ever remember a Rockets team as versatile as this team, when it comes to the amount of different styles we can play. Obviously, we should have a primary system that's our most efficient. But it's nice knowing we've got the players to mix it up in pretty much any way if need be.

• Juan Grande says 4 months ago

  • It's looking like this is the final rotation. Asik, Parsons, Howard, Harden, Beverley, Lin, Casspi, Garcia. Even though T. Jones was injured, I don't think he has shown enough to justify minutes, especially when it would come at the expense of the team's 2nd and 3rd best players. It will be Casspi and Parsons as the stretch fours

  
  

  Casspri beating out all contenders at the 4 strikes me as the biggest shocker of the pres-season.

• Rahat Huq says 4 months ago
  • It's looking like this is the final rotation. Asik, Parsons, Howard, Harden, Beverley, Lin, Casspi, Garcia. Even though T. Jones was injured, I don't think he has shown enough to justify minutes, especially when it would come at the expense of the team's 2nd and 3rd best players. It will be Casspi and Parsons as the stretch fours to close out games.
  • Even though his shooting numbers were poor, I am really liking Lin at that 6th man spot. He's looked more comfortable than he had at any time last year, being able to attack the hoop without needing to worry about setting up the offense and being an actual floor general.
  • It seems they plan to have the other of Asik/Howard planted at the rim while the other one is used as the roll man, with the dumpoff to either end, when both are on the floor. This worked a few times last night, while overall, it's looked extremely congested with both of them. If Asik could just actually catch, both players' inability to shoot/pass wouldn't be as big an issue...but I digress. Overall though, I think what you gain in defense/rebounding is enough to warrant keeping Asik, to make it worth those first few minutes of awkwardness to start the 1st and 3rd. I just don't feel Ryan Anderson is enough of an upgrade over Parsons/Casspi/Garcia to warrant giving up Asik and what he brings.
  • My favorite play from the game was one that won't show up on any highlight reels. Midway through the 3rd, Mills ran Beverley into a pick and roll. Asik deftly picked him up then forced the reswitch back to Beverley. Someone attacked the hoop and Howard was there to contest, forcing the missed shot.
• Alituro says 4 months ago

  As an intense NBA fan of the 1980's I should also mention how consistent the Lakers and the Celtics rotated their players. It was like clockwork and very predictable and probably perfect for the players of that time as everyone clearly knew and accepted their role. Why shouldn't that same strategy work with the today's players?

  I think the main issue with that today, is the varying physical make-up from team to team. I moved to Houston in '81 at 8 years old, didn't really follow NBA hard until '85 or '86 when I understood alot more about the game. But, In those days, roles and positions were more clearly defined than they are in today's game. 2-guards were almost never ball handlers, and PFs were screen setters, defensive stoppers and rebounders, PGs rarely looked to score first. Today the roles and positions are less defined as you basically have 3 positions spread out among 5 players, guards, wings and posts. It is imperative to be flexible enough with your rotations to match or counter the oppositions lineup. To set in stone any static rotations, IMO would be disastrous today. Some days you may be facing 1 guard, 3 wings and 1 post, where other days you could be facing 2 guards, 1 wing, and 2 posts.

• rocketrick says 4 months ago

  As an intense NBA fan of the 1980's I should also mention how consistent the Lakers and the Celtics rotated their players. It was like clockwork and very predictable and probably perfect for the players of that time as everyone clearly knew and accepted their role. Why shouldn't that same strategy work with the today's players?

• rocketrick says 4 months ago

  Energy off the bench is going to be key. As will be consistency with the starting lineup vis-à-vis 1993-94 Rockets. Coach Rudy T always let the players that were on finish the game, and to me that is more important than anything. Still, having a set lineup to start the game is also important as that sets the table, so to speak, as to everyone's role in the overall team.

• Alituro says 4 months ago

  No matter which lineup begins the game, I have a hunch that the Rockets are going to be a bit slow at the start before picking up the slack as the first quarter proceeds and onward...................

  I agree, by slow, though you mean offensively I'm sure? That's why I like a defensive oriented starting line-up, to keep the other team slow too.

• Alituro says 4 months ago

  So very, very, very sorry to burst your bubble dude, but that was Jeremy Lin that started the game against Dallas both at the beginning of the game and at the start of the 3rd quarter

  My bad, coulda swore it was Bev.. Should check my facts first, I know.

  I did like last night's starting lineup though.

• rocketrick says 4 months ago

  No matter which lineup begins the game, I have a hunch that the Rockets are going to be a bit slow at the start before picking up the slack as the first quarter proceeds and onward...................

• rocketrick says 4 months ago

  Beverley, Harden, Parsons, Howard, Asik... That's our starting line-up right there, two division games in a row and that's what McHale trotted out, also second time he kicked off the 3rd quarter with the same...

  I like it, mainly because it sets the defensive tone early. There will be some offensive miscues in the post, here and there, but it is easy to make up for it with Harden on the floor and to mask it with lock down defense. Then once the opposing coach thinks he's got us figured out, we counter with small ball with DH in the post, and 4 others jacking up 3s. We just have so many weapons and the ability to completely rotate styles of play in an instant, that we will not be easy for any team including Miami.

  Beverley and Lin split minutes, clocking in at 29 and 23 respectively. Howard and Asik recorded 30 and 24 respectively. There's no way any of those 4 can be unhappy if this is the type of balance we can expect season long. It will preserve the health and almost completely erase any fatigue. KEEP ASIK!

  I did see one play early where Asik and Howard fought each other for a low post rebound on D. Howard was immediately "coached" by McHale at the sidelines. I wonder what was said? Probably something along the line of let Asik clean up on D and trot back and establish your position down low early, let Asik trail and pick up the first high screen, while he gets set on the weak side. This WILL work. It just remains to be seen if Howard can easily break his "Center" habits for some stretches.

  Lin dominates 2nd units, and absolutely needs to be relegated to such a role. While he still seems to struggle finding his place offensively with Harden on the floor. We need not worry about Bev struggling offensively at those times, because that's not what we need him for nor what he does best. Bev definitely needs to be on the floor to start games and get in the starting PGs head early.

  Anybody have a clip of Pop's post game reaction?

  So very, very, very sorry to burst your bubble dude, but that was Jeremy Lin that started the game against Dallas both at the beginning of the game and at the start of the 3rd quarter

• Alituro says 4 months ago

  I find it intriguing, with our Twin Towers line up, when Asik starts the high PnR and neither player are able to make anything of it, we outlet to Howard on the weak side about 14' out near the baseline for a post-up. Whereas with a stretch 4 in the post, it would be kicked over to the corner. But, Howard lurking where he is, presents an interesting problem for the opposition because he can't be left with one defender, unlike the sniping, stretch 4 could be. The double is going to have to come from one of the defenders on the PnR in order to get there in time. This is how it works, and the 14' space Howard is giving up is enough for the PnR to operate initially.

• Alituro says 4 months ago

  Beverley, Harden, Parsons, Howard, Asik... That's our starting line-up right there, two division games in a row and that's what McHale trotted out, also second time he kicked off the 3rd quarter with the same...

  I like it, mainly because it sets the defensive tone early. There will be some offensive miscues in the post, here and there, but it is easy to make up for it with Harden on the floor and to mask it with lock down defense. Then once the opposing coach thinks he's got us figured out, we counter with small ball with DH in the post, and 4 others jacking up 3s. We just have so many weapons and the ability to completely rotate styles of play in an instant, that we will not be easy for any team including Miami.

  Beverley and Lin split minutes, clocking in at 29 and 23 respectively. Howard and Asik recorded 30 and 24 respectively. There's no way any of those 4 can be unhappy if this is the type of balance we can expect season long. It will preserve the health and almost completely erase any fatigue. KEEP ASIK!

  I did see one play early where Asik and Howard fought each other for a low post rebound on D. Howard was immediately "coached" by McHale at the sidelines. I wonder what was said? Probably something along the line of let Asik clean up on D and trot back and establish your position down low early, let Asik trail and pick up the first high screen, while he gets set on the weak side. This WILL work. It just remains to be seen if Howard can easily break his "Center" habits for some stretches.

  Lin dominates 2nd units, and absolutely needs to be relegated to such a role. While he still seems to struggle finding his place offensively with Harden on the floor. We need not worry about Bev struggling offensively at those times, because that's not what we need him for nor what he does best. Bev definitely needs to be on the floor to start games and get in the starting PGs head early.

  Anybody have a clip of Pop's post game reaction?

• rocketrick says 4 months ago

  I still maintain the final roster slot comes down between Greg Smith and Robert Covington. Unless the Rockets are privy to non-public information regarding Camby's foot injury that leads them to believe it is career ending.

• Buckko says 4 months ago

  Greg Smith looks horrible out there..

  I disagree, he's been injured for a awhile so he's a bit rusty which you saw in those 2 failed layup attempts when he should've dunked, however he did make a nice pocket pass and grabbed some boards.

• Red94 says 4 months ago New post: Houston Rockets 109, San Antonio Spurs 92: The Twin Towers can work.
  By: Paul McGuire
  
  

  In the aftermath of the past game against Dallas, there were worries about how well the Asik-Howard lineup would work given that the results were not exactly the best.  That, however, was arguably the worst case scenario, as Asik was still recovering from his calf injury and the presence of Dirk Nowitzki means that Dallas is possibly the worst possible team to use Asik-Howard.  Against San Antonio, this is not the case, as neither Duncan nor Splitter are great jump shooters.

  The result?  Better than any words that I can write, one single statistic can sum up the potential impact of playing both center together.  For the first 8 minutes of the third quarter, where Asik-Howard played and Houston blew the game open, the San Antonio Spurs, with an All-NBA First Team big man in Tim Duncan, failed to score a single point in the paint.  Not one point.  And over the relevant portions of the game, San Antonio managed to score only 22 points in the paint before they boosted it to a still pathetic 30 points when Kevin McHale threw Greg Smith out there for the last 7 minutes of play.  It was a dazzling display of defensive dominance.

  Of course, most of the arguments that Asik-Howard cannot work have focused on the offensive end, under the idea that two big men who both cannot shoot and are not great passers can work together.  However, the third quarter showed that the team can work offensively even playing that lineup.  After a lackluster first half, Harden erupted during the third quarter.  His jump shot started failing, which opened up more room for him in the paint than what the Rockets centers closed off, and Houston’s offense ensured that the ball was always being passed to the right place, whether it was to shooters like Parsons in the corner or to the center for putbacks and dunks – the “offensively challenged” lineup of Beverley-Harden-Parsons-Howard-Asik scored 25 points in less than 8 minutes.  San Antonio kept pace with the Rockets for the entire first half, due to sloppy play in the first quarter (Houston finished with 13 turnovers for the game, but 7 of them occurred in the opening period) and the Spurs’ jump shooters heating up in the second.  But once the Twin Towers completely and totally shut down the paint in the 3^rd quarter, Houston went on a rampage, and in the process, showed how this team can win without any trade scenarios for Ryan Anderson or Jeff Green.

  • The one problem with the big men in tonight’s game was Mr. Howard’s post-ups.  Howard had 5 post-up attempts in the first half, when the game was relatively close.  All 5 of them failed, and 4 of the post-ups turned into turnovers.  When asked about it during the TNT Coach’s Corner, McHale blew it off by stating that 2 of the turnovers were passes to Asik which the Turkish center bobbled, but it is problematic given Howard’s interest in post play.  Howard did a much better job receiving passes from Harden and Parsons and finishing, as he did manage to finish with 15 points on 10 shots and gobbled up 16 rebounds.
  • Lin did not have a great boxscore result, but there were definite positives to be taken from tonight’s game.  The biggest?  He actually went left, and finished successfully in the process while using his left hand as opposed to the normal “switch to the right hand at the last moment” which he does far more often.  Lin’s stat line, where he finished 3-9 with 11 points for the night, was due to him repeatedly challenging the larger San Antonio defenders at the rim.  While he failed to budge them more often than not, this aggressiveness is important for Lin, who so many times last season was more than willing to stand around and turn into Mario Chalmers part deux as Harden rampaged around the rim.
  • After two sub-par scoring games against Dallas and Orlando, Omri Casspi bounced back in a big way, managing 16 points on 11 shots.  But what was really impressive was Casspi’s effort and defense.  For lack of a more creative word, Casspi fights.  He fights with power forwards that are bigger and stronger than he is, denying them position and slowing the San Antonio offense.  He is fully capable of handling lesser bigs like Jeff Ayres or Aron Baynes, and against tougher big men like Duncan who are too much for Casspi?  Well, that’s the more reason to ensure that Asik stays around.
  • In both the Dallas game and tonight’s game, Coach McHale seems to be using an 8-man rotation, with Beverley, Casspi, and Garcia serving as the main bench role players.  I expect Terrence Jones to play spot minutes once he returns from his shoulder injury, but with the regular season beginning in four days, it’s clear that Houston really possesses a versatile lineup.  There are finishers, there are defenders, there are shooters, there are passers, there are rebounders, and there are two superstars.  Houston isn’t a championship favorite, and frankly it will never be as long as King James reigns in South Beach.
• rocketrick says 4 months ago

  HI Eric............WELCOME to the forum :)we have already dissected that survey. gotta be quick to get original stuff here :lol:

  on the game tonite........I am PUMPED. I don't usually curse, but in this one instant I feel it appropriate.in that 3rd quarter we kicked their ASS. plain and simple, and they were unable to stop the bleeding. I felt that was a small flash of our potential. if it's one thing San Antonio hang their hat on is defense, but they were helpless to stop us from doing pretty much whatever we felt like doing. YEAH I know it's preseason, but getting this close to the season coaches are ramping up their starters minutes and the only impact player who didn't play was Kawhi. I know Ginnbili didn't play, but to me he will be adiminished playerthis year. I bet we got Pop's attention.

  I missed the first half but managed to see most of the second half, particularly all of the 3rd quarter, and finally the Rockets showed more than a glimpse of what they are capable of this season. Exciting too that they had the best run with both D12 and Asik on the court. What more can be said about Francisco Garcia and Omri Casspi............they just need to stay healthy as the quality of our depth diminishes quickly after our 8-man rotation (plus possibly one of T Jones and Motiejunas).

  Instead of a blockbuster trade by the Trade Deadline, I am more inclined to believe that Morey and the Rockets will try to further improve our depth this season.

• rockets best fan says 4 months ago

  Here's the link to the story by NBA.com surveying the GMs.

  http://www.nba.com/news/2013-14-nba-gm-survey/

  HI Eric............WELCOME to the forum :)we have already dissected that survey. gotta be quick to get original stuff here :lol:

  on the game tonite........I am PUMPED. I don't usually curse, but in this one instant I feel it appropriate.in that 3rd quarter we kicked their ASS. plain and simple, and they were unable to stop the bleeding. I felt that was a small flash of our potential. if it's one thing San Antonio hang their hat on is defense, but they were helpless to stop us from doing pretty much whatever we felt like doing. YEAH I know it's preseason, but getting this close to the season coaches are ramping up their starters minutes and the only impact player who didn't play was Kawhi. I know Ginnbili didn't play, but to me he will be adiminished playerthis year. I bet we got Pop's attention.

• Eric Nielsen says 4 months ago

  Here's the link to the story by NBA.com surveying the GMs.

  http://www.nba.com/news/2013-14-nba-gm-survey/

• tombrokeoff says 4 months ago

  one of the most exciting preseason games ive ever watched. that was awesome! 3rd 1/4 was unreal. this team is gonna be exciting. id love to take the over on the season win total. as long as they stay healthy *knock on wood* theyre gonna win a lot of games having fun out there.

• Drew in Abilene says 4 months ago

  I got to watch bits and pieces of the game, and I liked what I saw.The miscues were certainly there, but there was some serious chemistry and people working hard. This looked like a team that was out to measure themselves against the class of the West from last year. Sure, the Spurs were resting guys and Duncan didn't play as much as he would have in a normal game, but the Rockets still managed to do some impressive things. I can't wait for the regular season to start!

• bboley24 says 4 months ago

  So that was amazing to say the least.
  
  Asik looked like a nobody out there and he was somewhat productive. This team is scary.
  
  MoTE looked great. Still doing stupid rookie moves but he is looking more confident.
  
  Looks like reggie is officially gone.

• 2016Champions says 4 months ago

  Greg Smith looks horrible out there..

• 2016Champions says 4 months ago

  What a monster 3rd quarter by James. I know it's only pre season but I'm loving how good we look!

• 2016Champions says 4 months ago

  Last year we wouldn't even be in the game if we shot this horribly against the Spurs, but our defense has definitely improved so we're now a team that can find other ways to win.

• timetodienow1234567 says 4 months ago

  Only Casspi impressed me in the first half.

• rockets best fan says 4 months ago

  Eric I totally agree. I know we have counted them out before only to look foolish as they continued to deny father time his proper due. however I don't believe Duncan can reproduce last years results again. Yes he will still have some effectiveness, but not nearly to the same degree. TTDN I agree Kawhi will blossom this year, but I don't believe it will be enough to get them over the hump. I think their championship window closed last year. they will still be a very good regular season team, but deep post season runs will be a thing of the past. the western conference has improved around them to the degree that they simply don't have the horses to win the race anymore.

• timetodienow1234567 says 4 months ago Is this the year Kawhi becomes an all star?