128 replies to this topic

[rockets best fan]

@Buckko

so we have been riding that young and inexperience horse for 2 years now..........when do we grow up? Portland is young too, however they made it to the second round their first year in the playoffs. yet we still believe youth and inexperience is the problem?

[Cooper]

One inexperienced team beating another inexperienced team then getting rolled in the next round proves inexperience isn't an issue?

[rockets best fan]

@Cooper

true but we had more experience than them, but it didn't show

[Mario Peña]

Actually the Rockets had less experience. Lillard and Aldridge were in year two and Harden and Howard were in year one. That's a big difference plus I think Cooper is right.

[rockets best fan]

@FSS

I disagree. true Lillard and LMA have two years together, but only one in the playoffs. at the same time the rest of the team for Portland was experiencing the playoffs for the first time while the Rockets on the other hand made the playoffs last year with this same core roster except D-12 and he should have added to the experience because he's been there many times. they had a coach who was less experienced, they didn't have home court, yet they prevailed........why? in my mind that would seem to eliminate youth and inexperience

[miketheodio]

we did have 2 players who did have more playoff experience than they did. 2 guys who have been to the finals.

[Cooper]

We had inexperience at pf which is where they really got killed, another issue was Harden didn't really show his experience. Experience wasn't the only problem though.

[rockets best fan]

@Cooper

I agree we were inexperienced at PF........their position of strength. that was a match problem for us. however we have several options which should have presented matchup problems for them. it takes a team to win the series. that deficiency at PF didn't stop us from beating them 3 out of 4 this year. they adjusted.......we did not, that's the difference. they studied us and geared their defense to stop the things we feel most comfortable doing in a game while we kept trying to enforce our will without adjusting. maybe the Rockets assumption was they could overpower Portland on talent alone?  

[Mario Peña]

Lots of heavy speculation by amateurs here.

For a fact we know the Lillard/Aldridge duo performed well together and within their offense whereas the Harden/Howard combo seemed to be just starting to figure out how to play together in a series and maybe forcing too much outside the offensive system thus disrupting the entire team. It has to be noted of the four stars in that first round series James Harden failed to deliver.

Here's my heavy speculation. I believe the Rockets would have made a series with the Spurs competitive, the Blazers were bound to cool off.