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@  redfaithful : (05 September 2015 - 10:48 PM) Llull line from today loss to Serbia: 30MIN 1-10PG, 0-5 3PG, 4-4FT 6AST, 1TO, 4REB, +/- -11
@  Losthief : (03 September 2015 - 02:27 AM) this dude's gun fired and all he got a misdemeanor at bush lol: http://abc13.com/new...ush-iah/815795/
@  Losthief : (03 September 2015 - 02:26 AM) theres more articles all over, but the jist is houston (and texas) doesn't really arrest for it, they just recommend you leave it in your car when they catch it. So seems dwight got lucky he was in texas and not cali or the NE.
@  Losthief : (03 September 2015 - 02:22 AM) honestly we should just be glad they caught it...
@  Losthief : (03 September 2015 - 02:21 AM) response: http://nymag.com/dai...n_airplane.html
@  Losthief : (03 September 2015 - 01:42 AM) one bullet left in the chamber is diff than fully loaded and ready to go. Still stupid...but not like he was prepared for a shooting spree.
@  jorgeaam : (02 September 2015 - 09:33 PM) http://www.tmz.com/2...t-get-arrested/
@  jorgeaam : (02 September 2015 - 09:33 PM) So according to TMZ (I know, I know) Dwight Howard had an incident last month in which he took a loaded gun into an airport, but he was allowed to give it to a friend to take it back and wasn't arrested.
@  jorgeaam : (31 August 2015 - 10:45 PM) The Los Angeles Rockets, lol
@  redfaithful : (31 August 2015 - 09:51 PM) Seems that Chuck is also on his way to the Clippers.
@  slick shoes : (24 August 2015 - 06:14 PM) ill just leave this here...
@  slick shoes : (24 August 2015 - 06:14 PM) http://www.timeandda...04&font=cursive
@  timetodienow... : (21 August 2015 - 07:20 PM) At least in my opinion.
@  timetodienow... : (21 August 2015 - 07:20 PM) I love having Terry. But the main factor was that New Orleans will NOT compete for a championship this year and the Rockets will.
@  jorgeaam : (21 August 2015 - 03:57 AM) Things that make me like the JET even more
@  jorgeaam : (21 August 2015 - 03:57 AM) Jason Terry said that he turned down a more lucrative deal from New Orleans in order to return to Houston.
@  clydesmoustache : (19 August 2015 - 08:32 AM) A year ago who would have thought I would be so happy to have Jason Terry on my team. Welcome back JET! Hurry up October!
@  cointurtlemoose : (19 August 2015 - 04:45 AM) Terry I love yooouuuuuuuuu
@  jorgeaam : (19 August 2015 - 02:38 AM) Yay Terry is back!
@  majik19 : (15 August 2015 - 09:33 PM) and i thought these shouts were limited to some number of characters!

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Houston Rockets 113, Los Angeles Clippers 100: I love this game


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#1 Red94

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    Posted 18 May 2015 - 12:18 AM

    New post: Houston Rockets 113, Los Angeles Clippers 100: I love this game
    By: Paul McGuire

    I was happy with this series just getting to a seventh game.

     

    After getting wrecked as badly as they did in the first four games, the fact that the Houston Rockets made this series competitive was good enough for me. Sure, other teams had come back from 3-1 deficits. But none had done so while getting blown out as badly as the Rockets.

     

    But the Rockets won Game 7. They led wire to wire. And aside from two scary moments early in the third  as well as the last minute of the game, they were in complete control. The lead went up to 20 in the fourth. But with less than 90 seconds, Los Angeles made a final push to get within eight points with less than 90 seconds left. Howard observed later that at that point, he thought "we can't let them pull an us on us."

     

    The Clippers did not. J.J. Redick bricked yet another three and Trevor Ariza hit the dagger trey. A few free throws later, and the series was over. The Houston Rockets are going to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in almost 20 years, when John Stockton taught my childhood self that good does not always triumph.

     

    As great as this regular season has been for the Rockets, I do think that Houston has been underrated because of the Howard injury.

     

    Houston finished with 56 wins, but had a SRS of 3.83 and an expected win total of 50 games. To put this number in perspective, last year's Rockets had a SRS of 5.06. The Clippers this season were at 6.80. The Warriors are over 10, one of, if not the highest SRS since the 1997 Bulls. In short, the Rockets got to where they were by winning a lot of close games - and as Daryl Morey has observed, good teams don't win close games. They blow out their opponents.

     

    But the reality is that Houston is better than that 3.83 mark because Dwight Howard was injured for so many games. As great as Donatas Motiejunas was this year, I cannot imagine him trying to box out and contain DeAndre Jordan throughout this series.

     

    Howard could. And Howard did.

     

    We all know how Howard has played throughout this series. How he is not wasting offensive possessions on post-ups, how he is playing the pick and roll defensive center which everyone else in the basketball universe knew he would be so good at. And that defensive boost has given the Rockets a level up which they needed to beat the Clippers.

     

    Sure, Houston needed some help. Houston probably does not win this series if Chris Paul plays in Game 2. But in addition to Howard, the Rockets made adjustments.

     

    While I have always been "meh" on Kevin McHale ( not blaming him for the Portland loss, but not praising him for how this team has played this season), every Rockets fans has to give McHale huge credit for how he coached this series. There may be no coach in this league, not even Popovich, who is as good at making players believe in themselves. It reminds me of Rudy T, who was no X's and O's genius either ( as anyone who watched the Franchise years can attest to.)

     

    Starting Josh Smith over Terrence Jones was huge. Placing Ariza on Redick at the start of games was huge. And while Doc Rivers ran his team into the ground, the Rockets were fresher and ready to thrash the Clippers by the end. Only five Clippers scored more than 2 points in Game 7.

     

    The Clippers had no depth. Everyone knew this at the beginning of this series, but Austin Rivers managed to hide that fact for a bit. But as the series dragged on, Kevin McHale made his adjustments, and the Clippers felt the aftereffects of that first round war against San Antonio, it seems like their players aside from Paul ran out of gas. Yes, Blake Griffin had 27-11 tonight. But if people can talk of how Harden did not take over this series even though his numbers are not much different from the regular season, then I can do the same for Griffin.

     

    After McHale put Smith on Griffin, Griffin wasn't terrifying like he was beforehand or like Aldridge was last year. He could be contained. He was tired. He didn't do much after someone passed him the ball when he was at the top of the key. He lobbed the ball up to Jordan a few times, but that was about it.

     

    Chris Paul fought hard, and I will go nuts on any idiot who blames him for the Clippers losing this series. He was the only Clippers who seemed willing to score in the fourth, and even had this amazingly clever play to get Howard to the foul line with less than 2 minutes left. But there isn't much Paul could do about the fact that the other Clippers perimeter players forgot how to play defense and left Trevor Ariza open for wide open three after wide open three. Nor could he do much about how the Clippers players forgot to shoot as well.

     

    To sum things up? Despite the lack of a bench, I do think Los Angeles had the better team on paper. But games are not played on paper. They are played where nerves are frayed, muscles scream in pain, and sweat drips off your brow ( or perhaps rain given the current Houston weather). Kevin McHale outcoached Doc Rivers. The Rockets showed up and shot the ball when they needed to, while Los Angeles ran out of steam.

     

    The result? The best and most important Rockets victory I have watched in my life.

     

    Now, what about the next round? Golden State is a different thing from everyone else. They have everything from shooters to creators to interior defenders to a good coach. Everyone will pick Golden State to beat Houston. Most will pick them to crush the Rockets.

     

    But most people ( including myself) thought this series was over after Game 4. And while I'm sure you will hear it a thousand times before Game 1 begins, I might as well observe it now. 20 years ago, the Houston Rockets and the runner-up MVP took on the number 1 seed in the Western Conference and their MVP candidate. 20 years ago, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets in every regular season game in the 1994-95 season.

     

    If you're reading this, you know what happened next.

     

    Maybe history will repeat itself. Maybe it will not. I do know that pretty much no matter what happens in this series, this season has been an unqualified success for the Houston Rockets.

     

    Now let's see them get ready for Round 3.


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    #2 majik19

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      Posted 18 May 2015 - 01:11 AM

      It's crazy the parallels here to 1995... If Harden can truly outplay Curry (maybe he needs to dominate him like Hakeen dominated Robinson), then maybe we can actually win this series. 

       

      Golden State having home court is huge for them though. No one can argue that there is a better building in pro basketball than the Oracle.

       

      Draymond Green is also going to be a major pain in the ass in this series. He's going to do everything he can to frustrate Howard, Smith, and Harden (and everyone else) into dumb technicals. They saw it work for the Clippers, they'll definitely try some recreational things against us.

       

      The biggest key in the next series might just be how well we can close out on their excellent shooters. We're going to need a ton of hustle to do that. And Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer need to watch a lot of Tony Allen tape from the Memphis series. 

       

      I'll be interested to see how McHale matches up the second round. Does he play Ariza on Curry, like he started him on Paul? Or does he put him on Thompson, since he plays like a much better Redick (running around screens). Does he start Jones or Smith? Does he shift to small ball frequently (since after Bogut and Thompson their bigs don't scare me)? 

       

      I'm guessing he'll use what worked in this series - Terry/Prigioni doing their best on Curry, Ariza chasing Thompson, and starting Smith. I do think we'll see more of Ariza at the 4 with Jones/Smith at the 5. Maybe even Papa will get some more non-garbage time minutes. 


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      #3 Lucas Daniel Uribe

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      Posted 18 May 2015 - 02:59 AM

      I have lived in the East Bay Area since I was 15. Oracle Arena is very loud if you have never been there before. They are unbeatable at home, but the Rockets cannot turn the ball over because they are best during a Fast Break. Green is going to a nuisance, I think McHale will stay with the lineup of J Smoove starting, he can battle Draymund. Their bench is pretty good, Livingston is Tall & will post up Jet or Pab's. Andre will matchup with Brew or Harden, better not lose him, cause he shooting the 3 ball pretty well right now. Curry and Thompson are going to get theirs, I just hope the Rockets are physical with their Guards and hopefully they miss some shots. Very Happy for the City of Houston, I used to live in Angleton & have rooted for the Rockets since the T-Mac, Yao Ming era. #Rockets #Pursuit


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      #4 CaliforniaSUPErRocket

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        Posted 18 May 2015 - 10:38 AM

        Am I Dreaming??? Or are the Rockets really in the WCF?!!
        The Western Conf Finals
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        #5 bboley24

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          Posted 18 May 2015 - 12:58 PM

          Yes... it may, or may not have just happened.


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          #6 bernardo

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            Posted 18 May 2015 - 01:49 PM

            I was dancing at the tune of that epic YMCA at the end of the game with a harden jersey on my hand. So that just happened.

             

            Really really good game. Game 7, with all that comes with it, and they win this one wire-to-wire. Just impressive. I'm kind of lost for words about the game.

            I'm a Rockets fan since 2002, when my aunt got me an nba live 2003 game. To this day, I'm still thankful to her for that, that's how I found out about this thing called the NBA and this organization called the Houston Rockets.

            In my rookie year at college, (we don't use the same name as in the USA) my hometown team won the portuguese cup and it was one of the best days of my life. 4 years later, hopefully I will be graduating this summer, and the Rockets are in the WCF. It's not the same thing for me, because I'm just a crazy Rockets fan from Portugal, but it is a really special moment anyway. Just thanks to the entire organization for putting this amazing run together, specially at this point in my life. I'm definitely loving it.

             

            Yes, I realize that I just spent more time talking about my life that the game itself, but it's how I feel right now. Enjoy this run as much as I am doing.


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            #7 thejohnnygold

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            Posted 18 May 2015 - 02:46 PM

            Where's the love for Pablo?  He notched a team best +20 on/off and was crucial for us despite his 4 point, 4 assist, 3 stl, and 0 turnover stat line.  

             

            Even his Wikipedia page gave him more love...

             


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            #8 Alituro

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              Posted 18 May 2015 - 03:06 PM

              Where's the love for Pablo?  He notched a team best +20 on/off and was crucial for us despite his 4 point, 4 assist, 3 stl, and 0 turnover stat line.  

               

              Even his Wikipedia page gave him more love...

               

               

               

              He was terrific. Great veteran leadership and he never stopped trying to do the little things, (2 pickpockets back court, and a timely Offensive rebound come to mind) that when a blowout closes to within 8 pts at the end, you realize that these little things won the game and the series. Hustle.


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              #9 bernardo

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                Posted 18 May 2015 - 03:12 PM

                JG, today there's praise to the whole team. Pablo was awesome with all that hustle and defense, besides being the steady presence that he normally is. Terry was hitting the usual shots that he hits and played some great defense. Ariza was doing ariza things. Supposed team cancer Josh Smith had another huge game for us. TJ, despite a few mistakes, was in a good level as well. Capela hit 2 FT's. Corey brewer was corey brewing all night.The H & H boys did their thing. Alright, I'll go ahead and give some love to the players who played garbage time at the end. They pratice just like every one of them. Tomorrow night is game 1 of the WCF and my mindset will be different. Today, I'm still super happy about this. Tomorrow night, let's be the underdogs that we have been all year long.


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                #10 cointurtlemoose

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                  Posted 18 May 2015 - 05:31 PM

                  PAAAAABBBLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

                   

                  Also, I would just like to note that Terry, for the last 5 quarters, is playing D like his life depended on it. I mean it's not elite by any means, but for the most part he made Paul work for his buckets (really the most anyone defending Paul can hope for). And I like how our team let Paul get all the midrange jumpers he wanted - not letting him draw help, and thereby get his teammates involved. Some of their role players dropping off was fatigue, some was just talent level, but I also thought especially in game 7 that part of it was that we weren't letting them get the consistent touches they're used to getting from Paul.

                   

                  Edit: Also, I just love how Ariza ("it's not a contract year!!1!!1!") and Smith ("cancer!!!") are proving all the national media doubters wrong (I must admit I doubted the Smith acquisition at first). They were both absolutely MASSIVE yesterday and on Thursday.

                   

                  Edit 2: Morey. What a dude. Not to take away ANYTHING from our guys fighting back in this series. But I also want to give some of this credit to Morey recovering from the Bosh gamble, and really building the 3rd or 4th deepest team in the league (when healthy, we're pushing 2nd IMO).


                  Edited by cointurtlemoose, 18 May 2015 - 05:35 PM.

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                  #11 cointurtlemoose

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                    Posted 18 May 2015 - 05:59 PM

                    Some funny takes, some insightful takes on yesterday's game:

                     

                    http://grantland.com...o-the-collapse/

                     

                    Props given to McHale, Morey, Pablo, etc.


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                    #12 JY86er

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                    Posted 18 May 2015 - 07:24 PM

                    I was always concerned with this team's effort level this season long before they looked so sluggish during these two playoff series. However, I am starting to wonder if this is a bright lights team. That they, on the whole, can't get focused until they are put under pressure. Not just regular pressure, but back to the wall, blindfolded and cold sweat pressure. If that is the case--everyone else should watch out, because you absolutely cannot beat a team like that. Not even they know how good they are until put under fire. They can take your best shot and then some, but they simply won't die.
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                    #13 rockets best fan

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                      glad you're on board, but I been on this boat since it left

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                    Posted 19 May 2015 - 02:20 AM

                    this was the most complete all around game I have seen the Rockets play against a quality opponent  this year. it seemed every player played with an intensity and hunger the Clippers were unable to match. kudos to McHale. he clearly outcoached Doc in the last three games of this series. I'm not ready to get on the McHale bandwagon just yet, however I think I will put my baseball bat in the closet for the time being :lol:


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                    you can only warn a man that the bridge is out.....if he keeps driving he's on his own B)


                    #14 NorEastern

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                      Posted 19 May 2015 - 03:23 PM

                      NBA teams by mid-season are much better than they were in the first 20 games. Why? Because it takes time for the players to understand their teammates tendencies and strengths and weaknesses, time for the coaching staff to get all of the players on the same page, time to "gel" as a team. The Rockets are just now hitting their mid-season form.


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