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@  rocketrick : (28 June 2017 - 04:23 PM) Let's Welcome Chris Paul to H-town!!
@  slick shoes : (21 June 2017 - 04:28 PM) Morey is locked in for four more years. Glad to have some stability at the helm after everything we've seen the last couple of weeks.
@  slick shoes : (16 June 2017 - 04:31 PM) It's a shame we don't have a first rounder this year. I did notice that the W's and the Cavs have 0 picks this year (not that they need them).
@  thejohnnygold : (16 June 2017 - 03:57 PM) Whoever picks him is going to be a happy camper
@  slick shoes : (16 June 2017 - 02:00 PM) De'Aaron Fox giving Bev a shout at the end of this piece
http://www.espn.com/...var-ball-chorus
@  slick shoes : (22 May 2017 - 05:25 PM) I can't decide if I want them to draft Ball or not.
@  thejohnnygold : (21 May 2017 - 02:50 PM) Don't worry...they'll find a way to screw it up.
@  slick shoes : (17 May 2017 - 03:52 PM) Is anyone else annoyed that the league reached out and helped the Lakers secure a top 3 pick to keep them from long term ruin?
@  Mario Peña : (13 May 2017 - 11:56 AM) It would appear James will take games off next year which is probably a good thing. Perhaps we will see some evolution from emphasis on regular season to being playoff ready both from a physical as well as a strategy standpoint.
@  rocketrick : (12 May 2017 - 05:26 AM) I personally will be rooting for the Spurs in their next matchup with Golden State in the Western Conference Finals
@  rocketrick : (12 May 2017 - 05:26 AM) Congratulations to the Spurs and Coach Pop. They completely destroyed the Rockets last night (understatement of the year)
@  DenverRocket : (12 May 2017 - 02:55 AM) Very disappointing end to an otherwise great season.
@  DenverRocket : (12 May 2017 - 01:10 AM) Stunningly bad. Out played, out coached and no one is stepping up :-(
@  slick shoes : (12 May 2017 - 01:07 AM) Well, it can't get any worse right?
@  slick shoes : (12 May 2017 - 12:35 AM) It's like Dekker has been waiting to play or something.
@  08huangj : (11 May 2017 - 12:08 PM) It is utterly baffling to me why MDA is not utilizing Dekker and Harrell. These two were integral to our dominant regular season bench!
@  DenverRocket : (10 May 2017 - 03:18 AM) Everything the TNT analysts said, I was screaming during OT. MDA blamed it on fatigue - no kidding sherlock, when you only use a 7 player rotation!
@  DenverRocket : (10 May 2017 - 03:17 AM) Sorely disappointed with that. Huge missed opportunity. I thought McHale was coaching again in overtime!
@  slick shoes : (10 May 2017 - 03:02 AM) No offensive scheme in overtime. No Parker, and no Leonard through all of overtime and you STILL can't close it out?!
@  thejohnnygold : (10 May 2017 - 02:57 AM) So much profanity in my home tonight...

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Houston Rockets 116, Phoenix Suns 100: So far, so good


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#1 Red94

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    Posted 20 February 2016 - 06:08 AM

    New post: Houston Rockets 116, Phoenix Suns 100: So far, so good
    By: Forrest Walker

    If this was the only Houston Rockets game you've watched all season, you might think they were picking up where they left off last season. The defense was solid, the passes were crisp, the final score was favorable and Ty Lawson didn't appear to be on the team. Once the Rockets learned how to put the ball in the hole, it was smooth sailing for a Rockets team clearly looking to re-establish themselves in the second half of the season. They showed that on at least one night, they can put away a team they should absolutely be able to put away. Now they just have to show themselves that this isn't a one-time deal.

     

    Rather than being rusty, the Rockets looked like they used the All-Star break to drill and improve. They might have preferred to do that a lot sooner, but if they see any kind of sustained uptick, it's better late than never. Josh Smith started over the non-existent Terrence Jones, the not-actually-suitable for power forward Clint Capela, the rookie Montrezl Harrell, and the ghost of the dearly-(trade)-departed Donatas Motiejunas. Smith wasn't exactly a help on the offensive side, but the defense was there. The whole team played defense well, and it was both surprising and mission critical.

     

    The Rockets shot remarkably badly in the first 18 minutes of the game, managing to crack 20 points in the first quarter by pace alone. Before embarking on a scorching 20-5 run in the middle of the game, the Rockets actually trailed for a time, almost completely due to their inability to score. Like last season's Rockets, the team relied on intense, athletic defense to keep the Suns to sub-40% shooting and stay with them until their own shooting regressed to the mean. Perhaps Rockets general manager Daryl Morey bought a time machine and brought last season's team in to help out. Perhaps the Rockets finally slew the pod people who had been impersonating them. Perhaps the situation finally got bad enough, and expectations got lowered enough to spur them to action. Whatever the case, it worked for a game.

     

    Ty Lawson was left out of this exercise, however, and finished the game with 1 point and 2 assists in 20 minutes.

     

    The Rockets didn't seem worse for the loss of Motiejunas, probably because he was hurt and hadn't been playing anyway. They did, however, look better without Terrence Jones, who remains in recovery from an automobile accident on February 3rd. If the Rockets have learned anything in the past year or so, it's to let players recover as fully as possible before returning to play, and hopefully Jones will be back to 100% when he does return. Hopefully he will be 100% of his good self, not the pod person version.

     

    Harden needed 3 assists for a triple double. Ariza shot 8-12. Howard changed shots on defense. The team passed the ball a lot, and they turned a lot of steals into fast breaks. Tyson Chandler was hurt, and the Suns are awful, but it was still good. It was a good and impressive game, and the Rockets did a good job. There's not much else to say about a game that could have been so much worse. All that's left is to see what they do from here on out.


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    #2 HoopsReportCard

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      Posted 20 February 2016 - 08:06 AM

      Good game. Good energy.
      1) the coach used the perfect starting lineup
      2) good defense in first half
      3) lots of effort
      4) Harden kept Howard involved.
      5) good bench play
      6) very good start to the 3rd quarter.
      Would've like to see the Rockets hold the Suns to under 100 points. But after the first half of the season, nothing really to complain about in this win.
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      #3 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 20 February 2016 - 04:08 PM

      I'm not going to get overjoyed about beating SCRUBS. however based on the way we looked against Portland before the break it was nice to see some effort


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      My new years resolution.....drink that special bottle of wine, take your son on that fishing trip, live each day as if it were my last because everyday of LIFE is special B)


      #4 thejohnnygold

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      Posted 20 February 2016 - 04:41 PM

      I'm not going to get overjoyed about beating SCRUBS. however based on the way we looked against Portland before the break it was nice to see some effort

       

      I'm with you.  While it was a good game (mostly), forgetting that Phoenix had only 1 starter from opening day (Chandler went down early leaving PJ Tucker as their only starter) would be foolish.  This is closer to a D-League team than an NBA team.

       

      The good news for Phoenix is they have the 3rd worst record in the league and are primed to lose every single game left on their schedule.  Hello, Ben Simmons/Brandon Ingram.


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      #5 slick shoes

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      Posted 20 February 2016 - 09:51 PM

      I'm with you.  While it was a good game (mostly), forgetting that Phoenix had only 1 starter from opening day (Chandler went down early leaving PJ Tucker as their only starter) would be foolish.  This is closer to a D-League team than an NBA team.

       

      The good news for Phoenix is they have the 3rd worst record in the league and are primed to lose every single game left on their schedule.  Hello, Ben Simmons/Brandon Ingram.

       

      Same here. I'm glad we won, but we should have won so big deal. Let me know when we consistently beat teams with talent and I'll start giving out high fives. 

       

      That high pick for Phoenix is great, but without a solid coaching staff set up, whomever they draft is not going go blossom. They, like us, should start making decisions (not just think) about the future and the sooner the better IMO.


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      when you win two games in a row that's called a winning streak.

      trickin' six digits on kicks and still holdin'.

      #6 thejohnnygold

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      Posted 21 February 2016 - 12:38 AM

      Same here. I'm glad we won, but we should have won so big deal. Let me know when we consistently beat teams with talent and I'll start giving out high fives. 

       

      That high pick for Phoenix is great, but without a solid coaching staff set up, whomever they draft is not going go blossom. They, like us, should start making decisions (not just think) about the future and the sooner the better IMO.

       

      Agreed.  I think they made a mistake letting Hornacek go when it was clear that Morris + injuries were the problem.  It's the front office that is the problem and they need to stop meddling.  Keeping Frye and Marcus Morris would have been better than bringing in Chandler or chasing Aldridge.

       

      Hopefully, they get it fixed because they have a lot of good, young talent.


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      #7 Willk

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        Posted 21 February 2016 - 07:14 AM

        Agreed. I think they made a mistake letting Hornacek go when it was clear that Morris + injuries were the problem. It's the front office that is the problem and they need to stop meddling. Keeping Frye and Marcus Morris would have been better than bringing in Chandler or chasing Aldridge.

        Hopefully, they get it fixed because they have a lot of good, young talent.

        It's the millenials
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