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@  RollingWave : (05 May 2013 - 09:37 AM) Irving still need to work on a few things (most notably defense), his performance considering his age is great.
@  Dan G : (04 May 2013 - 06:50 AM) Damn..who knew tonight was gonna be close out the series night? Four Games 6s and four closeouts.
@  feelingsuper... : (04 May 2013 - 06:28 AM) Whatever comes the next few seasons (barring injuries) it will be hard to match the unadulterated excitement we had watching these young Rockets this past year, it was definitely some kind of roller coaster ride...
@  thenit : (04 May 2013 - 04:36 AM) Irving will be nasty good when LBJ will return to Cleveland as the lost son
@  thenit : (04 May 2013 - 04:36 AM) good night everyone, have a great summer and I won't be posting until july 1st. Still a proud rocket
@  LMAOwais : (04 May 2013 - 04:35 AM) i really do hate the prospect of mulling over every little piece of FA news this summer, but life of  fan I guess.
@  2016Champions : (04 May 2013 - 04:35 AM) Watch out for Irving though, that kid is shockingly good for someone who just turned 21. I wonder who will be the better player in 2 years.
@  thenit : (04 May 2013 - 04:34 AM) so small margins
@  thenit : (04 May 2013 - 04:34 AM) Overall a good season though didn't expect to get this far, but its always hard when you get your hopes up, imagine if that ball KD shot in game 3 didn't fall
@  2016Champions : (04 May 2013 - 04:33 AM) Yeah in 2 years Harden is top 10 for sure, hopefully top 5.
@  thenit : (04 May 2013 - 04:33 AM) I wish we could fastforward to july 2nd and know what happened during Free agency
@  thenit : (04 May 2013 - 04:32 AM) those 10 I named I take over Harden TODAY, but in 2 Years, LBJ and KD are the only 2 I would pick over, maybe Westbrook and George
@  2016Champions : (04 May 2013 - 04:30 AM) I can't name 10 player I would take over Harden, but I can name 10 players who played better in the first round.
@  thenit : (04 May 2013 - 04:30 AM) but if you say if I take them over Harden in 2 years its KD, LBJ for sure, the rest probably not
@  pharmag : (04 May 2013 - 04:29 AM) True nit, but again fixable.  With an offseason to play together, we should see a pretty big improvement.  I think even with the current roster and an offseason, this team can challenge for top 4 seed
@  thenit : (04 May 2013 - 04:29 AM) some of them are valued about the same as harden or less, but their overall package with D and attitude puts them over the top
@  thenit : (04 May 2013 - 04:29 AM) KD, Westbrook, Parker, Duncan, LBJ, Wade, Curry, D12, Melo, Paul George,
@  thenit : (04 May 2013 - 04:27 AM) Pharm: yea but thats the same on Offense, if he doesn't have the ball he just stands 5 feet behind the arc
@  PKM : (04 May 2013 - 04:27 AM) Name 10 players you would take over Harden right now.
@  thenit : (04 May 2013 - 04:27 AM) PKM: I agree there, but he stole the ball twice from Harden that led to 5 easy points

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The Rockets Daily - April 24, 2013


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#1 Red94

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    Posted 24 April 2013 - 04:29 AM

    New post: The Rockets Daily - April 24, 2013
    By: John Eby

    Chill Pill - Via the team's official site, McHale is making adjustments, he thinks the problems that led to the 29-point game 1 blowout are correctable, and he has faith in Jeremy Lin:

    Quote:

    “After spending the year with (Jeremy Lin), I feel his best attribute is his toughness. He’s going to bounce back and play hard tomorrow. I’m not worried about that at all. It’s the first game, a lot of stuff happened. He’ll play better and we’ll all play better.

    “He’s a tough kid who’s bounced back many times this year. Everybody has bad games. He’ll bounce back and play better.”

    I was a little shocked to see how relaxed  McHale seemed during his post-practice interview. I don't know if that's because the Rockets have nothing to lose but pride by being demolished by the no. 1 seed, or because--as he points out--in his playing days the Celtics destroyed teams which then came back to beat them the very next day.

    Also, Terrence Jones addressed media after practice, while Greg Smith did not. Read into that what you will. Hopefully Smith was too busy practicing closeouts on corner threes.

    Always A Bridesmaid - As the Houston Chronicle reports, Asik, Harden and Parsons were all in the top 10 in voting for the Most Improved Player Award, which ultimately went to a well-deserving Paul George.



    On Leadership - Sports Illustrated will be running a much-ballyhooed profile on Kevin Durant in a coming issue, which Ben Golliver previewed at The Point Forward. Of some significance to Rockets fans, as I'll explain in a moment, are Durant's comments on leadership:

    Quote:

    Previously, if power forward Serge Ibaka blew a box-out, Durant would tell him, “It’s O.K. You’re going to get it next time.” But the stakes had risen. “You want to get to the Finals again, and you think everything should be perfect, and it’s not,” Durant says. “So I’d scream at him and pump my fist.”

    Durant goes on to talk about "positive energy," but the point is clear: it's not just a game anymore. I can't help of thinking about James Harden's visible frustration with Omer Asik's stone-handed inability to catch passes when reading that quote. It's hard not to think that much of what Harden thinks about being a franchise player was learned from Durant. But the difference between the Harden-Asik relationship and the Durant-Ibaka relationship seems significant. Durant can bark at teammates with whom he has established trust and friendship over several years.

    For the Rockets, that relationship is still taking root. The pressure of playoff series like this one has the potential to strengthen those bonds, or create cracks that become fissures as the team grows. As Phil Jackson said, "There's more to basketball than basketball."

    Losers - That's how Zach Lowe at Grantland categorizes Houston's defense. He breaks down their breakdowns from Sunday's game, then adds this disclaimer:

    Quote:

    Houston isn't ready for this, and that's fine; this is Year 1 of a long-term project, and the Rockets are ahead of schedule.

    It sounds like Lowe and McHale are drinking the same Drank about Houston's struggles.

    Hypothetical Genius - Ballerball has some fun with Daryl Morey's CBA wizardry:

    Quote:


    Morey plans to sign the stars to five “Quarter-Length” contracts. This means that, for five quarters in the series, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will play for the Houston Rockets.


    “There is nothing in the CBA that says we can’t,” says Morey.


    Morey plans to front load the first two quarters so it does not affect the cap.


    “I love the city of Houston, The Dream, and Phi Slamma Jamma. I just want to help this team win a couple of quarters,” Durant was quoted as saying.


    “Houston, we have a Westbrook!” Westbrook tweeted early Monday Morning.



    In the immortal words of Steven Tyler, "dream on."


    Got any sweet links or suggestions? Email them to jeby901@gmail.com or message @EbyNews on Twitter.



    #2 Ostrow

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      Posted 24 April 2013 - 05:11 AM

      McHale should be relaxed. The Rockets are at least one year ahead of schedule, maybe two.  This series has to be about experience, and it would be great for them to get a win so they know what that's like.



      #3 feelingsupersonic

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      Posted 24 April 2013 - 05:30 AM

      I completely agree Ostrow.

       The 2013 Red94 Fantasy Basketball League Champion


      #4 Rahat Huq

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        Posted 24 April 2013 - 11:35 AM



        i think the difference between durant-ibaka and harden-asik is the nature of the error committed. ironically i actually was thinking about this last night without even having read this or having read that quote. i don't find a problem with getting on someone about blowing a defensive assignment because that's a lack of focus. i have a problem with getting on someone for a physical inability - asik just can't catch. not only that, but a lot of those passes are really bad.




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