2007-2008 NBA Thread

[DMN in the House]

I think Walton was around for the 2004 run, and most of the team was around for the playoff series against the Suns. Its not like they're completely devoid of playoff experience.

[livid]

If Kobe doesn't win MVP this year, I don't doubt that he'll go his entire career without getting one. Which is a shame, given that he's the best player I've ever seen. (Unfortunately for me, I wasn't given the pleasure of seeing Magic)

Yeah and Odom's had a few games of playoff experience, as well. But who really needs a ton of playoff experience when the coach has a ring for each of his fingers? I think he has enough for everybody.

[Trey]

Being from Illinois and growing up playing basketball, I'll always be in the camp that calls Jordan the best ever, though I have Magic as a pretty close second. I didn't get to watch Magic live, but I have seen a lot of his games and he just made everyone around him so much better. I compare LeBron and Kobe today to Jordan and Magic, with Kobe being Jordan and LeBron being Magic. Granted, it's said a lot (though not as much lately because Kobe has started sharing the ball), but I think that these two guys are this generations version of those two players and could be the closest we see to that level of play for a long, long time.

[SeanB]

So how about those Houston Rockets? I don't care what anyone says... 20 straight wins in the NBA is 20 straight wins in the NBA. Very impressive, even if they don't win a chip.

[livid]

Nah...12 straight with Yao, 8 straight without.

It's an impressive feat but don't hold too much stock in it given that they've played some pretty bad teams in that run. And in this run of their's, they have played some good teams (Charlotte, Dallas, Cleveland) but they haven't played San Antonio, Los Angeles (Lakers) or Boston yet.

That and they're dead in the water. Come playoff time, they'll be one and done...just like always.

[DMN in the House]

We'll see how good they really are when they play the Lakers.

[jonnycomelately]

The Houston Rockets now own the second longest winning streak in NBA History at 21 games, after beating the Bobcats last night. This is an astounding run they've been on, alot without Yao Ming, but honestly I think it'll hurt them come playoff time. Tracy McGrady can't carry an entire team by himself through even a first round of the playoffs as he's shown on more than one occasion so I personally don't forsee a Colorado Rockies-esque run to the Finals for H-Town. With that being said, I hope Houston does well and they create an even more exciting Western Conference playoffs than already expected.

[EWRFan]

I am really looking foward to Sunday's game with the Lakers, one of the few regular season games I am going to make an extra effort to see.

[maninblack]

The Houston Rockets now own the second longest winning streak in NBA History at 21 games, after beating the Bobcats last night. This is an astounding run they've been on, alot without Yao Ming, but honestly I think it'll hurt them come playoff time. Tracy McGrady can't carry an entire team by himself through even a first round of the playoffs as he's shown on more than one occasion so I personally don't forsee a Colorado Rockies-esque run to the Finals for H-Town. With that being said, I hope Houston does well and they create an even more exciting Western Conference playoffs than already expected.

[livid]

I wouldn't say that they shut McGrady's offense down as he only had taken 9 shots into the 4th quarter or something like that. It was more of him being an unselfish player, allowing his teammates to get open and make shots.

That being said, I'll give the Rockets credit for beating the Lakers. Though, with Gasol out, I do wonder if the outcome would've been different.

[DMN in the House]

All credit to the Rockets, but I don't think they do the same to the Lakers in a seven game series. Especially considering that the Lakers will be getting Gasol and Bynum back, and there's no Yao on the horizon for Houston.

That said, congrats on a big win to the Rockets, as they now sit atop the West.

[Toe]

The Raptors have been in a tailspin since losing Chris Bosh. Luckily for them, they have put themselves into a good position where they would need to really suck ass for the rest of the season to miss the playoffs. Bosh is returning soon, so hopefully the team can turn it around and start playing some better basketball. They need to be 4th or 5th to have a good shot at getting past the first round.

[maninblack]

I wouldn't say that they shut McGrady's offense down as he only had taken 9 shots into the 4th quarter or something like that. It was more of him being an unselfish player, allowing his teammates to get open and make shots.

That being said, I'll give the Rockets credit for beating the Lakers. Though, with Gasol out, I do wonder if the outcome would've been different.

[CQI13]

We would like to thank the Seattle Sonics for showing up against the Nuggets. Way to play defense at the end to prevent them from getting to 170. What an embarrassment. No pride whatsoever. Sure their season has been over for a while now, but they're still getting paid and they're still charging admission to their games, last I checked. They should at least be trying. And no one seemed to do anything when the Nuggets were doing playground stuff when they were up by almost 50. Have some self respect!

[maninblack]

And Houston's winning streak ends at the hands of the visiting Boston Celtics.

It was a very good run while it lasted. Hopefully they can win enough games to get a good seeding in the first round, though I'm not sure if that actually exists given how competitive the West is at the moment.

[CQI13]

if they lose 2 out of the next 4, they'd be looking at like a 6 seed, right? That's a ridiculously competitive conference.

[Maxx]

Unless they get the Warriors or the Mavericks in the first round, I can't see the Rockets advancing past the first round. They've got no real presence inside, and in the west, that will kill you in a 7 game series

[JStarr]

Unless they get the Warriors or the Mavericks in the first round, I can't see the Rockets advancing past the first round. They've got no real presence inside, and in the west, that will kill you in a 7 game series

Agreed. Dikembe's 2 ppg won't be a big factor, and I'm not betting on guys like Landry (even though I love my Purdue brethren) or Scola against people like Dirk or Shaq.

But, Houston against Golden State or Denver would be a sick fucking series. It'd look like ABA scores, 130-124 every night if Alston could keep hitting.

[thuganomic]

How do you figure? There's no way Golden State or Denver scores over 110 against the Rockets. I'd say they'll have trouble cracking 100. High scoring games. Thy answer is Shane Battier.

[DMN in the House]

Houston's problem is that, while the other top teams in the West, most noticeably the Lakers, are going to get healthy (barring future injury, of course. If Kobe goes down, LA is done), and they aren't. That's going to hurt come playoff time, when things get tighter, the game gets more physical, and bigs matter a little bit more. The Rockets are a good team, but without Yao I don't think they have the pieces to make a playoff run.