Hoops

Houston v LA Predictions?

I really do hope LA loose the series but it aint going to happen. Houston's chances to steal one early have improved with Kobe sick but they'll prob just ring in "playtime" and "LA boy" to cover for him.
HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM

"it all depends on the mood great Kobe is in - if he feels merciless expect Rockets to be destroyed - the best the best hope Rockets have is not to get Kobe angry "

Just when i think i can't laugh any more, i read it again, and i laugh even harder. My favourite bit is when you type 'the best' twice.

And for the record, the best a Denver cheerleader can hope for is not to get Kobe angry. Artest will be fine ;-)

Speaking of centers.... not enough credit given to the play of my boy Perkins.

Now i know Bynum is injured, but i made the call mid year that perkins and bynum would be even come play-off time. And i think it's justified. Perk is the leading shot blocker in the finals and is the key to the series against the magic.

I would love to have him at the jazz, and have a Boozer/Perk frontcourt...

Re: the Gordon-less Bulls. I was thinking the same thing while watching games 6 & 7. Yes, he scores a lot, but some of the crap he chucks up is terrible. He can't defend either, and the silly fouls he tries to draw, or gives away, are detrimental to the team.
The problem with the Bulls is they don't have a leader. They have 4 guys who can play well but at least two of them are battling each other to be "the man". Take Gordon out of the equation, and replace him with a proper centre, and they become a contender.

Artest vs Lebron? Ghetto gangster vs the King?

Now if only David Andersen were playing for Atlanta - he could easily cover for Williams as he brings a similar game to the table...

The thing that hurts the hawks is Marvin williams being injured.

He could shoot and help stretch the D so smokin joe could get to the paint.

I think so much comes down to how Josh Smith plays...

I think it will be Hawks/Cavs game 2 on friday for ONE HD so we should get a good look at it.


And there is money to be won on the Rockets, and i am all over it.

And that is fair enough. But did the Bulls play the Rap's in the playoffs? no.

Houston have not been ale to win in the playoffs for years, whereas the Lakers...well they know how to win in the post-season.

I reckon there will be some close games and the Rockets will win a couple...I predict a 4-2 scoreline in favour of LA.

The year the bulls won 70 games they lost twice to the Stoudamire lead Raptors.

Does that mean the Raps would be equal favourites to win a series against the bulls?

Play-offs are different.

And i'm gonna say it again for all the morons in the cheap seats- Kobe will score. He'll get 25-35 a game depending on his jumper and the officials (shout out to dcanwade) but its the rest of the team, that will not get the easy looks or mismatches they usually get during the regular season.

Because Houston can play Kobe straight up.

Scola was the Rockets leading scorer for the series against Portland.

Can't miss from the high post which is always open because of the 'Ming' factor.

And you can bet your ass Rick is looking for payback.

Los Angeles won the season series 4-0, dominating the fourth quarter of each game, with Bryant averaging 28.3 points.

I would therefore argue Artest and Battier's influence against Kobe has been minimal.

Ariza will get the job for sure. I like his athleticism but he cannot handle Artests size... I saw him play for the first time against Portland and couldn't believe how broad and muscular the upper body was compared to the lower body... Reminded me of Rodman and young Anthony Mason.

Sorry to call em chumps, they are legit NBA players, but IMO they are benefiting massively from a team that has Kobe and Gasol providing open looks and put-back opportunities galore.

Houston is going to limit that.

Also- never said Kobe wasn't going to get his. But take a look at those games.... LA averaged 111 per game, they got that once against Houston, then we see a nice steady decline...

I think Houston can hold LA to under 100 for the series, the problem is where the Rockets are gonna get their points.

Thats where the creative chaos of Artest and the bankable consistancy of Yao come in.

your quick to call L.A players chumps but did Houston beat them at all this season???
I'm not an LA fan, I'm a realist...

Side note- Bulls need to let Gordon walk. Salmons can shoot just as good, and he doesn't hurt you so much in defence. With Deng back the bulls could be ok. Rose/Sal/Deng/Thomas/Noah.

That team would make the second round.









and get swept.

I get your point there Hereschenes, but don't you think all those hard fought first round losses has given them the experience of fighting hard in every game? I really think that LA is set for a tumble.

All successful teams need an alpha dog to follow- T-Mac was not it, Artest is. He won't give any respect to Kobe, and Houston will follow his example.

In the play-offs your starters play 35 your stars play 40.

Houston has a rotation that works really well,

Brooks/Lowry at PG
Artest/Battier/Wafer on the wing
Ming/Scola/Landry in the paint.

All the guys you have quoted as being part of LA's geater depth, are not better than the Lowry/Wafer/Landry team.

There are no players that LA can exploit like they did Brewer in Utah, Houston players can all shoot.

They are a team that is 100% designed for grind it our play-off basketball with a coach who has given Phil trouble in the past.

I can't wait to see how Kobe handles this series, and the fallout from a loss.

Need i remind you guys its the play-offs?

Powell????? Mbenga????? Are you guys serious?

Morrison= chump
Vujawhatshisname= chump
Shannon Brown= chump

Now back to reality. I will be very surprised if Houston can win more than 1 game in this series.
Denver will be playing L.A in the Western Finals and Cleveland will be waiting for the winner of that one in the Finals. As much as I want Denver to beat L.A after they beat Dirk and Co I doubt it'll go down like that. It'll be Kobe Vs LeBron with Lebron coming out of it with a ring.

Dallas will beat Denver.
Celts will beat Magic.
Cavs beat Hawks.

Houston beats Dallas.
Cavs beat Celts.

Houston beats Cavs.

When on the bench, what is expected of players?

Should they be vocal and positive to the guys on the court...

Should they be silent, solemn and philosophical concentrating on the game...

or should they be relaxed and joval talking to the other bench players?

Does this change depending on age, division etc.

What are your thoughts?