Eh... Playoff Robert Horry >> PJ Tucker Chucky Brown < Eric Gordon Hakeem Olajuwon >> Clint Capela Clyde Drexler < James Harden Kenny Smith < Chris Paul Sam Cassell > Austin Rivers Mario Elie > Gerald Green Pete Chilcutt < Nene
yeah, because threads like "Welcome to CHOKE CITY" are SO much better http://bbs.clutchfans.net/index.php?threads/welcome-to-choke-city.298836/
If Olajuwon is >> over Capela (and he is), Harden is double greater-than the Houston version of Clyde Drexler. And "Playoff Robert Horry" being far better than PJ Tucker? It's not even clear Horry was a better player than Tucker at all. He probably wasn't. It's awesome that the Rockets won two titles in the mid-90s, but this deifying of the players has got to stop. Olajuwon was the only great player on that team and he was truly great. The current Houston team is more talented and has been better on the court--"playoff heart" notwithstanding. Sad to say, Dream's team wouldn't have stood a chance against the Warriors of the last five years. These Rockets have, at times, been competitive at least.
I’ll make this simple. Dream is the hands the greatest center of the modern era. He commanded double and triple teams. If you did not send help he scored at will vs some of the best post defenders/centers in history(Shaq, Robinson, Ewing, Mutombo ect.) If you did not send help he would also keep the opposing front court in foul trouble. Now after you sent help, we had shooters who PROVED that they could make clutch 3’s WHEN IT MATTERED. Like in the 4th quarters of crucial playoff games. They didn’t miss 27 in a row. They didn’t hesitate when they were open. The mid 90’s role players bust teams ass in clutch situations. They didn’t shrink. Maxwell, Ellie, Cassell, and Horry were dogs defensively. Maxwell used to give some guy named MJ problems. The mid 90’s Rockets would have crowded the point line vs the 2018 Rockets. Since the current team does not take mid range shots, the defense would funnel our drivers into the Dream, who’s the best shot blocker and defensive center in history. You think Utah and Gobert gave us problems? The whole 3’s and layups offense just wouldn’t work against that team. Dream just didn’t give up layups, not even to MJ. So if you don’t want to talk about heart or ”clutchness” that’s cool. But the mid 90’s Rockets had superior role players, and a superior superstar at both ends. The mid 90’s Rockets would be a matchup nightmare for either 2018 or 2019 Rockets. Average big men have career games vs this team. We have a hard time with Looney for God’s sake. Think about it from just a basketball standpoint. How would this team match up?
Talent pool is always the same, we didnt evolve as humans in just two generations.... They were super dominant compared to their peers and there is no reason to believe they wouldnt be superior to their peers now. Give them Real bball shoes, roids of current era and lets se how Wilt, Russel and Kareem will look
I’ve watched plenty of the wilt chamberlain archives and read all about it and the more I watch the more I come to the exact opposite conclusion. It’s like watching a different sport. Defense is almost non existent. The ultra fast pace doesn’t speak to any better game... honestly combined with the little defense it makes it worse. Then there were very few teams and not near the level of competitive basketball being learned by youngsters throughout the country. The Warriors are not the best single season team ever assembled. That’s the 72-10 Bulls. But from a start to finish dynasty, if they win this year, and recognizing they still have the ability to tack in more (but even if not), to me it’s the best dynastic b-ball team ever... even if technically that term will always be the Celtics ofnokd.
Here's why this is wrong. The Rockets can't be the second best team of all time because they lost to the Golden State Warriors, and the Warriors are not the best team of all time. Both teams are built to maximize the current rules and current state of basketball. This doesn't mean it would translate to 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000. And vice versa. I'm not a fan of people trying to compare players or teams across eras, unless they understand that it's just for fun and not provable or empirical.
Warriors greatest team ever assembled? Sorry but just stop it. 93-94 Rockets would probably beat them even. And last year’s Rockets beats this year’s, but 17-18 Rockets would have to be compared to other Rockets teams of the past to even be called best Rockets team ever assembled. 85-86, 93-94, 07-08, 08-09 and probably some early day teams are up there so really, what are you even trying here?
Most NBA fans especially younger NBA fans don't know the Milwaukee Bucks had the 3rd best record in the NBA across the '80s after the Lakers and Celtics. Just a footnote...
I really enjoyed reading the OP, and enjoy reading the responses. It’s a nice departure from the gloom and doom, agree or not. Now I’ll return to hiding for a while, beset by gloom, and hoping we haven’t proved we’re doomed to ride this treadmill.
Sorry to spoil yor narrative...rockets are the better team....its just that the refs handed the series to gsw..2 years in a row now....and you know it very well, its just not politically corect to put it bluntly as i did
Yeah, thats probably why silver rigged last years game 7 and this years game 1. The far and away greatest team ever needed his help to advance to the next round.lololol...
If Morey doesn't find a way to win a title during the next year or two, these Rockets will be remembered by history exactly as the 1978-1980 Oilers are remembered: One of the best teams of that era, lead by a transcendent superstar, who were blocked from winning a title by one of the greatest teams ever. Nobody remembers those Oilers as the 2nd-best of all time, or even 2nd-best of the '70s. History isn't kind to runners up.
Kenny Smith was definitely not a semi- superstar. He was a good 3 point shooter. He refused to use his speed to his advantage enough. He played very timidly at times. Cassell was already a better player as a rookie and he saved us when he came in for Kenny in those playoffs. Also, Smith was a way below average defender. He was probably the 5th or 6th best player on those teams that won it all.
Playoffs: 1994: +3.5 1995: +3.0 2018: +1.9 2019: +3.3 Probably would look worse for Rockets 2019 if warriors went to 7 and then they had to face the bucks
