The blazers, Damian Lollards emo complaining ass, their annoying fans and announcers really make me hope we wipe the floor with them tomorrow. Don’t think we will since we’re a bit on cruise but it would be nice
It was one meaningless end of regular season game where everyone were carefully aware of not going full bore to pickup any injuries
good thing Clutch Fans aren't in charge of this thing http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ngs-our-expert-panel-unveils-rankings-week-26 CBS clearly doesn't see it this way though https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...ture-and-race-for-lottery-balls-taking-shape/
still number one on NBA.com, none of this Sixers bandwagon b.s. http://www.nba.com/powerrankings/2017-18-week-26
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...-they-belong-lebrons-lakers-crack-the-top-10/ 2. Rockets -- The Rockets' offseason was suspect -- losing Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute will hurt -- but this team is still a historic offensive powerhouse. If Carmelo Anthony can adapt to his new role like Chris Paul thinks he will, the Rockets could challenge the Warriors http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...t-worst-cases-toughest-stretches-all-30-teams 4. Houston Rockets BPI projected wins: 52.8 Previous rank: No. 3 Best case: 61-21 We're sure this is the best case for a team that won 65 games last season despite extended injury absences for James Harden and Chris Paul? It'd be surprising if the Rockets aren't a historically elite offensive team again. If they don't drop off much defensively -- and Houston firmly believes James Ennis can come close to replicating Trevor Ariza's impact on that end -- the Rockets could make a run at the NBA's best record for the second straight season. Worst case: 45-37 In this scenario, injuries hit even harder than last season, when Harden missed the most games of his career and Paul sat out more games than he has in any season since 2009-10. New acquisition Carmelo Anthony creates chemistry problems because he grumbles about not starting (or finishing) games. The Rockets return to defensive mediocrity due to the losses of Ariza, Luc Mbah a Moute and associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik. Toughest stretch: February Eight of the Rockets' 12 games this month are on the road. That includes a high-altitude back-to-back in Denver and Utah to begin the month and a Lakers/Warriors trip coming out of the All-Star break. There are some cupcakes on this month's schedule, though, including trips to Sacramento and Phoenix and a home game against the Hawks.
There goes the disrespect again. So Boston and the Raptors are going to be better than the Rockets? Ok.
plus GS, how are they better than us right now with cousins out till feb? we bettered them by 7 games the previous reg season with numerous injuries on our side plus resting the final 10 days. f'n media WHORES
What's most annoying about the ESPN blurb -- even more than the contradiction of the point about injuries last year to this year, in view of our record last year -- is the complete lack of respect for Morey. How many times does he have to find diamonds in the rough, before they stop dinging us for losing one of them. I mean, two of the great NBA stories (wrt veterans) in the first month of season are going to be, 1) "Wow, Melo looks so much different than last year, and b) "Wow, MCW has really found his niche." I guess pre-season on counts when it fits your narrative.
This is absolutely going to be what happens. Just last season Rockets breathed life into journeyman Moute and Green. I see it happening again.
We can win 56 games with Chris Paul tied behind our back. Harden has proven that in years prior to Paul. All the negative comments in the ranking *only* apply to one opponent -- GSW. So, while Yes, we very well may have slipped on our chances against them (certainly if Cousins contributes significantly), the media should stop applying that to ALL opponents. I contend we have improved against *every* other team out there, with Boston as an unknown until Hayward plays. That is to say: Our improved offense (from many factors, not just from the newcomers) will help us greatly against Boston, TOR and OKC/Utah. We had too much defense against those teams last year...an excess of it. With improved Offense, and maybe only slightly downgraded D against those teams, we will SWEEP Utah and OKC now.
