If you want to talk ASUN smack or ramble ad nauseum about your favorite pro or major college teams, this is the place to let it rip.

Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke

By JK37
Registration Days Posts
#605907
Sly Fox wrote: August 9th, 2020, 7:02 pm
jk37 - As an X&Os guy who understands the intricacies of the game, I am a bit surprised you aren't down more with Harden.
SCORER! But he shuffles too much for me. Can’t get past the ballerina impersonations.
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By Purple Haize
Registration Days Posts
#605909
JK37 wrote: August 9th, 2020, 7:16 pm
Sly Fox wrote: August 9th, 2020, 7:02 pm
jk37 - As an X&Os guy who understands the intricacies of the game, I am a bit surprised you aren't down more with Harden.
SCORER! But he shuffles too much for me. Can’t get past the ballerina impersonations.
Harden and X’s and O’s. Ha. I love Sly’s jokes
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By lynchburgwildcats
Registration Days Posts
#605918
olldflame wrote: August 8th, 2020, 8:44 am
thepostman wrote: August 8th, 2020, 8:33 am I'll have to give that a listen.

American businesses have done business in China for decades and they do their best to appease their government because there is a billion people there and they make a lot of money off of them. The NBA is no different. Why so many focus on just the NBA is beyond me.

Regardless, it is a talking point people enjoy going to but they should probably go through their houses and destroy all things made in China and stop buying Chinese goods if they care so much. Of course that is nearly impossible because the business relationships between China and rhe United States goes much deeper than just the NBA.

Anyways. We are about halfway through the seeding games and I'm really enjoying it. Got league pass with my brothers and have been watching a ton of basketball. The level of play has been much better than
I expected. I figured the seeding games would look like pre season games but I was very wrong.

It's been fun. Despite the old guys around here trying to rain on my parade.
The NBA deserves all the criticism they get and more regarding their silence on China's human rights record. They have more actual leverage against the CCP than every other business in America combined. Their product is unbelievably popular there, and it is the one thing they cannot reverse-engineer and make themselves or buy elsewhere.
WEll they don't have much leverage anymore since CHina isn't airing it.
By lynchburgwildcats
Registration Days Posts
#605919
thepostman wrote: August 8th, 2020, 12:04 pm Ratings for MLB are at an all time low as well. I think that the only people watching are the hard-core fans. I am sure some of it is politically motivated but who knows.
It doesn't help ratings when most of the games are aired before 6 pm eastern.
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By thepostman
Registration Days Posts
#605921
Giannis is 2 different people. On the court he is relentless and kind of a jerk but off of it he is a really nice guy. I like his on court persona but it rubs some people the wrong way which I get. Doesn't take away from his freakish talent.

Harden's a talent but I find his style of play to be really hard to watch. He personifies what so many people hate about the NBA game. But Houston fans love him. Good for them i guess. They'll never win a championship :D
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By thepostman
Registration Days Posts
#605922
Purple Haize wrote: August 9th, 2020, 7:41 pm
JK37 wrote: August 9th, 2020, 7:16 pm
Sly Fox wrote: August 9th, 2020, 7:02 pm
jk37 - As an X&Os guy who understands the intricacies of the game, I am a bit surprised you aren't down more with Harden.
SCORER! But he shuffles too much for me. Can’t get past the ballerina impersonations.
Harden and X’s and O’s. Ha. I love Sly’s jokes
Yeah.... :dontgetit

If I am trying to convince someone to give the NBA game a chance, Harden and the Rockets are one of the last teams I will point them to.
By lynchburgwildcats
Registration Days Posts
#605924
Sly Fox wrote: August 9th, 2020, 7:02 pm Giannis is one of those guys who was really likeable as he was establishing himself in the league. But he's turned into a bit of an arrogant diva since the MV award last year.

jk37 - As an X&Os guy who understands the intricacies of the game, I am a bit surprised you aren't down more with Harden.

For the record, Luka is fun and all the Larry Bird comparisons I hear down here in Texas are intriguing. But Larry lifted everyone around him. Right now the only player who seems lifted by Luka's presence is Kristaps.
Well you don't have the best offense in the history of the game, in terms of offensive efficiency, without having a guy able to lift up other players.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is having the most efficient scoring season of his career.

Seth Curry is averaging a career high points per 40 and true shooting %

Dorian Finney-Smith is having a career year

Dwight Powell's career best year was last year. Hasn't been as statistically good this year, but bringing in Porzingis has more to do with that than anything else His non per-game metrics are pretty close to the same as last year, his usage % has just fallen off a cliff.

Maxi Kleber having a career year
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By SumItUp
Registration Days Posts
#605926
thepostman wrote: August 9th, 2020, 8:41 pm Harden's a talent but I find his style of play to be really hard to watch. He personifies what so many people hate about the NBA game. But Houston fans love him. Good for them i guess. They'll never win a championship :D
Big Shot Bob
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By Sly Fox
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#605929
They said the same things about no team of jump shooters had ever won a championship ... until the Warriors went on their run. Who knows if this small ball concept can win a championship. But anyone watching since the restart has to see that as a possibility.

I get that Hardin is not everyone's cup of tea. But I was referencing the thinking out of the box approach of his WV native coach to use every rule in the book to the team's advantage. The old knocks on James about not playing defense and creating too many FTs simply are not an accurate portayal of today's truth. Take away his FTs and he would still be among the league leaders in scoring. But I know years-old biases are tough for some to get over.
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By Purple Haize
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#605931
You are equating “small ball” style with Hareden and the Rockets. The Golden St Warriors must be out polishing their Championship rings and not available for comment. They actually fit both of your comments. You’re trying to make the claim that 1 on 1 match up basketball is what can win a championship.
I like D’Antoni. Unfortunately at this point in time I cannot like his brother
Harden plays 0 defense. That’s not changed nor will it.
The NBA “clarified interpretation” of certain rules to make the game more entertaining. In short, if a player decides to do something and it looks neat, the NBA will find a way to make it legal. It’s about entertainment after all
I have no problem with Harden trying to get to the FT line. THAT is about the only good fundamental thing he does. His acting skills are superb to boot.
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By thepostman
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#605933
There is a good reason that not many outside of Houston likes Harden's game but somehow it is the outside bias that is the problem, not the Houston homer bias. :dontgetit

The Warriors played small ball which the NBA was already moving towards but they also were the 2nd best defense when they won. Houston remains middle of the pack in that category.

Edit: Houston is now in the top 10 in defensive rating on the year which is news to me. I still can't imagine them beating either LA team and they may even struggle with OKC.

But we will all find out soon enough. Playoffs start in a week!
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By Sly Fox
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#605938
What was small about the Warriors lineup?

The tallest player in the Rockets starting lineup is my favorite player in the league, 6' 5" PJ Tucker. House is an inch taller when he gets inserted. There are a few 6' 8" guys coming off the bench. PJ guards opponent bigs.

How many Rockets games have you watched in the past two years? My guess is a few playoff games. Those of us who watch every night see James in action and appreciate him for what he is ... the best pure scorer in the league which allows him to be one of the best distributors in the game as teams constantly double 5-10 feet behind the arc. Yeah admittedly he takes a breather on D when the game isn't tight. But his crunch time defense is outstanding. Just ask Giannis the other night. And oh yeah, he stands at 5th in the league in steals, 39th in blocked shots & 45th in rebounding overall. Clearly he shows no effort defensively.

I freely admit that my increased exposure to his game has biased my opinion. But at least it is not a 3-4 year old hot take stolen from Kenny & Charles that no longer applies.

Haize - You like the coach from the junior college in Huntington? CJ is smiling somewhere reading this post.
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By thepostman
Registration Days Posts
#605941
I am a longtime league pass subscriber and watch at least 1 rockets game a week, sometimes more. I live and breath NBA basketball during the season. I stand by my observation of them.

You are extremely biased in how you few him the same way I was extremely biased in how I viewed Dwight Howard in his glory days with Orlando. There is no shame in being a homer. I enjoy it! Just try to understand why people outside of Houston don't find their brand of basketball much fun to watch and it isn't championship worthy. If they somehow prove me wrong, I will have no problem admitting how wrong I was.
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By Purple Haize
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#605946
@Sly Fox I said I cannot like him at this point in time.
You said it yourself. Harden is a pure scorer. Had you stopped right there you’d get no argument
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By Sly Fox
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#605951
And your suggestion that the Warriors were small ball ...

Nearly every player in their lineups during the dynasty years outsde of Steph would be the tallest player on the floor for the Rockets right now. 7-footers playing on the wing hardly qualifies as small ball.
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By thepostman
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#605956
They were small ball at the time and you have to know that. The Rockets took that shooting first, small ball mentality and ran wild with it. No doubt there but you can't re-write Warriors history just because the Rockets play smaller, small ball.
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By Purple Haize
Registration Days Posts
#605965
Sly Fox wrote: August 10th, 2020, 9:36 am And your suggestion that the Warriors were small ball ...

Nearly every player in their lineups during the dynasty years outsde of Steph would be the tallest player on the floor for the Rockets right now. 7-footers playing on the wing hardly qualifies as small ball.
You are old but certainly you remember they won a championship prior to Durant arriving. Their prime players were/are all about 6’6”. Not exactly the Twin Towers
The NBA is devoid of low post players as in days of old. Hakeem Olajuwon is not walking through that door. Steve Kerr developed the idea. D’Antoni is taking it a step further.
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By thepostman
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#605968
My Magic bias says that Stan Van Gandy' 2009 Orlando Magic with all of their shooters made the 3 point shot cool. Howard just anchored the defense and got all the attention but that team was ahead of its time with their focus on 3 point shooting. Steve Kerr took that and perfected the art and KD ruined it :lol:

But that is my bias coming through and I can feely admit that.
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By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#605973
Forgive my ignorance but didn't Steve have a big Aussie in the paint and several other bigs backing him up? I am rather feeble-minded in my advanced age.
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By Purple Haize
Registration Days Posts
#605974
Sly Fox wrote: August 10th, 2020, 11:39 am Forgive my ignorance but didn't Steve have a big Aussie in the paint and several other bigs backing him up? I am rather feeble-minded in my advanced age.
Not sure you’d call him a key contributor but sure, go with that if it makes you feel better
Durant was and is a new era type player. It started with Kemp, moved to Garnet, then Dirk now Gianis. The 7 footer who plays like a small forward. That’s a new dimension.
But sure. Andrew Bogut. The key to success
By lynchburgwildcats
Registration Days Posts
#605996
Purple Haize wrote: August 10th, 2020, 6:43 am You are equating “small ball” style with Hareden and the Rockets. The Golden St Warriors must be out polishing their Championship rings and not available for comment. They actually fit both of your comments. You’re trying to make the claim that 1 on 1 match up basketball is what can win a championship.
I like D’Antoni. Unfortunately at this point in time I cannot like his brother
Harden plays 0 defense. That’s not changed nor will it.
The NBA “clarified interpretation” of certain rules to make the game more entertaining. In short, if a player decides to do something and it looks neat, the NBA will find a way to make it legal. It’s about entertainment after all
I have no problem with Harden trying to get to the FT line. THAT is about the only good fundamental thing he does. His acting skills are superb to boot.
Harden isn't a good defender, but to say he plays zero defense is just complete ignorance.
By lynchburgwildcats
Registration Days Posts
#606004
Sly Fox wrote: August 10th, 2020, 8:47 am What was small about the Warriors lineup?

The tallest player in the Rockets starting lineup is my favorite player in the league, 6' 5" PJ Tucker. House is an inch taller when he gets inserted. There are a few 6' 8" guys coming off the bench. PJ guards opponent bigs.

How many Rockets games have you watched in the past two years? My guess is a few playoff games. Those of us who watch every night see James in action and appreciate him for what he is ... the best pure scorer in the league which allows him to be one of the best distributors in the game as teams constantly double 5-10 feet behind the arc. Yeah admittedly he takes a breather on D when the game isn't tight. But his crunch time defense is outstanding. Just ask Giannis the other night. And oh yeah, he stands at 5th in the league in steals, 39th in blocked shots & 45th in rebounding overall. Clearly he shows no effort defensively.

I freely admit that my increased exposure to his game has biased my opinion. But at least it is not a 3-4 year old hot take stolen from Kenny & Charles that no longer applies.

Haize - You like the coach from the junior college in Huntington? CJ is smiling somewhere reading this post.
RoCo is listed at 6'7" and Danuel House is lsited at 6'6"
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By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#606080
Both rotate off the bench. But if you want to argue that a 6' 7" 3&D guy disqualies a squad from having small ball status then so be it.

What the Rockets are doing right now is potentially revolutionary in much the same way the Warriors changed the game under Kerr. It may fail but it is a fascinating experiment that is working out rather well in the Bubble. Watching PJ guard Porzingas is hilarious. Did I mention that PJ is my favorite player?
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By Purple Haize
Registration Days Posts
#606083
It’s absolutely an interesting experiment. Definitely taking small ball to the extreme
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