Yao Ming Mania - Latest Comments in Rockets a dud in Denver

Re: Rockets a dud in Denver

oolong48 — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:27:09 -0000

My apologies to you, John! English is not my first language. I have no idea asking questions will upset you. I just want to state some facts to back up my points. Thanks for telling me!

I am also a football(soccer) fan. It's very common to rest your players when you have important matches coming up in the football world. To me, playoff is more important.

Let's agree to disagree.

Cheers!

No problem, oolong48. That explains it. :-) -- John

Re: Rockets a dud in Denver

oolong48 — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:39:15 -0000

John,

I can't believe this is a reply from a huge Rockets fan like you! Do you forget how the team won their second ring?

If all the players are healthy, they certainly should do their best to win every remaining game. Too bad they're not! And honestly, they probably won't win any 7 games series against a good team without Yao, even the Nuggets. But with well rest players, they'll have a higher chance to surprise us than playing tired and hurt. That's my opinion. If you disagree, so be it! No need to get upset!

I was a little upset at the tone of your first post. When there are multiple rhetorical questions asked with question marks after every sentnece, it comes across as smart alecky and condescending. So do mutltiple exclamation points. No need to do that. People can get the point without all of that. If they exist, responses might come back with an edge no matter who the person is.

Regarding the Rockets, being a fan doesn't mean being blind. Otherwise, there will be no meaningful improvement. I want the Rockets to succeed, but they have to prove they are committed to winning more than the other team, including playing with a little pain unless it's debilitating like Yao's or Rafer's. The Rockets and other players in the past have proved if they 'rest' for more than a few days, it requires an adjustment period (especially with their shooting), which the Rockets really cannot afford to have entering the playoffs where every game is crucial. -- John

Re: Rockets a dud in Denver

oolong48 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:54:03 -0000

John,

Didn't the Mavs-Warriors series last season tell you anything? No. 1 seed doesn't guarantee anything. Home court advantage doesn't mean anything either. Didn't we have home court advantage last season? What happened then? I believe healthy players are more important.

Uh...yeah, in the history of the NBA, only two #8 seeds have been beaten a #1 seed like last year. So with that logic you have, it's okay to just schlep through a season and not even try to get home court, because miracles are going to happen. Right. Do you have some swampland in Florida you want to sell? And maybe some stock in Pets.com?

I don't believe you fool around. If the opportunity is there to get home court, you go for it with everything you've got. Just look at the stats and you'll see that home court has made the difference in something like 70% of the playoff series, probably even more. Regarding last year's Utah-Rockets series, that just goes to show you how much the Rockets choked.

So with your logic, it looks like you're guaranteeing a win by the Rockets in the playoffs without home court all the way to the Championship. Willing to put $500 on that? I rest my case. -- John

Re: Rockets a dud in Denver

Luckyme — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:46:27 -0000

I think the Golden State Warriors were the most disappointed lots with the Houston's loss last night!

Joking aside, I think the coaching staff and the team figured they would do better on the road than at home. Hence, the poor performance and effort. It is quite clear that they were not too concerned with having home court advantage. They would rather have more healthy players instead.

Re: Rockets a dud in Denver

oolong48 — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:54:17 -0000

john, i disagree with you. I think resting our players is more important. it'll be wonderful if they can achieve both but if i have to choose, winning the first round of the playoff is better than being the number one seed.

I think their chances of winning the first round of the playoffs goes up if they win the West. Also, why play 82 games if they don't have the goal to win the Conference? -- John