The 2014 Playoffs thread

[Atzar]

I had never heard of this kid Troy Daniels before, I admit.  Why is he the only player on the Rockets who is stepping up in the clutch?  Howard can't do it because of his free throw deficiencies, Harden stops the ball and takes bad shots, and Parsons has vanished entirely.

Ugly meltdown for Houston tonight.

[Ogaju]

This kid Daniels is a cool customer.

[Celtics18]

Mo Money . . . and Wes Matthews is an animal.

[Rondo9]

It's over!!!! And why is Beverly handling the ball?

[D.o.s.]

Wes Matthews coming up big. Well done PDX.

[Celtics18]

I like that Portland team a lot.  LaMarcus is great.  How about those "aw shucks" interviews he gives.  They seem genuine. 

[Vox_Populi]

Once Houston are eliminated, I don't expect McHale to keep his job. Portland could have very easily swept them/

[D.o.s.]

I like that Portland team a lot.  LaMarcus is great.  How about those "aw shucks" interviews he gives.  They seem genuine.

He's always been a pretty open guy -- part of the reason why those "LA wants out" stories had so much weight was that the dude can't lie very well to the press and was obviously unhappy.

[Atzar]

Once Houston are eliminated, I don't expect McHale to keep his job. Portland could have very easily swept them/

Don't really agree with the McHale comment.  His superstar is shooting 35% on 25 shots per game, and then compounding that with poor, lazy defense and a bad attitude.  Aldridge has been fantastic in this series, but the best Trailblazers player has been James Harden.

As a coach in the playoffs you rely on your stars to carry you, and Harden has not been equal to the task.

[D.o.s.]

Odds are, if they're bounced 4-1, McHale isn't extended, but I don't know if he'll get properly "fired."

[SHAQATTACK]

Go Trailblazers !


Woo hoo

[SHAQATTACK]

I like that Portland team a lot.  LaMarcus is great.  How about those "aw shucks" interviews he gives.  They seem genuine.

Why I like Portland ,  Lillard and LaMarcus are class acts......

Howard not so much.

[PhoSita]

I like that Portland team a lot.  LaMarcus is great.  How about those "aw shucks" interviews he gives.  They seem genuine.

Me too.  I was talking to a friend the other day about Portland -- my friend is a big LMA fan -- and I said, "You know who I really like on that Portland team?"

The answer was going to be, "Robin Lopez," who I think hasn't gotten enough attention for how good he's been in Portland.  But then I realized that the truthful answer was: "Pretty much all of them."



As for Portland's long term playoff prospects, I don't think they have the defensive prowess to go too far.  Houston is a great matchup for them because they can put LMA at center and stretch Howard out, and the rest of Houston's rotation is ill-equipped to handle the depth and balance of scoring that Portland has in its rotation.

[Roy H.]

Once Houston are eliminated, I don't expect McHale to keep his job. Portland could have very easily swept them/

At the same time, it could have very easily been 3-1 Houston.

Houston is in a hole, but three of these games have come down to OT.  The Rockets have been in a position to succeed; they've just come up short.

[PhoSita]

Once Houston are eliminated, I don't expect McHale to keep his job. Portland could have very easily swept them/

At the same time, it could have very easily been 3-1 Houston.

Houston is in a hole, but three of these games have come down to OT.  The Rockets have been in a position to succeed; they've just come up short.

Daryl Morey himself put it best --- "Four coin flips; three tails, one head."  It really has been a very evenly matched series.

I love watching both of these teams, and they're both very talented.  But they're also both flawed.  Houston being down 3-1 shouldn't be taken as definitive proof that its roster is fatally flawed, while Portland is all set.

If higher ups in the Rockets organization view it the same way, I think McHale will be okay.