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Grantland: Embrace the Dark Side

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Grantland: Embrace the Dark Side 

Post#1 » by Mr. E » Wed Nov 19, 2014 6:37 pm

Fun article on Grantland about the Rockets embracing the role as villains.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/houst ... iency-fun/

I find the Rockets extremely annoying to watch. In their slavish devotion to Moreyball — which I have in the past described as “if card counting were a spectator sport” — they have become the most predictable offense in the NBA. They will bury opponents under the most efficient kind of scoring opportunities in the game: layups, 3-pointers, and free throws. They eschew, almost completely, “the worst shot in basketball”: the midrange long 2.

This season, in Dwight Howard and James Harden, the Rockets are the only team with two players in the top five of free throw attempts per game. Harden, as talented an offensive player as there is in the league, has tailored his entire style on flashing like mercury into the paint, and expertly baiting defenders into fouls, through a mixture of body positioning, dark sorcery, and flailing. He has 15 more free throw attempts than Kobe Bryant, whose own usage rate hovers somewhere just below “crack addiction.”


The only bad thing in the article is the stupid "Pat Beverley targets knees" lie that has been told so many times over and over that most believe that it is true. Can't get too upset about that, tho.
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Re: Grantland: Embrace the Dark Side 

Post#2 » by texasholdem » Wed Nov 19, 2014 7:16 pm

Bev isn't helping his image by almost headbutting a ref and not even getting called a tech for doing so.
Harden is still a work-in-progress. He can score, but he can't help his teammate that much - Yao Ming
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Re: Grantland: Embrace the Dark Side 

Post#3 » by Mr. E » Wed Nov 19, 2014 7:23 pm

I still can't believe he wasn't tossed for that one. It was even in their house!
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Re: Grantland: Embrace the Dark Side 

Post#4 » by moofs » Wed Nov 19, 2014 7:35 pm

Can somebody 'splain me, Lucy, why Dwight's been called a pussy twice so far this season?


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Re: Grantland: Embrace the Dark Side 

Post#5 » by rocketsballin » Thu Nov 20, 2014 12:09 am

cuz he's had so many kids he's basically a pussy now, all he does is get pussy when he's not playing basketball.
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Re: Grantland: Embrace the Dark Side 

Post#6 » by Zubby » Thu Nov 20, 2014 12:23 am

texasholdem wrote:Bev isn't helping his image by almost headbutting a ref and not even getting called a tech for doing so.

Refs don't stand for that... Bev was leaning in to hear because it was loud.
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Re: Grantland: Embrace the Dark Side 

Post#7 » by ALPHAandOMEGA » Thu Nov 20, 2014 2:54 am

Zubby wrote:
texasholdem wrote:Bev isn't helping his image by almost headbutting a ref and not even getting called a tech for doing so.

Refs don't stand for that... Bev was leaning in to hear because it was loud.



this ^^^^^


Don't know why this has been talked about so much...was really obvious on replay.
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Re: Grantland: Embrace the Dark Side 

Post#8 » by amcfad27 » Mon Dec 1, 2014 6:47 pm

You would think eventually Harden's antics will be realized and the refs stop calling it...

Howard's been everywhere else except the court
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Re: Grantland: Embrace the Dark Side 

Post#9 » by moofs » Tue Dec 2, 2014 4:43 pm

amcfad27 wrote:You would think eventually Harden's antics will be realized and the refs stop calling it...

Howard's been everywhere else except the court


When a player or team exploits something like that, e.g. excessive fouling, excessive flopping, etc, the refs pretty much HAVE to play along. It's either that, or completely govern the game and drive away fans. Just look at the 90s Pistons/Knicks as shining examples, or Shaq's bull rush.

Which do you think they'll do?

I honestly think Harden isn't as egregious with the refs as Wade was.
Granted, Wade didn't really try to provoke the refs so much as they simply straight up gave him ALL the calls.

The 2006 championship was won by the refs, 100%, and this is from someone who generally likes Wade and thinks he's a top-3 all-time SG.
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