[Game 35] Rockets vs Knicks - Game Thread

[panarama]

you allow yourself to get angry so easily i bet your sexual life sucks...

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

You've obviously never had breakup sex.

But that's beside the point. The point is I RARELY get angry. But the Rox collective apathy was so blatant it managed to piss me off. That's not an easy thing to do.

Your insight and experience of this game from the arena surely must have been disappointing yet I also was feeling these type of behaviors from our players existed since some of our players are excluded from being accountable and that can create a serious divisions among players.
I must admit, I do have my fav. players in this team and I might be too bias to see otherwise.

But where do you think the Rockets' "Collective Apathy" stems from while watching these guys' behavior in person?

[moofs]

Went to the game last night.

By the 3rd quarter, I was as angry as I've been in decades. The eventual win didn't console me in the least. 12 hours later, and I'm still pissed. Not because of McHale's hair-brained rotations or Harden's HeroBall. Nope. I'm pissed because of apathy. Apathy by the metric crapload. The Rockets team I watched, by and large, could not have possibly cared less for 95% of that game. It's painfully evident when you're seeing it in person.

See, my brother buys us tickets to one game per year. It's always my Christmas present from him. He's mildly disabled and on a fixed income. So it's a very real sacrifice for him to buy those tickets, and I deeply appreciate it. It's a big gesture on his part.

Their apathy feels like a slap in my brother's face. The irony is, no one who has ever met me would dare humiliate my brother. They all know what I'll do and they all know I own a shovel.

But "my team" does it. Unacceptable.

I won't be going back any time soon.

You sound like me back in May after watching Joey Crawford take my money for the first playoff game I've ever attended and gleefully run away with it stuffed between his asscheeks.

I have ZERO respect for McHale. None.

Are you suggesting that McHale is dishonest?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Smith_(basketball)#Timberwolves_salary_cap_scandal

[Djunk]

Lin is being marginalized by McHale. But it is what it is, Harden is obviously the better player, and since McHale isn't a good enough coach to utilize both, Lin will get the short end of the stick. It doesn't help that McHale either doesn't like Lin or doesn't hold his game in high esteem.

I still think it's best for both JLin and the Rockets that they go their separate ways, but until that happens, Lin should just focus on being the best spot up shooter and perimeter defender he can be.

I disagree about Harden obviously being the better player, we've all seen what Lin can do when given free reign. Harden has the established reputation and max contract, that's the "it is what it is". Agree that the coaching sucks.

I'm a huge Lin fan, so it'd be awesome if he wound up as good as Harden. But Harden is a legit superstar, so the odds of that, under any circumstance, are very low.

I'd love to be wrong though.

Don't get me wrong, I think Harden is a great offensive player, defense is an issue, but I think he'd be okay if he actually tried consistently. IMO, if you give Lin the usage and freedom Harden gets, the numbers wouldn't be that different, Harden might lead a little in ppg, but I bet Lin would be lead in assists.

[KungFuJoe]

I'm as big a Lin fan as there is, but I don't think there is any way Lin could ever be as good offensively as Harden. Harden just has way more tricks up his sleeve than Lin. For starters, Lin sucks at shooting a jump shot off the dribble. It's a pretty big weakness for a scoring guard, in fact. He scores either on drives to the hoop or on catch and shoot situations...and it's a testament to how good he is in those situations that he is able to score the way he does when he only has two moves. He gets the occasional drive to the hoop, stop in the key, fake, turn around fadeaway but that usually comes off a broken drive and not as planned.

Harden can shoot the 3, drive to the hoop, has a killer step back jump shot from anywhere on the floor and can also dunk right over you. He's much stronger than Lin as well. Just much much more creative on the offensive side. Harden's biggest weakness is midrange, but even that he seems to be doing well lately.

I will say this though. I think Lin is one of the few people in the league who can truly go nuts and just score score score. It showed during Linsanity and also on occasional games this season and last. He gets in this zone and everything he throws up goes in...from anywhere on the court. But, I don't think it's something he can do day in and day out.

[panarama]

Once they both reached their prime.
Harden: Steve Francis
Lin: Steve Nash

There were many potent offensive "Superstars" that captured our hearts during the beginning of their career.
But at the end, their low BBIQ got the better of them and became a distant memory. But I do hope Harden snaps out of it and proves me wrong. But if he keeps this rates up then, I have no doubt he will be a part of media made "superstars", who ended up having to finish their career in the Chinese league.

During the early part of Nash's career he was just a serviceable player with an average athleticism who had a good court vision yet he reached a REAL Superstar status during the latter part of his prime years and I don't see why J. Lin can't emulate what Nash has accomplished if he keeps his current work rates up.

But over all, we need to win now so we need a new coach to balance out Harden's ego and use his killer offensive explosiveness within the context of team basketball.
I know George Karl is a feasible option but his track record on containing raw talent of young "superstars' is a suspect ala C. Anthony. It will be awesome if we can land JVG though.

[KungFuJoe]

Lin would have to SERIOUSLY improve his ball handling (his biggest weakness, imo) before he can get compared to someone like Nash.

In fact, if I were Lin, that would be ALL I would work on. Handles, handles, handles.

[panarama]

Lin would have to SERIOUSLY improve his ball handling (his biggest weakness, imo) before he can get compared to someone like Nash.

In fact, if I were Lin, that would be ALL I would work on. Handles, handles, handles.

Sure he can improve on dribbling but so is many other areas that he needs to work on to improve himself as a young player.
But I think, he needs to improve on his dribbling and dishing the ball with a composure while toning down his speed/BBIQ to his team mates' level so that he can move with the team rather than expecting his team mates to follow his lead/too fast sometimes which lead to easy turn over eps. during crucial moments.

He also have to refine his skill set on protecting his ball from constant hackers esp. those defenders who have length on him and that can be achieved either from learning the veteran skill or emulating floppers like Flopbili or C. Paul to let the refs know he is being constantly hacked though I highly doubt J. Lin'd resorted to the latter tactic.

Yes, it is a long shot to reach what Nash did but I do see the potential in Lin because he really likes to distribute and knows how to score within the context of team basketball.

[moofs]

Once they both reached their prime.
Harden: Steve Francis
Lin: Steve Nash

Don't agree with either of those, even remotely.

Francis was a better defender, much as it pains me to say it.
Harden is a much better ball handler and can actually shoot.

Francis's one NBA skill was getting to the rim when the entire court was cleared for him, and that ability was taken away when the NBA outlawed blatant ISOball after his soph year. From that point out, his total lack of a reliable jump shot was exposed and he sucked everywhere else he went.

Regarding Nash:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... 01&y2=2000

[panarama]

Once they both reached their prime.
Harden: Steve Francis
Lin: Steve Nash

Don't agree with either of those, even remotely.

Francis was a better defender, much as it pains me to say it.
Harden is a much better ball handler and can actually shoot.

Francis's one NBA skill was getting to the rim when the entire court was cleared for him, and that ability was taken away when the NBA outlawed blatant ISOball after his soph year. From that point out, his total lack of a reliable jump shot was exposed and he sucked everywhere else he went.

Regarding Nash:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... 01&y2=2000

No players can be exactly alike but the legacy Francis left behind will be pretty much going to be as same as Harden's. If our first option Harden continuously decides to plays his ISO ball as his main weapon esp. during stretch of crucial possession. What good is it, if Harden has better stroke than Francis, we all know it will come by during his ISO. And Francis had better D but they both aren't known for their defensive prowess.

As for Lin, I do realized the stats between these two.
By looking at their first 4 years in the league we can both agree that they are borderline players.
And it sure can be sound like a controversy/insulting to some when comparing S. Nash's accomplishment to J. Lin at this point.
But, I am sure it would've been a big controversy/insulting to some if I had said S. Nash would be the next white Magic Johnson when he first came to the league.

What People have to realize is that J. Lin came from a winning pedigree though it wasn't a NBA level.
He was named California first team all state player of the YEAR in H/S and x2 Ivy league first team.
Those accomplishment doesn't sound like much but given the talent/physically superior pool he must have faced as a scrawny Asian kid tells telling story of who J. Lin really is.

Yes, you guys have a million reasons why J. Lin isn't going to amount to much but considering playing along side of prolific ball hogging players in C. Anthony and J. Harden, we sure not going to see his worth right now.
But, contrary to what many people think, it isn't his skill set that drastically needs to improve since those necessary skill sets will come (since he is known for his work ethic)in time but he is still too weak to perform every day tasks and gets banged up too easily and due to that reason he loses his composure on the court esp during crucial possession.
The dude needs to bulk up and toughen up or otherwise he isn't going to last in this league and my prediction will become nothing more than a farce.

[moofs]

Yes, you guys have a million reasons why J. Lin isn't going to amount to much but considering playing along side of prolific ball hogging players in C. Anthony and J. Harden, we sure not going to see his worth right now.

Fghjjdd.
I KNEW that mentioning my disagreement with the Lin comparison was going to get me a stupid response like this one. Why the hell didn't I keep my frfjsjdvvv mouth shut?

I'm going to go find a nice religious cult member and have a more reasonable discussion than this one now.

Go bludgeon some other schmuck into mindlessly agreeing that Lin's craps gold plated diamonds and is a deity among men.

BY THE WAY, YOU NOT-READING {imagine a theoretically impersonal, yet derogatory adjective here}, I DID NOT SAY THAT I THINK LIN IS NOT A REALLY GOOD PLAYER AND WILL NOT AMOUNT TO MUCH, YOU IMAGINED THAT OUT OF THIN AIR AGAIN.

Oh, and Jeremly Lan sucks and is only ever able to score because harden opens the court up for him and he couldnt guard Yi Joanloan's chair if he was being backed by the military.

When can we get around to trading Jarmy for ANYONE else so people like this will just damn leave already.

[panarama]

Yes, you guys have a million reasons why J. Lin isn't going to amount to much but considering playing along side of prolific ball hogging players in C. Anthony and J. Harden, we sure not going to see his worth right now.

Fghjjdd.
I KNEW that mentioning my disagreement with the Lin comparison was going to get me a stupid response like this one. Why the hell didn't I keep my frfjsjdvvv mouth shut?

I'm going to go find a nice religious cult member and have a more reasonable discussion than this one now.

Go bludgeon some other schmuck into mindlessly agreeing that Lin's craps gold plated diamonds and is a deity among men.

BY THE WAY, YOU NOT-READING {imagine a theoretically impersonal, yet derogatory adjective here}, I DID NOT SAY THAT I THINK LIN IS NOT A REALLY GOOD PLAYER AND WILL NOT AMOUNT TO MUCH, YOU IMAGINED THAT OUT OF THIN AIR AGAIN.

Where is the mod!!!
I'm gonna have to report you on your apesH*t behavior by calling my post "stupid" just because I have my own opinion. lmao
But seriously dude, calm down. Though it didn't seem like it but I was really respecting your POV while I was replying.

But yeah seriously it was a bit derogatorily adjective of me at the end to reply to you in that manner since you didn't mentioned anything about Lin being amount to nothing but I heard that so many times as a Knicks fan in NYC from dumb ass casual fans, I was more of referring to them.
But dude calm down, I come in peace and sober this year!!!

[moofs]

Fair enough.

Same here with every statement about the player to not be named being misinterpreted, obviously