Game 3: Houston Rockets (1-1) @ Los Angeles Clippers (1-1) - 9:00 PM PT

[ducler]

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[paganin-74]

When will we get to see Milo I wonder. He was pretty far off conditioning wise in his only preseason game, but he must've made some progress over the last week, mustn't he?

[Quake Griffin]

Watching the full game tonight. Sorry for my absence brehs, but I'm in the middle of a pennant race (yes, I'm actually playing in the games).

No suspensions handed out yet?

[Wammy Giveaway]

No suspensions handed out yet?

The suspension rulings will be handed out soon. It's going down to the wire, A.K.A. right before pre-game. But Chris Paul will be suspended - that's a certainty. Don't know if his suspension count will be less just because he is head of NBPA and has endorsement deals. No way they're gonna look at Paul the same way ever again - I think he's in Ron Artest territory; ejections will be immediate for him now if he ever tries to pull a fast one just to get his way.

Wanna get Ranma's opinion on Paul and how this could be the beginning of the end of his reputation/career. When you look back at the following incidents - the nut punch to Kevin Durant, the Lauren Holtkamp feud, the Clippers secret tunnel, and now his confirmed jealousy of Rajon Rondo - coupled with his inability to get out of the 2nd round until joining an established championship team like Rockets (who won before in 1994 and 1995), has CP3 finally been exposed? Will he ever recover from this incident?

[esqtvd]

yes

[mkwest]

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It would appear that Rondo did in fact spit on CP3. Speaking from firsthand experience, someone spitting on you will most definitely make you snap. It is easy to say to refrain from retaliating when you are merely a spectator.

[mkwest]

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Paul will return against us in Houston on Friday.

[esqtvd]

VERY happy with Gallo's effort on D
he's a new man

and Shai is giving Harden hell

[TheNewEra]

Rebound!!!

[Ranma]

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[TheNewEra]

I’m so sick of this

[TheNewEra]

Game closer than it should be

[Galloisdaman]

Game closer than it should be

Rockets had a great record last year. Who are they missing other than CP?

[TheNewEra]

Bradley and Beverly are horrible

[Galloisdaman]

So few assists from the backcourt. Is Milo physically able to play?

[Ranma]

Wanna get Ranma's opinion on Paul and how this could be the beginning of the end of his reputation/career. When you look back at the following incidents - the nut punch to Kevin Durant, the Lauren Holtkamp feud, the Clippers secret tunnel, and now his confirmed jealousy of Rajon Rondo - coupled with his inability to get out of the 2nd round until joining an established championship team like Rockets (who won before in 1994 and 1995), has CP3 finally been exposed? Will he ever recover from this incident?

I don't think Chris Paul's reputation will suffer much at all. As mkwest noted, I saw spit come out of Rondo's mouth in the close-up of the video. Personally, I find the idea of Paul's jealousy of Rondo to be absurd. Sure, Rondo has a ring and Paul doesn't, but over the years, it seems to me that Rondo has been more envious that he's not mentioned among the great point guards of today, which includes Paul. Rondo quit the Olympic team before he was going to be cut because he couldn't stand the idea of being labeled as a cut player.

As Doc has said, both players share similar traits with competitiveness being one. Yeah, Paul has been involved in unsavory incidents which includes a nutshot to an opponent while he was still a Demon Deacon at Wake Forest, but by and large, most of those incidents stem from his competitiveness. However, if serial below-the-belt violators like Serge Ibaka and Draymond Green aren't punished consistently or even viewed in a bad light in general, I don't see how Paul would be. At least Paul has expressed remorse for such actions when those two haven't to the best of my knowledge.

If I recall correctly, Paul was considered a peacekeeper in the secret tunnel incident at Staples Center since the beef stemmed primarily from Trevor Ariza and Austin Rivers. Personally, I think Paul should have been suspended longer but that also applies to Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo as well. The fact that he got the least amount of games means the NBA agrees that he was somewhat justified in his actions in sticking up for himself for being spat on, especially if the reports are true of Rondo's family members saying derogatory things to his wife.

It's stuff like this that can be overblown. A lot of people want to label the Dodgers' Manny Machado as dirty but he isn't really a malicious person or player. He'd done some boneheaded things like unnecessarily reaching out for a defender while sliding into 2B but none of those incidents have put other players in harm's way. Even the incident at 1B in Milwaukee could be justified somewhat with him being frustrated by the Dodgers losing and the first baseman being slow to come off the bag when his foot was on the bag (rather than the side of it) while Machado was running hard down the line.

If anything Rondo is at more of a risk of being seeing in a bad light a la Roberto Alomar when he spit on an umpire years ago. Outside of myopic fans, I seriously doubt CP3 will be seen as a thug or something.

[Ranma]

I'm curious if Doc is purposely limiting Gallo's minutes in order to keep him healthy enough to be packaged in a possible Jimmy Butler trade. I get limiting using him when we're ahead in order to minimize the risk of injury for Gallo given his history, but I find it odd that he's been limited in this game.

I've heard chemistry was cited as an issue but I get the sense that he and Tobias together on the floor is one of the best combo options available to us.

[TheNewEra]

Bench come on

[mkwest]

That could be the play of the game. Great hustle by Trezzy.

[TheNewEra]

Let’s go!!