WCQF | (3) Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder (6) | HOU 2-1

[gmoney411]

People just don't want to admit that Harden is much better at making his teammates better.

There's literally NOTHING to support this. Nothing.

It's more like people just don't want to admit that Harden's supporting is FAR better, and we actually do have mountains of evidence to support this.

That's the difference.

I mean there is that season where Harden led a roster of a similar or worse caliber to 56 wins 2 years ago.

[trickshot]

People just don't want to admit that Harden is much better at making his teammates better.

There's literally NOTHING to support this. Nothing.

It's more like people just don't want to admit that Harden's supporting is FAR better, and we actually do have mountains of evidence to support this.

That's the difference.

Those two things aren't mutually exclusive you know

[NBAFan93]

Yooo they don't censor the press conferences on NBATV? Russ just cursed loud af lmaooo


"I don't give a **** about my statline"

Such true and raw emotion on display in these postgames. Must see TV at its finest. Now we know we need to be sure to watch them live on NBATV cause we want the uncesncored version . I bet the replays they bleep that out.

[Mr. E]

That is incredible!

[nbafan38]

Yooo they don't censor the press conferences on NBATV? Russ just cursed loud af lmaooo


"I don't give a **** about my statline"

Such true and raw emotion on display in these postgames. Must see TV at its finest. Now we know we need to be sure to watch them live on NBATV cause we want the uncesncored version . I bet the replays they bleep that out.

He just wants to win so bad but also values loyalty, amazing player.

[EmperorLocky]

Yooo they don't censor the press conferences on NBATV? Russ just cursed loud af lmaooo


"I don't give a **** about my statline"

Hahaha. That's pure gold.

Well he,is tied for second for most fga in playoff game. MJ with the record at 45. Will see if Russ can beat it.

[ocelot17]

People just don't want to admit that Harden is much better at making his teammates better.

There's literally NOTHING to support this. Nothing.

It's more like people just don't want to admit that Harden's supporting is FAR better, and we actually do have mountains of evidence to support this.

That's the difference.

Harden would make Adams, Oladipo, kanter, Gibson better if he had them on his team.

Look at how many times he throws easy lobs to Capela for an alley oop or bounce pass off the pick n roll to nene for an easy dunk.

Westbrook doesn't do that. He just uses them as his personal box out dummies.

[itzmrgigglez]

We can only ask for Westbrook to get better because the rest of the team won't, at least not yet. It's the patient game we play #OKC

It's a crazy thing to say but the only way we get better is for him to reach an even higher level

[BallerTalk]

Lmao y'all must've missed the game if you blame Westbrook for this...

You must have missed the game if you don't think he deserves the lions share of it.

[BeatDaCavs420]

People really still think Russ has the same amount of talent to work with as Harden does?

If you think that. You must not like Russ. Want Harden to Win MVP or just a Houston Rockets fan...Because Harden has clearly the better team to work with here and it's really not even close.

[BallerTalk]

Westbrook is clearly MVP, but Rockets are clearly the better team.

First half Westbrook was the MVP candidate, playing with poise, patience, and moving the ball around while guiding his team to a double digit lead.

Second half Westbrook is probably why they're enjoying cupcakes in Oakland.

[K_chile22]

People really still think Russ has the same amount of talent to work with as Harden does?

If you think that. You must not like Russ. Want Harden to Win MVP or just a Houston Rockets fan...Because Harden has clearly the better team to work with here and it's really not even close.

I think both "Harden has more supporting talent" and "Harden is better at using supporting talent" can be true

[og15]

Westbrook shot his team out of the series, so many unnecessary stupid shots, not a good look

We're two games in. If it is 3-0 after next game you can post this. If it is 2-1, then you can wait until game 4 and if it is 3-1 after that, then again you are welcome to post this. Down 0-2 after only playing on the road? That means nothing until we see what the home games bring.

[ocelot17]

People really still think Russ has the same amount of talent to work with as Harden does?

If you think that. You must not like Russ. Want Harden to Win MVP or just a Houston Rockets fan...Because Harden has clearly the better team to work with here and it's really not even close.

I think both "Harden has more supporting talent" and "Harden is better at using supporting talent" can be true

Does harden have more help? Sure.

But everyone makes it sound like harden has an all star supporting cast, when in fact, he has zero all stars on his team, just like Westbrook.

Difference is harden actually gets his teammates involved and makes them better.

[og15]

People just don't want to admit that Harden is much better at making his teammates better.

There's literally NOTHING to support this. Nothing.

It's more like people just don't want to admit that Harden's supporting is FAR better, and we actually do have mountains of evidence to support this.

That's the difference.

Harden would make Adams, Oladipo, kanter, Gibson better if he had them on his team.

Look at how many times he throws easy lobs to Capela for an alley oop or bounce pass off the pick n roll to nene for an easy dunk.

Westbrook doesn't do that. He just uses them as his personal box out dummies.

The fluidity of a team stems from a lot of parts working together. The reason the lanes are so open and Harden can play a nice two man game is also because of the shooting that Houston has at all other positions surrounding the 1/5 pick and roll.

[machu46]

People really still think Russ has the same amount of talent to work with as Harden does?

If you think that. You must not like Russ. Want Harden to Win MVP or just a Houston Rockets fan...Because Harden has clearly the better team to work with here and it's really not even close.

In terms of talent, it's close. The big difference is that each piece of the Rockets team fits well with Harden. OKC's talent doesn't fit very well with Westbrook. For example, before this season began, Adams was considered to be by far the best player from either team outside of Harden and Westbrook. Oladipo was probably considered the next best player from either team. But OKC's spacing is so bad that these two guys can't really operate.

[Mr. E]

OK, I am not participating in the GB game threads for the playoffs; but I did go through and read a lot of comments post-game (something I do during the regular season - I like seeing what other fan bases think). As a Mod for the GB I have to say that I appreciate everyone's participation tonight. I did not read every comment; but I did not see any instances which were out of bounds. Obviously, this is a game that can get chippy; and some comments got a bit heated. That said, no one seemed to go after other posters or make things unnecessarily personal. Thank you all for that!

I have come to grips with the fact that the ongoing MVP discussion will be a major factor in the discussion of this series. I do not blame any of you; but rather the stupid NBA for waiting until the end of June for their stupid awards show which I feel is stupid and if you haven't picked up on my feelings then just know that I think that the June 26th regular season awards show is a stupid idea and I will not be watching. I really, really hope that someone leaks the results and ruins the NBA's stupid plans for that stupid show.

That said...it is clear that many of you like discussing the MVP situation. I am not an animal rights activist; but I am pretty opposed to the beating of dead horses. Not everyone shares that mentality, and I respect that. The common theme I picked up upon tonight (and in the past few weeks) is the discussion of the level of talent on each roster. On that front here are my thoughts:

it is not a straight-up measure of one roster against the other in terms of the individual talent of players. The disparity exists, as far as I'm concerned, in team philosophy. I do not believe that Houston's roster is full of better individual players; but it is pretty clear that every player on Houston's roster is a specific fit with defined roles.

Houston has a team identity. It is Harden. That identity is reinforced by coaching in D'Antoni and management in Morey. Every player on the roster is good on their own; but in this specific system centered around a unifying theme (Harden), they work better.

OKC may have some players who are better individually; but I do not see the same cohesiveness of team identity. I cannot enter a discussion of "if we switch Harden & Westbrook which team is better?" because that ignores the bigger picture. One team is currently constructed better than the other. It is not a damnation of OKC, as they have had to deal with some major identity issues with the departure of one of the best players in the NBA. The Rockets, as a system from top to bottom, kind of have something special going on right now, and I am really digging that vibe.

That said - there is A LOT of basketball left in this series. Again, as a General Board mod I appreciate how everyone has handled themselves in this thread. If I have missed anything then remember that I am not policing the thread. If anyone runs across a problem them please report the problem and do not escalate the issue. We are all here because we love basketball and we like getting the point of view of others. Let's keep it cool like that!

Love to OKC...but GO ROCKETS!

[flow]

One of the most embarrassing displays of basketball I've seen in a long time. I don't care that he scored 51, he lost that game. Ball-hogging on crack. Reckless, mindless jacking. At times, it seemed that he had to be throwing the game intentionally, because no other explanation for what he was doing made sense. I felt bad for his teammates.

[BeatDaCavs420]

The 2 teams I don't feel that are out of it being down 2-0 are the Celtics and OKC

[NBAFan93]

Billy Donovan sounds like Westbrook will not play a full quarter again. He seems to believe Westbrook was tired. What sucks for the thunder is they blew that lead so fast once Westbrook went out of the game, so not sure how they can win this. It's like a rock and a hard place situation.