Howard wanted his teammates to get Mohawk haircuts like the ones he and Harden have before the playoffs. Parsons was reticent to put the clippers to his well-coiffed `do so Howard gave him a nice incentive to make the change. He's letting him drive his white Ferrari as long as Houston is in the playoffs. "I'm driving that thing every day until we win a championship," said Parsons, who normally drives a Cadillac. "I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to drive something else, that thing's unreal." The story got misconstrued at first and some thought Howard gave Parsons the car for the haircut, something Howard scoffed at. "That would be kind of crazy," Howard said. "I love Chandler, but I'm not giving him a car." Parsons was scheduled to get his haircut Saturday evening.
The Trail Blazers have lost in the first round in their last six trips to the playoffs. They haven't advanced to the second round since losing in the Western Conference finals in 2000. The drought doesn't add any extra motivation for Aldridge, though. "I'm motivated period," he said. "I don't have to have that I'm just an overly motivated person."
Several of the Rockets watched ESPN's documentary "Bad Boys" about the Detroit teams in the late 1980s and early 1990s this week and enjoyed coach Kevin McHale's cameo in the film playing for the Celtics against those teams. They thought McHale was being harder on them in practice this week because he was fired up by the movie. "He always brags about how they don't make them like they used to and how he's so much tougher than everybody," Parsons said. "It looked like it on the floor. I don't want to fight him."
I've never really been a believer in LaMarcus Aldridge. And I'm also not a giant Damian Lillard fan; he's a fine player, but I just don't see him as the #1 guy on a title team. So I just can't really picture Portland going anywhere in the playoffs with their current core. I don't think the Rockets have a perfect team by any means, but I think their ceiling is a lot highe and their top 2-3 guys are far better. So I think they win this series in 5-6 games.
Watching SHAQ breakdown Howard's game is painful and hilarious. It's painful, because its so obvious he hates him and is bias against him. It's hilarious, because Barkley called him out on it at halftime.
“Kobe had said (after the play) I wasn’t hugged enough as a child,” Bell recalled. “My mom kind of found him after the instance and we had beat them and offered him a hug in the bowels of the Phoenix arena. She really feels a part of that story.”
“Kobe had said (after the play) I wasn’t hugged enough as a child,” Bell recalled. “My mom kind of found him after the instance and we had beat them and offered him a hug in the bowels of the Phoenix arena. She really feels a part of that story.”
Wow, Portland with the big upset. I'm stunned. I really didn't give them a chance in this series.
BTW, Houston is showing itself to be yet another bush league franchise when it comes to injured players, just like Charlotte. When a guy comes up limping, you TAKE HIM OUT. Patrick Beverley sprained his right knee, the one he just had surgery on in late March, and he was visibly limping. But he waved them off and they didn't take him out of the game. ARGHHHHHHH. Take these guys out! His future and his career are more important than a few meaningless playoff games this year. Don't let these guys tell you they should be out there playing when they are clearly injured and literally jeopardizing their entire career with each minute they stay out on the court.
Big win for the Blazers. Harden is just pathetic and needs to be stopped by the league. Every time he throws up a shot, he falls to the ground. I'm sick of it.
"Too little, too late, too unbothered."
- Phoenix Suns 2023-2024 season motto.
Love Dam Lilliard. He's one of my favorite non-Suns. Handles himself well off the court and on the court dude is fearlesst
I'm still standing by my Rockets in 7 prediction, but don't feel as good about it.
Terry Stotts out-coached Mchale in this one. He did a brilliant job with the Hack-a-Howard then just milking the Aldridge/Terrence Jones matchup while they tried to hide Howard.
Great job f going right at Harden on D too, exposing that weakness and tiring him out.
“Kobe had said (after the play) I wasn’t hugged enough as a child,” Bell recalled. “My mom kind of found him after the instance and we had beat them and offered him a hug in the bowels of the Phoenix arena. She really feels a part of that story.”
I also think what got lost in the other storylines is how well they played Howard. He had a very productive night, but look a little close and you see he went 9-21 from the field. 9-21 from a guy that doesn't shoot jumpshots is brutal.
Portland figured out what very few have figured out: you have to make Houston's stars pay for their deficiencies: Harden's atrocious defense and Howard's lack of offensive awareness and poor free throw shooting.
I picked Houston to win this series, but I didn't take some things into account:
* James Harden's defense is HORRIBLE.
* Patrick Beverley is hurt.
* Kevin McHale is a bad coach.
* Dwight Howard just plain loses in the playoffs. Except in 2009.
* The Blazers had a real mid-season swoon, but that was largely because they lost LaMarcus Aldridge.
* LMA and Lillard are scary good.
* Portland's defense is WAY better than Houston's, both on the perimeter and at the rim.
I think I fell too much for the "star power" of the Rockets. Oops.
Here's a question for you guys. After seeing Harden's incredible defense on full display the past two years, would you trade him for Goran and a 1st rounder? Or even just Goran?
Yeah, he seems so reliant on just creating cheap contact to get to the line by jumping into his defender non-stop. I like that they've stopped calling them so far in the playoffs. I'll be curious to see if they keep calling it that way.
Danimal wrote:Does anyone else think LaMarcus Aldridge is taking bad shots (contested mid and long twos)? Despite games 1 & 2 I could see that drying up
as soon as I say that he takes it to the basket for a 3pt play
Big Jake Little Jake wrote:Here's a question for you guys. After seeing Harden's incredible defense on full display the past two years, would you trade him for Goran and a 1st rounder? Or even just Goran?
but that will mean houston will have three point guards (goran, lin and beverley). are they planning to run 2 point guards too in the starting backcourt?
Mori Chu wrote:I picked Houston to win this series, but I didn't take some things into account:
* James Harden's defense is HORRIBLE.
* Patrick Beverley is hurt.
* Kevin McHale is a bad coach.
* Dwight Howard just plain loses in the playoffs. Except in 2009.
* The Blazers had a real mid-season swoon, but that was largely because they lost LaMarcus Aldridge.
* LMA and Lillard are scary good.
* Portland's defense is WAY better than Houston's, both on the perimeter and at the rim.
I think I fell too much for the "star power" of the Rockets. Oops.
i'm beginning to think that the suns may be the only team capable of beating the blazers in the playoffs outside of miami, san antonio.
