Feigen: The Only Options: Wolves, Pelicans, or Spurs

Caesa said,
Were an all-time great team. We'll beat any of them. Give me the Spurs with Kawhi in the 1st round, give me OKC in the 2nd round and give me a healthy Warriors in the WCF and then completely embarrass the "King" in the Finals.

I understand that this is called a true championship.

...... but Rockets will have a good chance to become a playoff choker. Highly like, the first round exit.

Think about this,

When Cavs won the Championship, most people called that "fluke".

 

You are confusing the Rockets for the Warriors. Thunder (Westbrook/Melo/PG13) want the Warriors.

They will play tremendous while storming the castle. Then conveniently lay down the rest of the playoffs.

Thunder break up this summer.

It can happen.

 

"Not like the 94 when there might be an asterisk...."

WTF!!! There is/was/might be no f'n asterisk. We played and beat everyone who showed up and the rest of that mess is STFU!

I do like the 95 playoff run comparison. Beating four 60 win teams on the road. I won't complain no matter who we draw, tough or "easy." You can only beat who ya play. No asterisk BS that's for losers to talk about.

Not that I feel strongly about it or anything.

 

I love that CP3 has taught Harden how to have heart.

 

What’s the path of least resistance? The problem with trying to line up an optimal playoff seeding is that it’s difficult to determine which of these teams is the easiest. The Rockets will be overwhelming favorites against any of these potential first round matchups except maybe OKC where they will only be heavily favored. There are potential problems with all of these teams, but none likely big enough to be a road block. Hence the “I don’t care who we play” angle.

 

I don't find it difficult to see that playing OKC in the first rd will be much more difficult than playing the Timberwolves.

 

I screwed up who we play. I think I have it right now. Here are the fixed odds.

Minn win (65%) and NO win (53%) we play Minn = 34.45%
Minn win (65%) and SA win (47%) we play NO = 30.55%
Denver win (35%) and NO win (53%) we play SA = 18.55%
Denver win (35%) and SA win (47%) we play NO = 16.45%

47% chance we play NO, 34.45% Minn and 18.55% SA.

 

I don't think the path of least resistance leads to the most success when it comes to the NBA playoffs. Sometimes you see teams get shell-shocked by an opponent in the second round because their first round fodder was too easy to get them playing real playoff intensity basketball. Sure, there is a risk of a first round upset, but a good opponent is a trial by fire and the team will emerge battle-hardened. Give me the Spurs.

 

This is true to a point...then again, you don't want Pops exposing something that makes Houston seem vulnerable and then every team Houston faces the rest of the playoffs will try to do the same thing.

I can see some value in Houston getting into a shootout in the first round - maybe against the T-Wolves...just seems like a series with LOTS of 3s would give our guys some playoff reps and a chance to get in a rhythm heading into the later rounds. We aren't going to depend on Gordon, Anderson, and Green, but at least one of those guys is going to have to bring it every night for us to have a chance against the best of the best.

 

I can just see okc losing tonight

 

i'd say the odds of that are absolute zero

 

So there is no way Warriors play OKC in the first round?

I am more interested in Warriors playing OKC in the first round than I am in who we play in the first round.

 

Yes... I'd place some big coin on OKC not losing TONIGHT.

 

I myself think this Thread title is not correct (Feigen is wrong)

The following message from an nba expert: The reasons Thunder be seeded eighth to play Rockets

The current No. 7, Oklahoma City (47-34), cannot finish seventh because of tiebreakers. If the Thunder loses to Memphis on Wednesday, it would fall into a tie with the winner of the Minnesota-Denver game and lose the tiebreaker to the Timberwolves or the Nuggets and be seeded eighth. If the Thunder beats Memphis, the loser of the New Orleans-San Antonio game would drop to seventh and Oklahoma City would be fifth or sixth.

 

OKC will be in the 7th place if OKC loses and SAS wins (or)
OKC loses and UTA goes 0-2 and NOP wins

 

Yeah.... and if Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love don't get hurt, the Warriors only have one championship.

The reality is no one knows what is going to happen.

The Rockets would beat the Spurs in the 1st round unless there is a major injury. The Rockets would be facing a Spurs team without Leonard and with the Rockets adding Paul, Tucker, Green and Mbah.

 

Not sure if posted yet, but an easy to remember scenario.

 

I think it's going to be New Orleans.

 

The only team I'd be worried about is Minny, since they are better than their record since Butler is coming back. Still, we've owned them with or without Butler and our style of play has proven to be their very bane.

The Pelicans have the best player among those 3 teams, so that is a little frightening...

Then there are the spurs...who are the Spurs...a team we should have beaten even last year and didn't.

I'll go with the Pelicans. MDA can outcoach them and AD can only do so much.

The one out of three I'd rather not play are the Spurs. They have too much history, know how to win playoff games, and the idea of just sweeping past them just seems wrong. It feels like the Spurs, no matter what, find a way to make a series interesting. They either grind it out and get dirty or they just out-execute you and suddenly perform like a machine.

Rockets and Rockets fans should not be scared of any of these teams though.