Top seed? Max: Houston. One, they're hungry for that. Golden State has won a championship & also lost one, maybe in part because they were chasing a record. Warriors learned their lesson & want to keep their eye on the prize. I don't think the Rockets are there yet. Every little goal means something to the Rockets. They haven't experienced what the Warriors have so they'll be going harder. The peak performance of any team so far has been the Rockets. They've gone on the longest winning streaks, beaten opponents by the widest margins, have at times Harlem Globetrotter'd the league & finally the Warriors bench has been scuffling. You add it all up, Rockets finish with a better regular season record. SAS: I'll side with Kenny Smith. Warriors will capture the #1 seed. They enjoy playing at the Oracle. Kenny Smith was right when he said it's all about interest. These guys are bored. It's not that you've been to 3 straight Finals & won 2 of 3. It's from a skill perspective, you're so superior, you're looking for things that are interesting. When we talk about Michael Jordan & his greatness, it wasn't just his skills. It was somehow, someway he seemed to annihilate all competition. He wasn't just about winning but demoralizing the competition. He wanted to strike such fear into your heart, destroy you so bad you didn't want to come back & he loved it when you thought you could mess with him. He found a way to make things interesting. The Warriors are in a situation where they're so superior, their interest in January/February, it's hard to be interested. That's why Steve Kerr said they're tired of hearing my voice. That's why I let them coach. You come up with gimmicks & tricks to keep them interested. Now that it's the stretch run, I think they'll answer the bell, they'll respond, they recognize the greatness of Harden & CP3, the uptempo style Houston tries to play, the fact D'Antoni has the nerve to be the one coach who says I'll try to outscore you & I think they'll close the deal with a relatively easy schedule & capture the #1 seed & the road to the championship will go through the Oracle. Max: D'Antoni's team is playing defense this year. A lot of that is Chris Paul & a lot is the improvement Harden has made. They pose a more serious threat. Part of the test of greatness is can you keep yourself engaged? Even Jordan, with extenuating circumstances, needed a mental break. Won three, took basically 2 years off, came back & won another three. Sure, we all believe he'd win 8 in a row but he didn't do that & there's a difference between saying that and actually doing it. Celtics in the 50s/60s, to win it every year, for LeBron to get there every single year, there's a reason that stuff isn't done. It takes a dedication & focus & will to not be bored. If you think that's what's happening in Golden State, that also means yes, come playoffs you favor Golden State but regular season, it indicates the Rockets are likely to finish with a better record if anything. SAS: I don't think anything indicates the Rockets will finish with a better record. They got a tough road ahead. You never know when they'll hit a wall. It will come down to those two. San Antonio is now on the outside looking in. OKC the same. Western Conference comes down to Golden State & Houston. The only way Houston gets the #1 seed is if they literally prioritize going all out to get the #1 seed & in order to do that, you have to continue play Harden the way you've been playing him, the minutes you've been giving him along with that of Chris Paul & I think they learned from last year when Harden ran out of gas & Chris Paul, who's had injuries in his past. You don't want to jeopardize everything just because I'm trying to get the #1 seed. Max: I don't think they have to. Their minutes can overlap without burning too many minutes for either guy.
Wow an argument worth reading. Max and Stephen actually appeared to have a solid discussion based on facts. I'm on Stephens side regarding the Warriors finishing first. They have the easier schedule, it's going to be hard to finish #1.
