We learned a lot from last night’s opening game of the Eastern Conference Final. LeBron James $11400 got off to an excellent start (31 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST) as the Cavaliers snatched away home-court advantage. Tristan Thompson $6000 gets a salary bump after a double-double in 42 minutes and J.R. Smith $4900 was unconscious, draining eight 3-pointers. [Read more…]
This is where DFS handicapping gets really interesting. It was easy enough to target Stephen Curry $10400 and James Harden $9500 last night as the Warriors edged the very stubborn Rockets, but not many touts or analysts expected Shaun Livingston $2600 (18 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST) to be such a factor. He was on the Short List here and I hope you plugged him into your Tu-We lineups. [Read more…]
On your mark, get set, go! Track meet, drag race, whatever analogy you like, the Western Conference finals between the top-seeded Golden State Warriors and second-seeded Houston Rockets should be played at a breakneck pace by a pair of teams who are attempting to change the paradigm of NBA offenses. During the regular season, the Warriors led the league in points per game, overall shooting and 3-point shooting. They were second in threes made and scored at least 110 points 40 times,
It’s time we start appreciating these Houston Rockets for what they are instead of wondering what could be down the road. For much of the 2014-15 season, the narrative about Houston for many around the NBA — myself included — has been more about the future than the present. Sure, today looked nice with James Harden and Dwight Howard, but general manager Daryl Morey seemed so close to forming a “Super Team” last summer with Chris Bosh and again at the trade deadline with Goran
With 14 minutes left, Game 6 felt just like the two in Los Angeles before it. The Rockets were close at the half, trailing by only two, but they were blitzed yet again in the third quarter, with the Clippers pushing the 64-62 halftime edge to 89-70. In the prior two cases, the Rockets folded and lost by 25+ points. This time? They were able to deliver a stunning 49-18 counter-punch to the Clippers to close the game and tie the series at 3-3, sending it back to Houston for a
The Los Angeles Clippers were up by 19 points in the third quarter against the Houston Rockets in Game 6 on Thursday, and the game (as well as the series) felt as though it was just about over when Blake Griffin made this circus spinning layup. Then something unthinkable happened: with James Harden sitting on the bench, the Rockets clawed their way back into the game in the fourth quarter and outscored the Clippers 49-18 to come out with a 119-107
Please, people, don’t panic! The strategy of fouling bad foul shooters, incessantly creating a parade to the free throw line, will die a quiet death. I’m not talking about a team that is behind by 6 with a minute to go trying to get the ball back. I’m talking about the “Hack-a-Shaq” – or Dwight, or DeAndre – strategy of putting a 40 percent shooter on the line 40 times a game. Yes, it is bad television. It kills the flow of
The Houston Rockets haven’t lost three games in a row all season long. But if they’re going to keep that streak alive in Tuesday’s Game 5 — and with it, their season — they’re going to have to overcome a tidal wave of momentum in favor of the Clippers. [Read more…]