Warriors VS Rockets (Game 5)

Warriors Win Series 4-1

The Warriors closed out the series last night, and they blew out the Houston Rockets. Jason Terry guaranteed a Rockets win in game 5. The funny thing is, Jason Terry obviously put too much pressure on himself because he was 0-7 from the field.

The Warriors were great offensively. They shot 54.9% from the field. They could not be stopped. The team had 30 assists in the game. Klay Thompson had 27 points on the night as he took advantage of James Harden's poor defensive effort. Klay took 9 uncontested field goals and made 8 of them. That is just a very poor effort from the Rockets.

The Warriors weren't just good offensively though. They held the Rockets to 32.6% from the field. They contested most of the Rockets attempts. The Rockets took 55 contested shots and only made 18 of them. That is great defense! I also notice that they crashed on Dwight Howard whenever he got the ball. He never could get up a clean shot as he shot 3-13 from the field.

As you can see, the Warriors dominated on offense and played great defense. If they keep this up going into next series, they could win the whole series without Curry. And Kevin Durant would agree with me that anyone who can't see that is an idiot.

Warriors VS Rockets (Game 3)

Warriors Lead Series 2-1

The Rocket finally decided to take advantage of the Warriors sitting Curry out of the game. The Rockets were great offensively and looked like they actually wanted to play defensively, or did they. Let's break it all down.

If you look at the Rockets defense, you will notice it wasn't all as it seemed. They did a good job of contesting field goals shot by Klay, but they failed to contest any other shots. This actually worked with them somewhat as the Warriors couldn't hit shots, but then Maurice Speights was left wide open. He took advantage of this as he contibuted to 22 points off the bench and was a big reason why this Warriors team stayed in the game. If you take a look at the shotchart you will notice that the Rockets defense wasn't that great. Guys were left open but were just missing outside shots. The shots inside were usually not defended well and they got quality looks inside. 

Warriors Team - Shot Chart - www.nba.com/stats

James Harden, Dwight Howard, and Motiejunas were the guys that really made this Rockets offense go 'round. The pick and roll with Dwight Howard and James Harden wasn't guarded that well by Golden State until the second half where Motiejunas started spacing the floor and hitting shots. The Warriors got off to a very poor start defensively. It wasn't til the 4th quarter where the Warriors really cracked down defensively.

The Warriors did not rebound well. They lost the rebounding battle to Houston as the Warriors had 43 rebounds while the Rockets had 52. The Rockets had 16 second chance points. The Warriors also didn't take care of the ball well. Draymond Green had 7 turnovers in the game and had a turnover at the end of the game in which the Warriors could have possibly won the game. The turnovers really hurt Golden State and it kind of cost them the game. The Houston Rockets had 20 points off turnovers so it was a case of not getting back on defense either.

Stephen Curry has said that he would be very surprised if he didnt' play in game 4 so the Rockets should expect him to play. They have a lot of changes that they must make if they are going to keep this series alive.

Fantasy Fridays: Centers

It is the last of the positions that we have covered that you need for a great overall fantasy team. They are the main rebounders, blockers, and low post scorers. In order for your team to be successful, you need centers. So why not get the best of the centers? Here are the top ten.

10. Dwight Howard: Yes, it is Superman himself. Averaging 15.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.3 Blocks per game, and 1.2 APG, Dwight Howard had a pretty good season stats wise. But last season, we learned that Superman wasn't as invincible as we thought. Despite averaging pretty good numbers last season, Dwight Howard played only 41 games. That's half the season. Yeah, pretty bad, am I right? So if you do grab Dwight, buyer beware, he could be out for half the season.

9. Al Horford: The Hawks had a great season partially because of him. And he is one heck of a fantasy player. I really think anybody who gets him will profit. While he averaged 15.2 PPG, 1.3 Blocks, 7.2 rebounds, and 0.9 steals, his assisting numbers were what caught my eye. Last season he averaged 3.2 APG! You will definitely find numbers that you won't get from any other centers with Al Horford.

8. Brook Lopez: He demonstrated last year that he has the ability to stay healthy as he played in 72 games. And last year, he had some great numbers as he averaged, 17.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.8 Blocks, and 0.6 steals. While you do have the risk for him to be injured, Brook Lopez can be really productive, especially now that Deron Williams is gone. Are you willing to take the risk is what you have to ask yourself.

7. Al Jefferson: Big Al had an okay season last year, but it was a big disappointment from the season he had before. In the 2013-14 season, Al averaged 21.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 Blocks. I mean, that is wonderful numbers there Al. But last season, everything dropped except for his blocks. His points went down to 16.6 PPG, and his rebounds went down to 8.4 RPG. Al might just have a rebound season however. He very well could. If he does, it will be rewarding.

6. Nikola Vucevic: This man had a breakout season, last season as he averaged 19.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2 APG, and shot 52% from the field. He is not the best defensively but he will get you rebounds and score. He is going to most likely a sleeper so watch him closely and get him if he is a steal.

5. Marc Gasol: As great of a player Marc is, he is not the best when it comes to fantasy. However, Marc is still at the beginning of his career, and can improve offensively, he is a great defender. Last season he averaged 1.9 blocks and 0.9 steals. One thing that many people miss when they look at Marc's stats is his assisting number. Last season, he averaged 3.8 APG, along with 17.4 PPG, and 7.8 RPG. He is a good fantasy player, don't sleep on him.

4.  Hassan Whiteside: One of the best fantasy pickups that has ever happened from the waivers, happened last season. That was when Hassan had 12 blocks, 14 Points, and 13 Rebounds on Nation television. And Hassan will most likely see a big increase in playing time and I do expect him to become an all-star this next season. I do expect a lot of blocks, rebounds, and points from Hassan this season.

3. Greg Monroe: I honestly think that Greg Monroe will have his best season yet. After having a double-double season last year, Greg Monroe is at the best point of his life, and I expect him to average about 20 PPG, and 12 RPG. Not to mention, he might not be a great blocker, but Monroe can definitely steal the ball as he averaged 1.1 steals last year. Greg Monroe will be a great player to have on your fantasy team.

2. DeAndre Jordan: He lead the league in rebounds (15) and field goal percentage (71%). Not to mention he averaged 1 steal per game and 2.3 blocks. He only scores 12.1 PPG but scoring should be the reason why you got him. DeAndre Jordan is a player unlike any other. Get him if you can.

1. DeMarcus Cousins: He averaged 24.1 PPG last season along with 12.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.5 Steals, and 1.7 blocks. He may average 4.3 turnovers and 4.1 fouls, but how can you argue with these stats. You really can't. He may have some downsides, but he is a beast on both offense and defense and is a great rebounder. Take DeMarc.

Well, there you have it, all five position worth of the top 10 fantasy players at their positions. If you want the other positions, click here. Well, hope you do well with your fantasy team. Until next week... Aaron Jaros. 

Rockets VS Clippers (game 5)

Final Score: Rockets win 124-103



Clippers lead series 3-2

The Rockets did a lot of things right. The Clippers had a tough time with this team. This Rockets team showed everybody what they are capable of. Let's breakdown what the Rockets did right in this game and what they need to do to tie the series.

The Rockets had a great game. One noticeable thing they did was that they started Josh Smith. Josh Smith did have an okay game, but his defensive rating was the worst on the court. They honestly need to insert Jones into the starting line-up. James Harden had a wonderful game and he looked like he always had in the regular season. He started off the series where he was just missing. Everyone was like "James! Where were you!"

 

It's okay James, your back. That's all that matters. He had a triple-double last night. 26 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds. He could step up his shooting a little as he only shot 1-8 from the 3 point line. Dwight Howard also had a great game. He had 20 points and 15 rebounds. He was also great on the defensive end as well. Jason Terry had a wonderful game with 11 points, 7 assists, and 0 turnovers! He also was great on the offensive end with a rating of 141.1. Corey Brewer played great with 15 points off the bench. The best individual performance I think was by Trevor Ariza. He had 22 points, shot 4-6 from downtown, had 3 steals, and had a defensive rating of 89.5. He was the MVP of the game. At least, that's what I thought.

The Clippers have some work to do. They desperately need some offense from the bench. There bench was 10-31 from the field and 3-14 from the 3-point line. Spencer Hawes had a great game off the bench but he was the only bench player that really produced. They can't rely off of 55 points from Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. That won't win them games. Also, they need to rebound better. They lost the rebound advantage 58-39. That can't happen. Everyone needs to be trying to get the rebound. When DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin combine for all but 12 of your rebounds, the other teammates aren't trying enough. They really need to protect the paint better. I would be more concerned with the paint than the 3-point shooting of the Rockets right now. You can't let them have a chance to comeback. Can the Rockets do it? We'll have to wait and see.

Rockets VS Clippers (game 1)

Final Score: Clippers win 117-101



Clippers lead 1-0

Rockets looked like they had it. Then the Clippers woke up. The Rockets lost it. Then the Clippers won. Let's take a look at what the Rockets did wrong.

Dwight Howard did his job. He dominated over DeAndre Jordan. This was the worst game in terms of turnovers this year though. James Harden had 9 turnovers in the game. That can't happen. Josh Smith should not be putting up 5 threes. Corey Brewer can't put up 5 threes and miss all of them either. They both shot horrible from the floor. That needs to change. If you look at the Points off turnovers for the Clippers, it was bad. The Clippers had 34 points off of the Rockets turnovers. That needs to stop. One great thing was that the Clippers only had 40 points in the paint. They did give them 13-31 threes though. Obviously, there are a lot of problems for this Rockets team to fix.

Austin Rivers played great as he replaced Chris Paul. He had a good 17 points. Like the Rockets, the Clippers had way too many turnovers. Also, Glen Davis needs to pick it up on the defensive end. He had a defensive rating of 144.7. That's rough. One positive thing to look at was that they had more personal fouls drawn than the Rockets. Blake Griffin had a triple-double but he did have 5 turnovers. However, this Clippers team looks like they're in good shape. I think that if they keep it up, they will be looking into the conference finals.

Rockets VS Mavericks (game 5)

Final Score: Rockets win 103-94



Rockets win series 4-1

It was a nice series while it lasted. Too bad Chandler Parson couldn't play. Too bad Rajon Rondo couldn't make his coach happy. Too bad Patrick Beverley wasn't there. Too bad the Rockets social media manager was fired for making a picture of a horse with a gun to his head (sounds like a social media manager that has no common sense of social media). Too bad Dirk couldn't win another championship. Too bad the refs couldn't have a little more common sense (they were okay, but nobody else seemed to like them). And too bad this series is over.

The Mavericks did a lot of things wrong in this game 5. First off, Devin Harris was a horrible back up for Barea and they should have had Felton back up Barea at point. Second, Amar'e Stoudemire didn't get the touches he needed. He only had 16 touches in the 11:22 minutes he played. If he had touched the ball more and let him get in the post, that would have spaced out the floor better and would have help the Mavs control the tempo a little better. Same with Tyson Chandler. Now they did do a great job of getting Dirk some touches. Third is that they turned the ball over way to many times. They did a great job making the Rockets turn the ball over but they turned it over just as much as the Rockets. The good thing were that J.J. Barea and Dirk had great games. You might be like "Barea!?" Yes Barea. He only had 6 points but he had 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. The thing that stood out to me though, was how he controled the game. He had more touches than Dirk which obviously seems like that his team trusts him. He looked comfortable on the court. Of course, he is familiar with Dirk and this team. Dirk had 22 points and 14 rebounds but he couldn't win. I feel bad for Dirk because he wants to win more than anybody, but he couldn't.

The Rockets had an okay game. Somethings that weren't so good were that stood out. First, there were way too many turnovers. The team had 21 turnovers while James Harden himself had 6. Then, Trevor Ariza shot 1-7 from three point range. The team only shot 52% from the free throw line. And their teams assists were only one more than their teams turnovers. Some good things. Dwight Howard had 4 blocks and 4 steals. Josh Smith had 20 points off the bench. And Dwight Howard had the most touches for the team with 55 which was more than James Harden who had 44, which means that the floor is spaced for this three point shooting team and they don't rely on Harden as much.

Like I said, this was a great series, but it's over, so that's it for the Mavericks. Great time watching them and I will miss this team.

Rockets VS Mavericks (game 2)

Final Score: Rockets Win 111-99



Rockets lead series 2-0

Lets start this game off with the Mavericks.

The Mavs will not have Parsons for the rest of the playoffs. Rondo will be benched. Coach Nick told you why in the video. He is not helping the team. He only played 9:55 minutes in the game. What do the Mavs do. Let's take a look at the good. The bench played great, especially Barea and Felton as they played wonderful together. I was actually how great these two smaller guard player alongside each other. But them again, Felton was a decent player, and Barea is just a really physical guard. They are going to be crucial in games to come. The thing they need to cut down is threes. They only hit about 27% of them and shot a total of 20. Houston only shot 20 threes. It's not a good sign if you shoot more than them.

The Rockets are doing great. Dwight Howard really got into this game. Not to mention that Corey Brewer and Josh Smith are doing really great off the bench. They are staying aggressive and they have to if they are to win their next two games. The other thing I was impressed with was Dwight Howard at the line. He got to the line, and he shot well from the free throw line, shooting 8-11 from free throw. It was just a good overall team game. I they can have their next two games like this one, they will move on to the next round.

Rockets VS Mavericks (game 1)

Final Score: Rockets Win 118-108



Rockets lead series 1-0

Tough game for the Mavs. They did a great job with Howard and Harden. Who would have thought that Brewer would come out with 15 points and shooting 3-4 from 3-point range though. The Mavs just got to keep it up. The way I see it, the Rockets just got lucky this time. The Mavs played their best they had played all season really. Just the fact that Terry and Brewer were knocking down hard shots made it a tough game for the Mavs.

Playoff Rondo! It looks like he's here. He had 15 points, 5 assists, and only 5 turnovers! That is pretty good for Rondo. Everyone was in the game. Ellis was doing great. Dirk had an amazing night. The only thing is I want to see Parsons do a little better. He was 0-4 from 3-point range. Also, Dirk needs to limit some turnovers

The Rockets just need to keep doing what they were doing. The Mavs took out their main guys and the Rockets found a way to get everyone involved. They played great basketball. Passed the ball. If they keep this up, they could find themselves going on to the next round.