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Have to be honest - when I heard no Harris or Parsons, it was hard to even tune in last night.

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Parsons is a regular season guy. You have to play defense in the playoffs.

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I was out at dinner and wasn't aware of Rondo' 8-second violation.

Why would anyone in the league pick up a guy who is such a ****** bag?

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And don't forget about him leaving Terry wide ass open for a 3 on the inbound pass immediately following the 8 second violation. Y'all are better off keeping that whiny biatch on the bench. He is killing your team

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On the flipside of my bit comment...do you think that Cuban antagonizing is a bit as well? Could he be trying to drum up a rivalry?

Recent history has not been great (not backhanded), so perhaps he is being noisy to keep interest. Whatever's good for business...

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But who else has he done it to? The whole "rest of the team isn't very good" comment seemed like a bit, because the Rockets have one of the deepest and most talented collections of talent in the league, and surely Cuban knows that.

The spat with Morey seems genuine though.

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I'll have to disagree on the deepest and most talented collections of talent in the league. I've read the Rockets thread on here and it seems like everyone on that team sucks 99% of the time and no one can understand how they are even NBA players and should be flipping burgers out something.

I genuinely get confused because the fans on here state that the cupboard is so bare that it's only due to Beard Jesus that they have won any games at all (mvp argument) but they've got the deepest and most talented team ever (someone saying they are actually Harden and scrubs).

I love Cuban the owner because he not only cares so much about his team but because he's essentially one of us, hyper emotional during games.

I understand why the Mavs thought the Rondo trade was a good idea but it'll go down as one of the worst trades in recent years because it killed the offense.

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The Mavs are in for a long, painful decline.

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Yea, the franchise has lived off of Dirk for too long, and they seem to be willing to limp in obscurity, which means the downturn is not going to be short, I fear.

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I understand why the Mavs thought the Rondo trade was a good idea but it'll go down as one of the worst trades in recent years because it killed the offense.

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This.

I thought it was horrible when they did it, but understood their motivations. The Rockets took the same gamble with Josh Smith, and that has worked out.

Josh Smith doesn't seem as much of a ******bag as Rondo, but they're both notorious headcases that *could* disrupt team chem. Maybe Rondo should try lobs instead of those stupid bounce passes.

Wish we could at least make this a series...last year's 7 game series with the eventual champion Spurs was a lot of fun. This series is meh.

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The Mavs are in for a long, painful decline.

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That's a little premature (and was also said after the 41-41 season, I believe). Dallas still has one of the best coaches in the league. Still have an owner willing to make big moves to improve the team. Still have talent on the team, but too much roster turnover.

Dirk sacrificed his payday so they could bring in Parsons which everyone, including Houston fans, thought was a good move for Dallas. NO ONE thought Houston was getting the bigger straw when Ariza was signed. No, I don't think Parsons can be THE guy, but no reason to write him off.

Obviously, in hindsight, it's easy to criticize the Rondo trade. But, it was the right move; there was too much upside, and Dallas didn't give up much, talent-wise. That said, it's clear now that he just doesn't fit (or doesn't want to be here), so I'm happy parking him on the bench and letting JJ and Felton try to do what they can. Look for a new PG for 15-16.

Back to Dirk: Sadly, he just doesn't have much left now. Unbelievable how many open shots he missed last night. I think he can still start for 2 more years, but with reduced minutes, and no more than the 3rd scoring option.

Now, back to last night: Rockets fans, don't act like "y'all" dominated for 48 minutes. It was entertaining, physical, and close for most of the game. The difference in the game was the Mav's defensive retardation from 10:49 - 6:37 in the 4th, where Josh Smith channeled pre-AIDS Magic Johnson. Helluva entertaining stretch.

Yes, Houston wins the series, but I expect Dallas to take game 3, possibly game 4.

Congrats, Rockets, for getting to the 2nd round for the first time since the Clinton administration.

Moving foward the Mavs have...
Parsons, an overpaid good player, but not great.
Dirk, who is getting closer and closer to retirement.
Ellis, again, good player, but he's not carrying a team.
Harris, a nice role player.

Outside of that you will have major cap room to spend and **** ton of holes. If you cannot get Gasol, Aldrdge, or someone else that ops out (Bron, Love) then Mavs will have to overpay for guys that aren't going to put them in a position to make any more serious runs.

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Congrats, Rockets, for getting to the 2nd round for the first time since the Clinton administration.

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Never ceases to amaze me how frequently people will talk chit without doing a simple fact check

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The difference in the game was the Mav's defensive retardation from 10:49 - 6:37 in the 4th, where Josh Smith channeled pre-AIDS Magic Johnson. Helluva entertaining stretch.

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That was the difference? How about the many times the Rockets played terrible defense and turned the ball over stupidly.

Once again, if both teams play perfect.. Houston wins by at least 10. So far, Houston hasn't come anywhere close to playing a complete good game. You'll know it when Harden is on fire, and when he's resting, we still build the lead with Smith and Brewer playing like they have the first two games.

And that is the difference between this year's team compared to last year. Last year, if Harden was off his game, the offense stalled and we were in trouble. It was the Harden and Dwight show, and they got very little help from anyone else.

This year, Harden has played decent, but not great, and we have still won both games by double digits because we are so much deeper than we were last year. We are not a one man show, even though the rest of the league seems to think we are.

That and Dallas isn;t anywhere as good as Portland was last year. And no I don't care about how you matched up vs SAS.

Yeah, it is time for the Mavericks to clean house. Aging talent plus declining talent = re-build. Luckily, the cap goes up to 90 million in a great 2016 FA market. I say clean house and tank next season to try and get a stud in the draft and then get 3 max contract guys in here with a few solid ~5-10 million guys. Rondo is also the biggest hinderance to this offense I have ever seen.

Nvm, misunderstood. Thought you were comparing last year's Dallas and last year's Portland.

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That was the difference?

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Yes, that was the difference. Until that point, the game was not decided. Early in the 4th, the Mavs had an opportunity to take control. But give Houston credit; they changed it up, the offense flowed through Smith, and instead of jacking up stupid 3's, he made some fantastic plays with Howard and Brewer.

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How about the many times the Rockets played terrible defense and turned the ball over stupidly.

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That could be said for both teams. How many times did Dallas turn it over in the first 5 minutes? Plus, Rondo tech, Rondo 8 seconds, Rondo sleeping, Chandler tech.

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Once again, if both teams play perfect.. Houston wins by at least 10. So far, Houston hasn't come anywhere close to playing a complete good game. You'll know it when Harden is on fire, and when he's resting, we still build the lead with Smith and Brewer playing like they have the first two games.

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This I agree with. Dallas needs to play well on offense, but much better on defense, to win. Harden has not looked good on offense, but fortunately for Houston, he makes up for it by driving the lane, and getting to the FT line.

So if the Rockets win Friday how easy will it be to score cheap tickets for Game 4 in Dallas Sunday?

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Harden has not looked good on offense, but fortunately for Houston, he makes up for it by driving the lane, and getting to the FT line.

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Harden hasn't shot the ball well, but I would argue he is playing good offense. He's getting other guys involved and trusting them to make plays by passing the ball to the open guy. If he can keep looking to get others involved, combined with knocking down his shots, is when Houston is so tough to beat.

And of course, getting to the FT line always helps, too

Rondo out indefinitely with a "back injury" .... sure that's what it is, a "back injury"

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Congrats, Rockets, for getting to the 2nd round for the first time since the Clinton administration.

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Never ceases to amaze me how frequently people will talk chit without doing a simple fact check

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Ok, second time? What a huge miss...?

Maybe the back injury occurred when Amare beat his ass after the game.

Parsons is officially out for the remainder of the playoffs as well.

Cuban is making them all sit out so he has an excuse.

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Cuban is making them all sit out so he has an excuse.

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Beverly and DMO out. Excuse denied.

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Rondo out indefinitely with a "back injury" .... sure that's what it is, a "back injury"

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So if the Rockets win Friday how easy will it be to score cheap tickets for Game 4 in Dallas Sunday?

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They'll probably just let you walk in.

Parsons having knee surgery and asked if he expects Rondo to wear a Mavs uniform again, Carlisle said "No, I don't."

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I'll have to disagree on the deepest and most talented collections of talent in the league. I've read the Rockets thread on here and it seems like everyone on that team sucks 99% of the time and no one can understand how they are even NBA players and should be flipping burgers out something.

I genuinely get confused because the fans on here state that the cupboard is so bare that it's only due to Beard Jesus that they have won any games at all (mvp argument) but they've got the deepest and most talented team ever (someone saying they are actually Harden and scrubs).

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The people who argue that Harden is the most VALUABLE do so based on the fact that he led his team to a division championship and a 2 seed in a stacked conference despite missing important pieces to the team for large portions of the year. No one is saying he's light years ahead of Curry, but the Warriors haven't had any major injuries this year. The Rockets have been without 3 starters, and another major contributor off the bench for 20+ games each.

Also, I said the Rockets had one of the best, not the best. I don't think many on here would argue that the Rockets are significantly better than the Clippers on a whole. However, the Rockets do have a deeper team and a much better bench. Same with OKC. It's why, in addition to Harden's effort, we've been able to withstand the losses of Dwight Howard, Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas, and Patrick Beverley.

I wasn't trying to turn this into a pissing contest. I just feel like the Rockets have done a good job of acquiring talented players that fill a nice role on their team.

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Parsons having knee surgery and asked if he expects Rondo to wear a Mavs uniform again, Carlisle said "No, I don't."

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Dirk sacrificed his payday so they could bring in Parsons which everyone, including Houston fans, thought was a good move for Dallas.

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I don't think most of us thought it was worth paying Parsons what y'all paid him. It was a good move to get him, not a good move to pay him that salary.

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Never ceases to amaze me how frequently people will talk chit without doing a simple fact check

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What's worse is people trying to make a big deal about a very minor mistake. The Rockets MAY win their SECOND playoff series since 1997. Many born AFTER that series win in 1997 will be entering college next fall! Meanwhile the Mavs have won 13, including an NBA and conference title.

So saying 1 when it was actually 2 amazed you?? Wow.

In the grand scheme the series really doesn't matter much. Whichever team advances isn't likely to get too far.

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In the grand scheme the series really doesn't matter much. Whichever team advances isn't likely to get too far.

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Were you one of the Mavwreck fans saying Mavs in 6?