With a 7-game series, Houston (ironically) will exploit Yao Ming’s endurance and stamina issues. We have seen through playoff experience that Yao Ming cannot handle the physical toll that a 7-game playoff series can have on him. Now, evidence supports that Yao actually does well against teams like Utah and Dallas in the playoffs, but what about if he played a fast-paced offense? We’ll see. I think my big men are pretty mobile and will take advantage of a slow and tired Yao Ming this late in the playoffs (after two previous series of the same 7-game grueling series) and an aging Rasheed Wallace. We will attempt to run the Portland big men tired.
Guard-wise, I have shooters to spread the floor, and force pick and roll issues because most of my players have pretty deep range or great mid-range shooting capabilities. Hedo excels at what he does because he shoots over smaller SF’s and now he is matched up with a taller defender on him in Rashard Lewis, who was his teammate. Rashard may not be a great defender, but has great length to guard an offensive player who is dependent on his shooting. Terry vs. Conley is the battle of experience. Terry has playoff experience and is the veteran who has played more minutes in these games than Conley ever has. That kind of experience can make a young man crack, and trust me I acknowledge Conley’s skill, but not in his first crack at the Conference Finals. Korver and Delonte is a wash, two different style players who excel at two different things. They are even in my mind if you take their respective skilled fields into account.
When we compare the benches, I think overall my bench is better. Portland’s frontcourt is a slightly better version of Memphis’s frontline (from this draft, not the real Grizzlies) and I still think my frontcourt is better. Lopez, while unproven, merely asked to play D, provide energy, and rebound, which is the same that I ask of Sean Williams. Crittenton is a guard who has shown flashes of high level of skills to score and pass the ball, still a risk, but the man has been solid when given minutes. He also brings a lot of energy off the bench. Afflalo is a great energy player who plays solid D, and don’t think that he has forgotten how to score, the man can still play offense, and I’m not asking for 20pts, just consistency, which he can provide. Nocioni is the X-Factor and I think one of the main deciders of this series. I have a passionate, energetic player coming off my bench who has proven that he is solid enough to be a starter. He is a great player, a great scorer, and a great defender. If I wanted to go small ball, I can even run him at PF at times. I’ll even add that I have suitable third stringers who can backup my weakest positions, which are the two guard positions. Devin Brown can score, and Hayes is a solid backup, especially as a third stringer.
I may not have a playmaker, but I don’t believe this team needs a godly playmaker to score. Simple, fundamental passing coupled with great shooters all around are key to this offense. Speed is also key to this offense and those sentiments are echoed from the starters to the 12th man. I may not have a great one man defender who can stop Yao, but I have 5 big men, and swarming seems to do fine, although I still believe that my speed and his own body are going to be the biggest defenders on him. Yao will be tired by this time of the playoffs, third seven game series. Same applies to Sheed. Both are very foul prone as well, look at Yao’s career and look at Sheed in last year’s playoffs (Celtic series: 5 games with 5+ fouls).
I also want to end this on a different note. Although I think that I can win this series, I want to say that I have a formidable foe and a great, quality opponent. I want to say good luck to lukewarmplay, and I hope you do well.
(TOTAL SIDENOTE: How the HELL did I make it this far???)
