It seems like it was yesterday, when we were ramping up for the playoffs, the number one team in the NBA. We were going to right all the wrongs from last year's NBA Finals. We were unstoppable. Until the Golden State Warriors decided that since we were the only team they seemed to be able to beat handily, they might as well start winning some games after the all-star break, so they could see us in the first round of the playoffs. To add insult to injury, they had recruited the coach that quit on us, that never made defense a priority, that didn't bother to show up for practice sessions. Here, he was complacent, lazy, spoiled and content to just let our team be mediocre. He brought in Avery Johnson, who is greatness, made him head coach, and split. But after a year in 'retirement', he decided that he missed the attention and decided to join the Warriors. Maybe it's because they were the one team we consistently had issues with, who knows. But what you just witnessed was revenge coaching. All of a sudden, defense is important, being at practice is important, being there for your team and giving a crap, is very very important. I think the Warriors outplayed us in every game. We had some shining moments, we showed up at times, but except for Jerry Stackhouse and Desegana Diop, we never really looked like we were hungry to win. We looked soft, we looked unsure, and the saddest thing of all, we looked scared. We flat out disappeared in the end of almost every quarter. We let the Warriors get into our heads and make us doubt ourselves, doubt what we could do on the court, and doubt what got us to the number one seed in the playoffs. I can't say anything bad about Dirk, as I'm sure he is in hell right now. He didn't show up except for a few minutes here and there, and maybe he didn't lead the team, but the way I see it, we forced him to be a leader for this team. He just wanted to play ball, to play his game. Then Steve Nash left and he was pushed into the leader spot. He is greatness all around, and I hope he recovers from this. I hope we all recover from this. But let me just say this. The Warriors better not get too happy with themselves just yet, because the team that you play next didn't have Don Nelson as a coach. He doesn't know all their players, he doesn't know their every move and how to stop them, like he did with the Mavericks. You ramped yourself up to beat us, and only us. I hope you enjoyed that luxury while it lasted. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have a feeling that your celebration will be short lived. The run and gun, thug style of basketball doesn't always beat out the smarter tougher team. Now it's time for more basketball, may the best team win. For right now, Go Rockets!
