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  • Posted on: Wed, 06/26/2019 - 7:12am #464962
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    Bad Dog
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     So much for good sportmanship

     

     

    Rockets were prepared to ‘respectfully disagree’ after James Harden lost MVP to Giannis, and NBA Twitter let them have it

    Houston, we have a problem conceding defeat

     
     

     Monday was Giannis Antetokounmpo’s night, despite the Houston Rockets‘ best efforts.

    The Milwaukee Bucks star forward took home his first career MVP award on Monday, officially closing the book on what was a great season for the 24-year-old Greek Freak. Maybe even better than his numbers was the emotional, heartfelt speech he delivered upon accepting the honor at the NBA Awards. 

    Giannis took to the stage and thanked his late father, who passed away in 2017. It was an incredibly moving, humble and vulnerable moment from one of the game’s most beloved and talented players.

    And then, just moments after that speech, the Houston Rockets decided they needed to be sour. The team’s official Twitter account hit send on a thread to "respectfully disagree" with Antetokounmpo’s selection as Most Valuable Player. 

    Instead of conceding defeat and delivering a genuine congratulations to the Bucks star, the Rockets dropped a checklist of reasons why they felt James Harden should have been selected instead.

    And while there’s certainly a case to be made that Harden could have won the award on Monday night, there’s also just as much of a case to be made that it went to the right guy. Either way, it comes across as petty and whiny to use the official team account to fire off a "respectfully disagree" tweet after your guy comes up on the wrong side of an award. 

    It seems even more ridiculous, at least optics-wise, to have all those things ready to go just in case your guy lost. This was clearly a well-researched and well-planned counterargument from the Rockets, meaning this was the game plan all along. 

    And it’s even more ridiculous that the team’s social media manager saw Giannis’ speech, how much the moment meant to him and how much everyone else enjoyed it before STILL deciding it was a good idea to protest the result.

    Luckily, the team got rightfully blasted by a good portion of NBA Twitter for their sour grapes.

     

     

     

     

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  • Posted on: Wed, 06/26/2019 - 7:34am #1135399
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    HobbyOG
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     Rockets have internal problems to focus on…And I think Greek Freak deserves MVP. He plays both sides of the ball not just offense. This was a petty tweet..

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  • Posted on: Wed, 06/26/2019 - 9:14am #1135405
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    Cynthia
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    Harden is just a glorified scorer. He’s like Carmelo in his prime, could drop 30+ on anyone any night but wasn’t good at anything else. Yes Harden gets assists but that’s because they’ve surrounded him with top notch shooters so when he draws a double he passes to a wide open 3pt ace. Anyone in that situation would get tons of assists. Not to mention he exploits the rules to get tons of free points at the line. Casual fans may not care but old school fans find this style of play a mockery.

    MVP should be for people who are good on both sides of the ball. Harden is well known for being an atrocious and lazy defender. I’ll always prefer giving an MVP to 2-way players like Giannis, LeBron, Kawhi, Durant, A.Davis, etc.

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    • Posted on: Wed, 06/26/2019 - 9:37am #1135408
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      Gronounours
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       Well, being a ‘glorified scorer’ is kind of a big deal in basket-ball. And it’s not true that he’s an ‘atrocious defender’, not anymore at least. Also, he’s a very good passer, and not just because he’s surrounded by good shooters.

      I’m not saying he should have won the MVP (I don’t care, really), but you’re being a bit biased.

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      • Posted on: Wed, 06/26/2019 - 2:22pm #1135425
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        Choppy
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         I would like to respectfully disagree. He’s still a bad defender. If he played NBA average defence, he wouldn’t need to chase points. He’s the king of empty stats that don’t contribute to winning. He doesn’t make those around him better. 

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        • Posted on: Wed, 06/26/2019 - 8:11pm #1135433
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          Gronounours
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           I’m no specialist, but according to many pundits (ESPN and elsewhere), Harden is now a decent defender. And frankly, I don’t know what you’re trying to say with ‘If he played NBA average defence, he wouldn’t need to chase points’.

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          • Posted on: Thu, 06/27/2019 - 1:30am #1135450
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            Choppy
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            What I mean is, if he spent some of his energy defending, he wouldn’t need to average so many points. Let’s say he defended and stopped an average of 6 more points a game. That means he could average 6 less points a game and his team would be in the same position. He’s a selfish player who flops to get free throws, making the game boring. He travels on his stepbacks. He barely defends. Sorry, I really dislike James Harden’s game. 

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            • Posted on: Thu, 06/27/2019 - 3:17am #1135460
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              invalid
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              Can you say that aswell to defenders, that if they spend energy into offense they can convert it into score, ex. wallace, rodman? yes? if not then what is the point.

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              • Posted on: Thu, 06/27/2019 - 2:31pm #1135509
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                Choppy
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                Harden has talent. No doubt. Players like Wallace and Rodman, they had no talent to score the ball, so they maximised what they had into rebounding and defence. Harden is one of the most physically gifted players in the NBA today (any era realistically). It galls me to see him concentrate on only one side of the ball, because he has the physical gifts to be an excellent (not just good) defender. Look at Kawhi for a comparison. Defends AND scores. Harden could be similar, but has no stomach for the dirty work. Some players like Isaiah Thomas don’t have the physical profile to be a good defender, so even if they try at defence, they’ll likely fail. Doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try though. Harden has the ability to defend, just choses not to consistently. That is far worse in my eyes.

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                • Posted on: Thu, 06/27/2019 - 2:36pm #1135510
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                  OhCanada-
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                  I think Harden saves his energy for the offensive end which is why people think hes a bad defender. He only really tries defensively in the 4th qaurter if the games close. Gotta remember alot of Houstons wins they are just raining 3’s on teams and up by 20. Hardens not gonna get his beard dirty on the defensive end in a blow out.

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                • Posted on: Thu, 06/27/2019 - 8:43pm #1135522
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                  invalid
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                  same, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try.  they are physically gifted aswell. but i don’t see anyone complain if they dont score. they just accept/praise it if its pure defense. if you are offensively focused then this is what you get. and that lazy defender is getting old. not everyone is kawhi. not everyone is harden on offense too. i like kawhi overall dont get me wrong, i just think people here are undervaluing harden.

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    • Posted on: Wed, 06/26/2019 - 11:11pm #1135447
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      invalid
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      Don’t use all old school fans, not all have the same opinion. You make it sound like being a top scorer is an easy thing to do lol. He is surrounded by who?who are these "top notch" shooters? top notch. yeah right. "so when he draws a double.." again, isnt that part of being great? your ability to get doubled and be able to pass. It’s their system so what? Idc who won for the MVP as it is really close at least for me and some. again not all. stop using casual and old school fans. not all have the same opinion as you. Giannis deserves it but you make it sound like Harden isnt worth mentioning at all since he is "just" a scorer. 

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  • Posted on: Wed, 06/26/2019 - 9:33am #1135406
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    Bad Dog
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    It really is a classless move on part of the Rockets but I can’t say I’m completely surprised by it. Their owner, that Ferrtitta guy, comes off as a solid gold @sshole. It’s likely the culture of their organization to be sore losers. 

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  • Posted on: Wed, 06/26/2019 - 11:58am #1135417
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    OhCanada-
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     Rockets have huge accountability issues. Seriously need to change their leadership and start all over because this is going nowhere. I see them missing the playoffs next year.

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  • Posted on: Wed, 06/26/2019 - 2:29pm #1135428
    Heroescantdie
    Heroescantdie
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     and cry baby team are just as a perfect macth with harden lol

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