It's not like there aren't enough reasons to hate the Rockets. Dwight Howard, despite being bigger and stronger than you or I could possibly dream of being, seems like he would cry if you said a naughty word to him, and there's James Harden and his stupid beard and his stupid flopping and his stupid free throws, and his stupid, stupid, stupid Taco Bell commercials. (Can you tell I don’t like James Harden?) I could go on, but instead, because I like to look on the bright side of life, here are a couple reasons not to poop your pants in anger at the thought of the Houston Rockets:
1. Patrick Beverley isn't playing
In my opinion, Patrick Beverly is one of the most offensive players on the Houston Rockets roster. He is known for being a "tenacious" (read: dirty) defender, and a grade-A pain in the butt. Though Beverley has never messed up MY knee, I've seen plenty of Warriors-Rockets games and I think that his tactics are a bit silly. I've never been a fan of the "mental game", myself. It seems to me like the best way to get into someone's head is to play really really well against them. I don't think Patrick Beverley is good enough to do that, so he resorts to mind games to try to make other players play worse. Who wants to see worse basketball? Not me. Good news! This time around, instead of Patrick Beverly, who’s out with a wrist injury, we get Jason Terry, a much less hateable player in my opinion. Enjoy Jason Terry. Bask in his not-beverley-ness.
2. Josh Smith
I know that Tom Ziller used Josh Smith as one of his reasons to hate the Rockets, but I root for Josh Smith. When J-Smoove chucks up an ill-advised 3 and bricks it, It doesn't feel right to disparage him. He’s not trying to make his team lose. He’s trying to help his team win. He does everything he can, physically and emotionally, to get that 3 to go in. He wants his team to have 3 more points. When I look at Josh Smith, I see a player who just wants to be loved and accepted and help his team win. He knows he’s talented, and he really wants to be good at basketball. He just doesn’t know how to go about it. It felt right when he led the Rockets to that game 6 comeback with James Harden on the bench. (little note: Rockets fans have been acting like James Harden was playing with a bunch of cardboard cutouts this year) Josh Smith occupies this weird space of basketball consciousness where he is known for being both a very good player and a very bad one. I'd rather see the very good version.
Except when he's playing the Warriors. I wouldn't mind if he sucked for the next few games.
3. KJ McDaniels
KJ McDaniels
KJ McDaniels
KJ McDaniels
I know he doesn't play but the dude can yam.
And.... That's all I got. These are my reasons not to hate the Houston Rockets. Feel free to yell at me because you think I'm giving J-Smoove way too much credit or if Jason Terry personally insulted you or if KJ McDaniels is actually a bad dude. What do I know?
Let's go Warriors. Can't wait for tomorrow. #WGBC
