00:00All right, so the Houston Rockets are one of those teams that are not on the outside looking in.
00:04They're on the inside, but you kind of feel like they're looking out
00:07because you really don't know what to make of the Houston Rockets, honestly.
00:09They beat the Jazz last night. Does that count? I guess so.
00:13Utah's one of the worst teams in the NBA, certainly being accused of tanking,
00:17and they're one of those teams under scrutiny as well.
00:20But Houston just can't seem to put together any kind of consistency,
00:25which I think, honestly, Carlin, will be okay in a seven-game series.
00:30But you can't really make them the favorite outside of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs
00:34because you feel like they could get upset or even lose.
00:38Yeah, I think Houston's problem is the fact that they need another closer outside of Kevin Durant.
00:44And if Kevin Durant was five years younger, this wouldn't be an issue.
00:48Kevin Durant's a little bit older. He's going to be 38, 37 years old in the season right now.
00:54It's starting to show at this point in the season. We saw that come against the Knicks.
00:57They should not have lost that game on Saturday night against the New York Knicks.
01:00They had no business losing that basketball game. They were up big.
01:04The Knicks had really not much of hope other than the Houston Rockets kind of handing them the game
01:09and turning that ball over. So they needed that bounce-back win at home against Utah.
01:13I don't think you take much from it. Utah Jazz, as you mentioned, Craig,
01:17they're not trying to win games, right? They're happy leaving Houston
01:20because it's another loss, more ping-pong balls into the machine for them.
01:24But Houston, you know, they played a great game. Six guys, double figures.
01:28Kevin Durant didn't have to do much. I think he had 18 points last night.
01:31You know, it was the Shane Goon show, Jabari Smith show, I think at over 30.
01:37So, you know, once he gets those secondary scoring, that helped.
01:40That happens, but it's not consistent enough.
01:42And in the postseason, they're going to run up against teams
01:44that are way better defensively than the Utah Jazz.
01:47And we saw what the New York Knicks, who has a pretty good defensive team,
01:50can do in terms of slowing down Kevin Durant.
01:52So I really put this on Emperor and Shang-Gun, though,
01:55because, you know, as a guy who has been an all-star so far in his career,
01:58I think there's another level for him to get to.
02:00And if he shows us that in the playoffs, maybe I'll feel better about them.
02:03But right now, you know, they're desperately, you know,
02:06needing a guy like Fred VanVleet who could be healthy.
02:08And I don't think you can take them seriously
02:12until Fred VanVleet comes back in the lineup,
02:13which is not happening this year.
02:15So, you know, next year, we'll see what happens with Houston,
02:17but it ain't this year for him.
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