The Dream Shake - The Rockets at All-Star WeekendThe best footwork on the Internethttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/34031/32x32.png2015-02-15T23:29:30-06:00http://www.thedreamshake.com/rss/stream/77949242015-02-15T23:29:30-06:002015-02-15T23:29:30-06:00Harden drops 29/8/8 in the All-Star Game
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<p>The Beard showed out at Madison Square Garden</p> <p><span>James Harden</span> played exceptionally in his first career start in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-all-star-game">NBA All-Star Game</a> tonight, but didn't win the MVP because <span>Russell Westbrook</span> shot every time he touched it and it's the All-Star Game so <i>pointtzzzzzz.</i></p>
<p>Seriously, the Beard dropped 29 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes, shooting 11-16 from the field. Russell Westbrook scored 41 points on 28 shots, and the point guard had one assist. We reiterate: James Harden did not win the MVP.</p>
<p>But I digress. Harden was great in a showcase of the NBA's greatest talent. Only Westbrook and <span>LeBron James</span> (21 shots, 30 points) scored more than the Beard, and it should be said that when the 161-156 game got tight at the end, it was Harden and Westbrook who led the West to victory.</p>
<p>There were some insane plays in the game -- notably Westbrook <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v88tzj-dWhc">hitting his head on the backboard</a> and LeBron's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q19FViVHoZE">reverse double-pump alley-oop</a> -- and Harden was involved in two of them. Both of them he finished off ridiculous passes from his MVP-race rival Steph Curry, and they are both tasty highlights.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v6xLwiCQD5Q" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>Harden figures to be playing in ASGs for years to come. He'll have plenty more chances at <strike>getting robbed of</strike> the MVP</p>
https://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/2/15/8043675/james-harden-nba-all-star-game-resultsEthan Rothstein2015-02-15T08:00:03-06:002015-02-15T08:00:03-06:00Classic Rockets All-Star Game performances
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<figcaption>Yao and T-Mac before McGrady's magnificent display in 2006 | Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p> The Rockets have had their fair share of NBA legends putting in classic All-Star Game performances. Here are a few of the best.</p> <p>In honor of NBA All-Star weekend, we've grabbed some of the best and most significant performances in <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/">Rockets</a> history from the league's glamour game. The Rockets have a rich tradition of superstars with big All-Star performances. The most impressive can certainly be debated, but these are some of the contenders.</p>
<h4>1970: ELVIN HAYES</h4>
<p>Rockets legend Elvin Hayes was the team's second ever All-Star after Don Kojis and went to four consecutive All-Star games as a Rocket between 1968-1972. His performance in 1970, the Rockets' last year in San Diego before moving to Houston, was his best game of the four.</p>
<p>This was an absolute star-studded affair featuring some of the biggest names to ever roam the court. In addition to Hayes, the West also featured Elgin Baylor, Connie Hawkins and Jerry West taking on a ridiculously stacked East squad starting Willis Reed, Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek, Billy Cunningham and Walt Frazier. To put into perspective how talented the East team was in '70, the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a reserve.</p>
<p>The East jumped out to a huge lead as expected, with The Big E having to go head-to-head against Reed and Abdul-Jabbar in what became the game's premiere match up. But the West battled back behind Hayes, as the team scored 50 points in the 4th quarter only to come up short against the favored East 142-135.</p>
<p>Reed snagged the MVP for the winners with a 21-point, 11-rebound performance, but Hayes put up a huge 24-point, 15-rebound line and was the game's true monster despite his team coming up just a bit short in the box score.</p>
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<b>1980: </b><b style="font-size: 1.25em;">MOSES MALONE</b>
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<p>In 1980, both the Rockets and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> were part of the Eastern Conference, making the East squad the Moses-George Gervin Show; two Hall of Famers at the height of their powers. The West hung tough though, and the game was tied both at halftime and at the end of regulation, with the East finally pulling ahead in overtime for a 144-136 win.</p>
<p>And while the two-time defending scoring champ Iceman took home MVP honors for his 34 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals, it was Malone's work on the defensive end that helped really tilt the game in the East's favor. He helped hold Abdul-Jabbar and <span>Jack Sikma</span>, the strength of the West squad, to a combined 10-27 shooting and blocked two shots. Oh, and he also happened to throw in 20 points and 12 boards for good measure. Vintage Moses.</p>
<p>This one is also noteworthy for being the final All-Star Game appearance for Elvin Hayes, though now a member of the Washington Bullets.</p>
<h4><b>1985: RALPH SAMPSON</b></h4>
<p>No list could be complete without the one and only All-Star MVP in Rockets history, which also coincided with prime Twin Towers time. Sampson's knees had yet to give out, and the mid 1980s Rockets had yet to collapse into a haze of drug abuse, injury and infighting.</p>
<p>Samson put up 24 and 10 on former Rocket, then-Sixer Moses Malone in leading the West to a 140-129 victory, and the game also marked the first All-Star Game appearance for one young Akeem Olajuwon.</p>
<p>At the time, The Rockets' future seemed gleaming with possibility and the potential for multiple title runs. Sadly, we know reality didn't quite work out that way.</p>
<h4><b>1988: HAKEEM OLAJUWON</b></h4>
<p>This game marked an official torch-passing for All-Star big men, as Olajuwon took the vast majority of playing time away from an aging Abdul-Jabbar and was way too much for either Moses Malone or <span>Patrick Ewing</span> to handle.</p>
<p>In his second All-Star start, Olajuwon dominated the paint to the tune of 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, as Moses and Ewing combined for only 16 total points against him.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for Hakeem and the rest of the West squad, it wasn't enough, as they were undone by the high-flying athleticism of a young Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkens. The duo combined for 69 points, including 40 by Jordan in one of his virtuoso performances, in leading the East to a 138-133 victory.</p>
<h4><b>2003: YAO MING</b></h4>
<p>This one appears on the list not because of Yao's performance (he scored 2 points and only grabbed 2 rebounds in 17 minutes), but simply because of his appearance.</p>
<p>Battling racism off the court all season (Shaquille O'neal's comments to the press, anyone?) and misconceptions on it (the Charles Barkley donkey bet with Kenny Smith), Yao was not just an All-Star because of his play. He opened up the NBA and a whole universe of possibilities to an entire portion of the planet not traditionally associated with basketball.</p>
<p>In addition, he garnered 1.2 million votes as an All-Star rookie, finishing 3rd to <span>Kobe Bryant</span> (1.4 million) and <span>Tracy McGrady</span> (1.3 million) and helped set the stage for an upcoming era of unprecedented global interest in the NBA and basketball in general.</p>
<p>A global icon and basketball ambassador in the truest sense of the phrase was born in the 2003 All-Star game, and for that, Yao deserves inclusion on this list. That, and because of his years of ridiculous vote totals from China, he started in the game, whether healthy or not, all eight years of his career</p>
<h4><b>2006: TRACY MCGRADY</b></h4>
<p>We all know the T-Mac story: too many injuries and not enough post-season winning. But when he was on, it sure was a thing of beauty. The 2006 All-Star Game, at the Toyota Center, was one of those performances.</p>
<p>McGrady exploded for 36 points on 15-26 shooting in a dizzying display of his offensive repertoire, but his team folded down the stretch, giving up a 21-point second half lead to the LeBron James-led East in a 122-120 defeat. McGrady airballed a potential game-tying jumper with 10 seconds left, and James garnered MVP honors for the winners, robbing T-Mac the chance of hoisting the honors on his home floor.</p>
<p>But don't let the defeat take the shine off of McGrady's individual performance. This was the full T-Mac Monte.</p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3405300/watch.0.html">T-Mac 2006 All-Star Game</a>
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https://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/2/15/8030011/nba-all-star-2015-classic-rockets-performancesDarren Yuvan2015-02-14T21:11:03-06:002015-02-14T21:11:03-06:00James Harden loses the Three-Point Contest
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<p>The beard was a bit of a bricklayer.</p> <p>James Harden only scored 15 in his round at the Three-Point contest, and he was the first guy eliminated as a result. He never got into a rhythm and he tired late, missing 8 of his last 9 shots. Coming immediately after Pat Beverley's surprise Skills Competition, it was a particular disappointment.</p>
<p>When you're going up against a legendary field like the one tonight, with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyle Korver (who also disappointed with 18) and two defending champions, it's going to take a lot to make an impression. Still, a last-place finish is as close as you can come to an embarrassment at the Three-Point Contest. It's not that close, but still.</p>
<p>Former champion Kyrie Irving and the Splash Brothers advanced to the final round in the contest, and Steph hit a record 27 to win it all. Klay Thompson managed to save the Beard the indignity of having the lowest score in the contest when he finished with 14 in the final round.</p>
<p>It was pretty much Steph's birthright to win the Three-Point Contest, so James shouldn't feel that bad. But come on, last place?</p>
https://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/2/14/8040731/james-harden-three-point-contest-resultsMatt Rothstein2015-02-14T20:31:11-06:002015-02-14T20:31:11-06:00Pat Beverley wins the Skills Challenge, somehow
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<p>lol</p> <p>Like everyone predicted when <span>Patrick Beverley</span> replaced <span>John Wall</span> in the Skills Competition bracket, Mr. 94 Feet went and won the whole dang thing. He took out <span>Isaiah Thomas</span>, <span>Jeff Teague</span> and <span>Brandon Knight</span> in succession to win a $30,000 scholarship for some kid.</p>
<p>In the first round, Beverley and Thomas both failed to hit their three-point shots at the end, and Beverley used a little Knockout-style chicanery to get in his layup first. That prompted a confusingly-decorated <span>Anthony Davis</span> to look at Beverley like this:</p>
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<p>In the second round, Pat upset the favored (by me) Teague after missing his first two passes, and waving in front of Teague's face as they passed each other. Teague missed his first two three-point shots, and Beverley snuck over to Teague's side, stole his last ball and made his three-pointer. It was a supreme troll move, and I was shocked he wasn't disqualified for obstructing Teague.</p>
<p>It was also hilarious.</p>
<p>In the final round, Beverley again missed two passes, but Brandon Knight also missed his first two three-pointers, and Patrick Beverley, world-renowned sharpshooter, nailed it first time to take the crown.</p>
<p>The head-to-head format definitely made the competition more enjoyable - more trash-talking, more shenanigans, more variety. I'd expect it to stick around.</p>
<p>Patrick Beverley, you are officially the most skilled player in the league, by law. Don't let it go to your head.</p>
https://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/2/14/8040655/patrick-beverley-wins-skills-challenge-resultsMatt Rothstein2015-02-14T12:31:25-06:002015-02-14T12:31:25-06:00Down Memory Lane: Rockets on All-Star Saturday
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<figcaption>History has forgotten how insane The Franchise was in 2000 | Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Rockets have been well-represented during the Sunday Showcase, but how have they fared on the Saturday before?</p> <p>NBA All-Star Saturday Night is a night that I do not miss. The three-point shootout is always one of my favorite events and, sadly, the Dunk Contest has become a complete joke over the last few years.</p>
<p><span>James Harden</span> is entering his first ever three-point contest tonight in probably the most loaded year in the history of the event. He has to go against the likes of <span>Stephen Curry</span>, <span>Klay Thompson</span>, <span>Wesley Matthews</span>, <span>Kyle Korver</span>, <span>Kyrie Irving</span>, <span>J.J. Redick</span> and defending champion, <span>Marco Belinelli</span>.</p>
<p>This is the first time a Rocket has been represented in the competition since <span>Cuttino Mobley</span> back in 2004. That's 11 years! Before that it was 11 years previous and Kenny Smith back in 1993.</p>
<p>Patrick Beverley is the Rockets' first participant in the Skills Competition, which started in 2003 (Steve Francis would have participated, I feel, if it were started three years earlier).</p>
<p>Back in the 1993 edition of the shootout, Smith was also in a very loaded field that year. Reggie Miller, <span>Mark Price</span>, Dana Barros, <span>Terry Porter</span> and <span>Dan Majerle</span>. Smith was only able to score 12 points in the first round and was eliminated.</p>
<p>Mobley did not fare much better in 2004, also being eliminated in the first round with 13 points, along with Houston native <span>Rashard Lewis</span>. Voshon Leonard, <span>Peja Stojakovic</span> and Korver were the finalist that year.</p>
<p>How will Harden do? You can hit the poll at the end and leave your predictions in the comments.</p>
<p>There is no Rocket in the Slam Dunk Contest this year, but the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/">Rockets</a> have had plenty of players in the event over the years.</p>
<p>Ralph Sampson was a participant in the original (modern) contest all the way back in 1984. Kenny Smith participated in 1991, a year after finishing second to Dominique Wilkins as a member of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.sactownroyalty.com/">Sacramento Kings</a>. He would also participate for the final time in 1993.</p>
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<p>It would be seven years before another Rocket would appear in the contest, that man would be <span>Steve Francis</span> aka Stevie Franchise (#GoTerps) in 2000 and 2002. <span>Chase Budinger</span> would be the last Rocket to appear in the contest in 2012.</p>
<p>In 1984 Sampson couldn't get out of the first round, but he also had to go against guys like Larry Nance (the eventual winner), THE Julius Irving, Dominique Wilkins and Darrell Griffith. For you young kids out there that don't know your NBA history, those dudes could throw down with the best of them.</p>
<p>In 1991, Smith made it into the semis against <span>Dee Brown</span>, Shawn Kemp and Rex Chapman (really?), but he couldn't outdunk the eventual finalists in Brown and Kemp, with Brown winning thanks to the famous <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0x1yo3tptE">pump-up shoes dunk</a>. In 1993 Smith ran into the buzzsaw that was known as Harold Miner (<i>Ed. Note: Baby Jordan!</i>).</p>
<p>The Franchise had the pleasure of going toe-to-toe with probably the best dunker of the last 15 years in <span>Vince Carter</span>. In any other year, Francis would have taken the crown, posting perhaps the greatest non-winning display in the dunk contest.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TSGID9L0wpI" height="315" width="420"></iframe></p>
<p>(Cuttino Mobley cameo! I miss these guys, but not those uniforms)</p>
<p>Stevie would lose by 7 points to Vince in that contest, but Vince put on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16gt6uAai9U" target="_blank">display for the ages</a>. Some guy named <span>Tracy McGrady</span> was also a finalist that year as well.</p>
<p>Finally, Budinger finished 1 percent from tying eventual champion <span>Jeremy Evans</span> in the 2012 contest. He brought out P. Diddy for some reason and jumped over him, then did a Cedric Ceballos tribute with a blindfolded dunk that very few people believed was blindfolded (if it was it's fucking insane).</p>
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https://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/2/14/8038063/a-history-of-the-houston-rockets-on-nba-all-star-saturday-nightKevin Nesgoda2015-02-14T12:03:01-06:002015-02-14T12:03:01-06:00James Harden can win the 3-point contest
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<figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Beard and the Berserker will represent the Rockets tonight.</p> <p>Tonight, James Harden will be only the third-ever Rockets participant in the 3-point shootout, following Cuttino Mobley in 2004 and Kenny Smith in 1993. No one thinks he will win.</p>
<p>Harden will be facing, among others, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyle Korver and reigning champ Marco Bellinelli. Harden is a great shooter -- he's at 38.3 percent on the season after an abysmal start, and that's close to a career high -- but he's up against some of the league's greatest shooters of all time already (or at least on track to be, in the case of Thompson).</p>
<p>But the 3-point shootout is weird. Korver's done it twice before, and Curry's in it for the fourth time, and neither of them have won. In fact, looking back at the list of winners over the past decade or so, lower-percentage stars emerge <a href="http://www.nba-allstar.com/contests/3point/winners.htm" target="_blank">just as frequently as specialists</a> (via NBA.com):</p>
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<p>Why not Harden? Of all the participants -- also including Wesley Matthews, J.J. Redick and Kyrie Irving (the 2013 champ) -- maybe Curry and Irving are the only two who shoot such a high-percentage of their threes highly contested.</p>
<p>What's more, we've all seen the Beard get hot. All he needs is two hot minutes to take home the title. I wouldn't pick him to win (my pick is Redick, although as a Maryland alumnus it pains me to admit that), but I sure as heck wouldn't be surprised if he does.</p>
<p>Patrick Beverley on the other hand... god bless his berserker mentality thinking he can emerge from any battle the winner on sheer will alone. Because in a skills competition field with Jeff Teague, my pick to win, Brandon Knight, Isaiah Thomas and Kyle Lowry, with a three-pointer added to the end of the challenge instead of a layup, Beverley's got no chance.</p>
<p>If Beverley wins, it will be the greatest upset in All-Star Weekend history. Defending on if you count Spud Webb in 1987.</p>
<p>There are no Rockets in the dunk contest, but in case you were wondering, I'm going against the grain and NOT picking Wolves rookie Zach LaVine. The kid has crazy athleticism -- seriously -- but he's never dunked with ANY creativity in a game. My pick is Victor Oladipo, who has already busted out 360s in games twice in his career.</p>
https://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/2/14/8037793/james-harden-3-point-contest-beverley-skills-competition-tv-time-how-to-watchEthan Rothstein2015-02-13T19:37:20-06:002015-02-13T19:37:20-06:00Open thread: Big Papa in the Rising Stars game
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<figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Greek is bout to run this mother.</p> <p>I love watching <span>Kostas Papanikolaou</span> play. He's like a taller <span>Manu Ginobili</span> that can't shoot that well and can't drive that well.</p>
<p>Tonight, he's in a competition where no one will be playing defense, which means the lanes for his crazy pretty passes are wide open. Hopefully he shows why he should have been in the game in the first place. I know some of you crazies will be watching. Discuss below.</p>
https://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/2/13/8036147/rising-stars-challenge-open-threadEthan Rothstein2015-02-12T09:48:49-06:002015-02-12T09:48:49-06:00Big Papa will play in Rising Stars Challenge
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<p>Selected as an injury replacement, Big Papa's going to the Big Apple this weekend - probably. There's still some confusion</p> <p>Number 16 on the <a href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rockets</a>, number 1 in our hearts, <span>Kostas Papanikolaou</span>, known around here as Big Papa, is heading to New York City this weekend to participate in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night, <a href="http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2015/02/rockets-rookie-kostas-papanikolaou-to-participate-in-rising-stars-challenge/#27968101=0">according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle</a>.</p>
<p>The game, previously between rookies and second-year players, then picked in a fantasy draft, now is in a USA v. World style format, with both sides having mixes of rookies and sophomores.</p>
<p>Initially, Feigen <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/status/565693642028097536">reported on Twitter</a> that Big Papa was chosen as an injury replacement for <span>Kelly Olynyk</span>, the Canadian second-year center/forward for the <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Boston Celtics</a>. However, Chris Haynes <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/565653030356680706">reported</a> that Cleveland Cavalier Matthew Dellavedova from Australia has gotten the call to replace Olynyk. Both of these bits of news read as official, so it's certainly possible that both Big Papa and Delly are heading to New York, but no other player seems to have dropped out yet.</p>
<p>Papanikolaou wouldn't have publicly acknowledged his place in the game without something definite, but there are more pieces of this story we don't have yet. That being said, if he does play, he should turn some heads on Friday night. Rockets fans already know what kind of fun he can produce on the court:</p>
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<p>Sure, he hasn't found his shot yet in the NBA, but his elite passing skills, court vision, and willingness to drive and kick should play quite well in a skills showcase that should be light on defense. It'll be a hoot. Wiggins is still going to win MVP of that game, though.</p>
<p>It's tomorrow night, Friday at 8 p.m. central on TNT.</p>
<p><b>UPDATE, from RealGM's Shams Charania:</b></p>
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<p>Nuggets' Jusuf Nurkic has pulled out of NBA Rising Stars game, with Rockets' Kostas Papanikolaou replacing him, league sources tell RealGM.</p>
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/565922139837321216">February 12, 2015</a>
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https://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/2/12/8025841/kostas-papanikolaou-will-reportedly-participate-in-rising-starsMatt Rothstein