Colin Cowherd is a "Manalytics" Guy, Unmoved by Rockets' 50-Point Quarter

The Houston Rockets erupted for a 50-point quarter Monday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves to take a 3-1 series lead. James Harden’s side showcased just how explosive they can be and looked like a team destined to do big things. Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd, however, remains nonplussed. He says you can take the 1’s and 0’s, he’s sticking with the goats and heroes.

“Math is great in the regular season,” he said. “Playing fast and uptempo and all sorts of threes. They work absolutely in the regular season. Analytics is built for that. But in baseball and in basketball and professional basketball, I like my analytics. Games and series and moments will be captured by man-ayltics. And I don’t trust Houston despite that glossy 50-point third quarter. I just don’t against Golden State and moving forward.”

Here’s the thing. A majority of pundits are with Cowherd in trusting the Warriors more than the Rockets, so it’s not like his premise is particularly controversial. It’s just that it was delivered in a way bound to elicit maximum anger among Houston fans. That’s how you get to be atop the craft: a perfect blend of rational take, rhyming, and made-up words.

Undefinable qualities and grit help too. Those are key components of Manalytics, a very real thing.