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Author Topic: Rockets slow and steady wins the race.  (Read 2421 times)

Offline WayOutWest

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Rockets slow and steady wins the race.
« on: May 05, 2009, 12:14:00 AM »
Like I said earlier, I worry about the Lakers playing a team that has a solid and CONSITENT defense.  Nice win by the Rockets, Lakers just got out worked and the Rockets forced the Lakers into a jump shooting team.
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Offline westkoast

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Re: Rockets slow and steady wins the race.
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2009, 09:29:32 AM »
The Lakers looked out of sync in every single aspect of this game.  Save maybe rebounding.  They did a better job on the glass than they did in previous games against Utah.  The passing was not crisp and neither were the cuts.  There was very few stretches of the game where they communicated well and rotated.  In fact there was a stretch of time in the 4th where Aaron Brooks was making the Lakers look silly on his own due to lack of communication and poor rotations. 

The Rockets played their brand of basketball and executed much better.  Having Scola and Ming be able to hit that 15 footer with relative ease really opens op those lanes for the Rockets.  I am surprised they didn't get more points in the paint but I guess when guys are feeling it, they are feeling it.

The Lakers lost the game by playing poor defense and the Rockets just the opposite.

I took a lot of heat from friends all around the country over the loss.  Thankfully this is a series and not a superbowl.  I don't expect the Lakers to look that rusty in on Wed.
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Offline rickortreat

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Re: Rockets slow and steady wins the race.
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2009, 10:41:32 AM »
I didn't see the whole game, but saw enough early on to realize the Lakers were in trouble, even though they were with the Rockets until the 4th.

Houston's defense is causing the Lakers to be a jump-shopoting team, and that isn't their game. Without drives by Kobe, (he's going to need help getting by Artest, a very unusual thing) the Laker offense is stagnent.  Bynum got into foul trouble early, and LA can't afford that. Gasol looked somewhat intimidated by Yao out there as well.

This game was played at the Rockets tempo, which means they controlled the game.  The Lakers are going to make a few adjustments and get better play out of Gasol and Bynum if they're going to come back in this series.  And that won't be enough unless Fisher and Ariza can find their stroke.  It doesn't look like Kobe's going to get 40 in this series.

Both first round matchups so far have seen the favorites lose at home.  Orlando is much better than the Celtics, and I doubt if Boston will be able to find a way, as Hedo and Lewis are too much for Boston's interior without Garnett.

It's too early to say LA can't win. Jackson is good enough at making adjustments that he may be able to find a few wrinkles, but I'm not sure if LA's backcourt is up to doing what they have to, to win. Houston's not giving up easy baskets and without that the Lakers are in a fight at a disadvantage.
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Offline JoMal

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Re: Rockets slow and steady wins the race.
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2009, 11:47:49 AM »
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Lakers will go only as far as Kobe lets them.

The Lakers are his team now and the problem is, for some reason, he thinks that means he has to occasionally attempt 31 field goals. With very little prompting by the Rockets, he went ahead and did just that in the first game. I can't help be feel he did that as a direct result of Artest claiming Bryant won't reach 40 points in any of these games. To me, this was clearly a psychological ploy by Ron-Ron to lure Kobe into wanting to do a post game press conference where the MAIN LAKER can smirk in front of the camera after getting 40 in a game and modestly claim it wasn't all that tough to do. For anyone to say that Artest was stupid to say that is so idiotic as to defy logic. What was stupid was Bryant trying to show he could do it. He should have immediately taken advantage by setting up teammates to score more.

Kobe should be feeding the ball inside to Odom. Period. Until the Rockets back off and clog the middle leaving Kobe more isolated. Odom only taking 8 shots in 31 minutes is ridiculous .

I would bet that Phil Jackson thought he was through getting Kobe to understand that. I would be very surprised if he has to convince him much after this. But the Rockets probably just wanted, or at least hoped for, the one win in LA to at least claim they belong on the court with the Lakers, build their confidence up a bit and give themselves a chance. The emotion has shifted to Houston now, and you can thank Kobe falling for Artest's little ploy. He just had to get him the one time.
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Offline ziggy

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Re: Rockets slow and steady wins the race.
« Reply #4 on: May 05, 2009, 01:32:50 PM »
Quote from: JoMal on May 05, 2009, 11:47:49 AM
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Lakers will go only as far as Kobe lets them.

The Lakers are his team now and the problem is, for some reason, he thinks that means he has to occasionally attempt 31 field goals. With very little prompting by the Rockets, he went ahead and did just that in the first game. I can't help be feel he did that as a direct result of Artest claiming Bryant won't reach 40 points in any of these games. To me, this was clearly a psychological ploy by Ron-Ron to lure Kobe into wanting to do a post game press conference where the MAIN LAKER can smirk in front of the camera after getting 40 in a game and modestly claim it wasn't all that tough to do. For anyone to say that Artest was stupid to say that is so idiotic as to defy logic. What was stupid was Bryant trying to show he could do it. He should have immediately taken advantage by setting up teammates to score more.

Kobe should be feeding the ball inside to Odom. Period. Until the Rockets back off and clog the middle leaving Kobe more isolated. Odom only taking 8 shots in 31 minutes is ridiculous .

I would bet that Phil Jackson thought he was through getting Kobe to understand that. I would be very surprised if he has to convince him much after this. But the Rockets probably just wanted, or at least hoped for, the one win in LA to at least claim they belong on the court with the Lakers, build their confidence up a bit and give themselves a chance. The emotion has shifted to Houston now, and you can thank Kobe falling for Artest's little ploy. He just had to get him the one time.

I made this same point after the Artest quote.  It is not whether Kobe gets 40 or not but how many shots it takes him to get to 40.

The key stat from yesterday
Lakers  92 points on 88 shots
Rockets 100 points on 73 shots
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Offline Skandery

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Re: Rockets slow and steady wins the race.
« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2009, 03:44:59 PM »
Number me among the few (apparently?) that thinks the Lakers aren't breaking a sweat over Game 1.
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Offline SPURSX3

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Re: Rockets slow and steady wins the race.
« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2009, 03:56:10 PM »
Quote from: Skandery on May 05, 2009, 03:44:59 PM
Number me among the few (apparently?) that thinks the Lakers aren't breaking a sweat over Game 1.

Lakers in 6
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Offline rickortreat

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Re: Rockets slow and steady wins the race.
« Reply #7 on: May 05, 2009, 06:29:34 PM »
Amazing how arrogant they are, after blowing game 1 at home.  "we're alright, says Phil, in spite of what it looked like"!

OK, it's only 1 game and the Lakers were off for an extended period, and the Rockets were more in a groove.  Sounds reasonable, except that Bynum and Gasol looked intimidated by Yao and about as effective as Dalembert was against Howard.  History has shown that game 1 isn't all that significant, so the  Lakers should act like everything is hunky dory.

Game 2 will be a different matter, if the Lakers don't win.

I'm still going with Lakers in 7, but I'm thinking of switching.
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Offline Skandery

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Re: Rockets slow and steady wins the race.
« Reply #8 on: May 05, 2009, 07:20:20 PM »
On a semi-related topic, and with the deepest of respect to our Laker fan base . . . I wish somebody would take a pair of pliers to Vujacic' testicles.  And you know he'd be getting off easy at that; cracking Battier's face with an elbow?  Stay classy, Sasha.
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Offline WayOutWest

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Re: Rockets slow and steady wins the race.
« Reply #9 on: May 05, 2009, 07:28:53 PM »
Quote from: Skandery on May 05, 2009, 07:20:20 PM
On a semi-related topic, and with the deepest of respect to our Laker fan base . . . I wish somebody would take a pair of pliers to Vujacic' testicles.  And you know he'd be getting off easy at that; cracking Battier's face with an elbow?  Stay classy, Sasha.

Someone needs to slap your nads and wake you up from LaLa land if you think that was intentional.  Sasha is a little anoying pest but that was clearly not intentional.  I think the Lakers are still going to win this, but like I said before the series a steady defensive team worries me.
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Offline WayOutWest

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Re: Rockets slow and steady wins the race.
« Reply #10 on: May 11, 2009, 08:45:37 AM »
What an embarrising effort from the Lakers and what an awesome "underdog" moment for the Rockets.  Any Rockets fan should feel 10 feet tall and any Lakers fan should be shaking their head in shame and/or disgust.  I'm into the feeling disgusted at the Lakers, they still win this one in 6 but that was horrible and they should feel ashamed to have embarrised the franchise.
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