| 17 May 2009
This was to be expected, right?
The Los Angeles Lakers finally took a game seriously for just the second time in their last four games against the Rockets and put away a scrappy but completely under-talented (due to injury) Houston team. It was a convincing win that came a few days later than it absolutely should have and the Lakers dominated in just about every facet of the game to build a huge lead. The Lake Show stretched their legs early on in the first quarter by jumping out to a 13-2 run and really imposed their dominance over the first 45 minutes of this game by building a 31-point lead with 3:00 left in regulation. The Rockets closed out the game on a 12-0 run to make the final score look a lot more respectable than it actually was.
Despite the lopsided score, this wasn't a terribly aggressive game by either team despite the gravity of the Game Seven nature. The Rockets were dominated inside by the Lakers frontcourt with Andrew Bynum, Trevor Ariza, and Pau Gasol taking advantage of the fact that Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry were the most physically imposing post defenders fro the Rockets. The starting frontcourt for LA combined for 50 points, 29 rebounds, and 21-35 (60%) shooting from the field. Compare that to the Rockets' team numbers of 70 points, 33 rebounds, and 36.8% shooting from the floor and it's easy to see why the Lakers walked away with their 13th Game Seven victory at home in 14 tries.
The Lakers seemed to get a ton of breaks in the paint and on the offensive boards, which all resulted in 46 points in the paint. Gasol scored at will and controlled the paint thanks to his size advantage. And the Rockets decided to not play physical and just take the whooping. They rarely attacked the paint and because of their terrible interior defense, the Lakers rarely had to try to get a lot going to the basket by slashing and cutting. They were able to just dump the ball in and let the big guys go to work. That's why the two teams only combined 32 free throw attempts and 37 fouls. It was the only time in the history of Game Sevens in which I could recall both teams playing conservative ball and with very little sense of urgency.
Why the Lakers Won This Series
The Lakers won this series because they were better on the interior and they forced the Rockets to shoot a lot of three-pointers (which they didn't make that many). LA was dominated in the paint in Game Three (a game they won) by losing out 50-32 in points in the paint and 56-43 in rebounding with a (19-10 offensive rebounding deficit). But if you take away that bad interior performance in which they won the game anyway, the Lakers won the PIP battle 44.6 to 36 and they won the rebounding battle 44.1 to 38.5 with a 12.3 to 9.5 win on offensive rebounding. They also out-shot the Rockets from three-point range 34.7% to 29.9% and took 33 fewer deep balls. With Yao Ming only playing in three of the seven games, the Lakers were able to control the paint, clean the glass, and force bad outside shots. THAT'S why they came away the victor. Oh, and they also had Kobe Bryant who scored 29.7 points per game on 46% shooting against arguably the best wing defender in basketball. Not a bad combination.
Why the Rockets Lost This Series
Injuries. Let's not kid ourselves with this analysis. We truly have no idea how this series would have gone with a healthy Yao Ming in the lineup and the Rockets' depth more intact because of it. The Rockets were down 2-1 with a virtually healthy Yao in the lineup and unafraid of the task at hand. They caused the Lakers to be catty, physical, and hotheaded. They were challenging Kobe Bryant whenever they felt they had to and they were exposing how Andrew Bynum is only good against guys that he has a four-inch height advantage on. But then Yao breaks something, the Rockets have no real big men to battle the enormous Lakers frontline and once again, Rockets fans are left wondering, "what if?"
Heading into the Conference Finals
The Lakers now have to dig in their heels, take this game seriously, and play 48 minutes of basketball in every game that this series has. The Nuggets are full of confidence, well-rested and looking to shock the world by using their offensive prowess and their ability to turn teams into sloppy summer league squads. The Lakers can't have any performances like Game One, Four, and Six of the Rockets series. They have to treat the Nuggets like they don't matter and show why their talent is superior. They can't give up home court advantage. And Kobe has to be better than whatever Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups throw at him.
Prediction: The Lakers show up and put forth their best effort of the season
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