| 30 April 2009
Ron Artest went off tonight for a season high 27 points. What's amazing is that he went 3-for-11. Imagine what kind of night it could have been if he hadn't settled for long-range shots.
Artest talked about the contrast between Games 5 and 6, saying, "Last game, Portland put pressure on us, not in turnovers but in tempo of the game. They pushed the ball and got shots, really attacking us. We just forced turnovers on offense and were overaggressive. Tonight, the first quarter we were out of control. But then we let it go and we gained our composure."
Artest also killed it on defense, rushing into the stands to save a ball with 1:40 to go in the game, even after the Rockets had the game sealed up.
Yao thought the play was huge, saying, "I felt we were so close to winning and everything we did would get us closer. Our body language there with Ron making the save out of bounds, it sent a message that we were close, really close."
Ron deserves credit for getting on the mic after the game and asking the fans to applaud Portland for a highly contested series. It's little things like that that people don't get to see that make Artest a great fit for the Rockets, as well as a very misunderstood human being. Ron also finally looks comfortable on a team and understands that he doesn't have to carry the load himself.
"This team is unique. We have so many scorers," said Artest. "I heard a lot of people saying that Ron Artest's Playoff career average was down from 17 to 13, but that's not what's important. Scola is averaging 15.8, Yao is averaging 17 and I'm averaging 15. We were 3-2. I could be happy averaging 27 to 30 and be down 2-3, or I could be happy averaging 10 and be up 3-2."
Maybe the Blazers were watching game tape of the San Antonio Spurs' series loss to the Dallas Mavericks for inspiration, because their offense was basically two guys, LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy. Aldridge finished with 25 but was hit with foul trouble, costing the team precious scoring.
Von Wafer battled through back spasms and lifted the Rockets' spirits. Some were wondering how badly he was really hurt, but take my word for it, he was in pain. I spoke to him before the game and asked what the game meant to him.
"Oh, it's a very big game, but that's not what's important," said Wafer. "What's important is that we get this win. We've got to get this win."
The Rockets' win means a lot of things for Houston, putting a huge burden to rest, but another is a bet that Artest has to make good on.
"Von wants me to get a mohawk but I don't know. I might have to renege. If Yao gets one, I will."
Now that the weight of the first round doldrums has been lifted off Yao and the Rockets, we had to know what comes next.
Yao said, "I think today we need a new goal. Now we go to the next level. Obviously people kept talking about getting out of the first round. Now we just have a new meaning. We need an entire new mindset to find a new goal."
Why the Rockets Won
The Rockets won because they took advantage of the opportunity they gained by stealing home court advantage from Portland in Game 1. Shane Battier knows as much.
He said, "It's everything. It's why home court is so important. We knew that when we won Game 1. We weren't flying back to Portland. The flight's too long," Battier laughed. "We got in at 5 the other day in the morning. I crawled into bed at 5 and said, 'I am not doing this again. We have to win Game 6.'"
The Toyota Center crowd was deafening and Houston used that energy to cruise to a 16 point win. Houston allowed very few uncontested shots and clamped down on Portland after a sloppy first quarter. They got scoring from 9 players, although James White's basket came in garbage time. Artest had the best game of his season in the most crucial moment of the season so far. Everything that could go right did for Houston tonight, and Portland couldn't match their intensity.
Why the Trail Blazers Lost
The Trail Blazers lost for the same reason they lost three other games. Nobody stepped up to complement Aldridge and Roy. Before this series started, it looked like the Blazers had the edge in bench scoring, but the moment was too big for the young team. In the two most important games of the series, 1 and 6, Portland looked lost. It's not a surprise given that the team has virtually no Playoff experience. Roy's points were hard to come by and Houston elected to double him for part of the first half. It got into Roy's head and he never could get into a real rhythm. The Blazers also failed to make good on a huge opportunity at the midway point of the 3rd quarter. They had Houston in the penalty and could have cut into the double-digit lead with an aggressive scheme. Instead, they didn't draw one foul for the rest of the quarter.
Heading Into the Next Series
Houston faces the title favorite Los Angeles Lakers, thanks in large part to their regular season ending loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Had they beaten Dallas, they would be facing the Mavericks now, which isn't a fun match-up, but would you rather face Dallas or the defending Western Conference champs? Yeah, I'd take Dallas too. Houston lost all 4 games this season against L.A. and is going to have to scheme hard against Kobe Bryant, the reigning MVP, and his talented supporting cast. If you thought the Blazers were tough, wait until you see a team with more than 2 scorers.
Battier likes the Rockets' chances though, saying that their heavy underdog status is going to work to their advantage.
Battier said, "It's great. Every shot we take will be free. We're going to play hard and we're going to play lose. We're going to play tough. We're going to play our game and if that's not good enough, well then we'll go down. But we're going to play our game and do what got us to this point."
That's the mentality the Rockets must take in order to challenge L.A. They have to be fearless. Anything less is going to result in a quick series victory for the Lakers.
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