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Rockets like chances against Lakers
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-04-16 10:59 Jeff Van Gundy noticed the unusual intensity of
the Los Angeles Lakers in their regular season finale.
The Lakers pulled out a double-overtime victory over Portland on Wednesday
night, moving ahead of Sacramento to win the Pacific Division and secure the No.
2 seed in the Western Conference.
Houston Rockets center Yao Ming (right)
reaches for a rebound against Denver Nuggets forward Nene (31) during the
third quarter at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Friday, April 2, 2004.
[Reuters] |
Afterward, they celebrated as if they'd won a championship.
What the Lakers really earned, however, was a first-round matchup against the
Houston Rockets instead of the playoff-tested Dallas Mavericks. The
best-of-seven series starts Saturday in Los Angeles.
Houston, the seventh seed in the West, has won four of eight games against
Los Angeles over the last two seasons — pretty good for a team that hasn't been
to the playoffs since Hakeem Olajuwon was patrolling the lane.
The Rockets know that history won't mean much in this postseason.
No team raises its intensity in April more than the Lakers, winners of three
of the last four NBA championships. With veterans like Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe
Bryant, Gary Payton and Karl Malone — all of whom have played in the NBA Finals
— the Lakers know exactly how to pace themselves through the regular season to
gear up for the playoffs.
"We know they're the best team in the league," Van Gundy said. "We know
what's ahead of us."
Well, a few of the Rockets do.
Houston has only one starter with any significant postseason experience —
forward Jim Jackson, who played with Sacramento last year. The closest the
Rockets' two All-Stars, Steve Francis and Yao Ming, have gotten to the playoffs
is watching them on TV.
"This is a big-time stage for us to grow and get better," Francis said. "I
hope this proves to be a good experience for us."
The Rockets enter their matchup against the Lakers in a bit of a slump,
losing seven of their last 10 games. Forward Kelvin Cato — a key defensive
option against Shaq — has been in such a slump that he hasn't even gotten off
the bench in the past two games and might not make the playoff roster.
"We'll find out in the next few days," Van Gundy said.
Yao, who scored 29 and 33 points in games against the Lakers this season, has
been the rare big man to have any recent success against Shaq. His 7-foot-5
height, touch around the basket and surprising willingness to mix it up with
O'Neal could go a long way in keeping the series close.
"We'll just have to do better than we've done," Yao said.
Indeed.
Some people have even suggested that Houston actually wanted to face Los
Angeles instead of another of the Western Conference's elite teams — a sentiment
that's surely caught the attention of the Lakers.
Houston guard Cuttino Mobley scoffed at that notion.
"Sometimes if you wish for it, believe me, it will come to you," Mobley said.
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