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http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.c...4836/index.htm
May 19, 1986
No Shot For The Rockets
Jack McCallum
It is not inconceivable that the Houston Rockets could keep James Worthy and his Los Angeles Laker teammates from a rematch with the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals. The Rockets will probably beat the Lakers on the boards, as they did last Saturday (41-35) in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. They will show the Lakers more than they want to see of Akeem Olajuwon, whose opening-game line read 28 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Houston will also throw several different offensive ploys at the Lakers, starting 6'8" Robert Reid at point guard and moving another inside player, Rodney McCray, to point forward from time to time. And they will give the Lakers a look at a younger, rawer version of L.A.'s own nettlesome sixth man, Michael Cooper, in the person of Mitc Wiggins, who scored 24 points and played enthusiastic defense on Saturday.
But put it all together and the Rockets are still only the second-best team in the West.
The Lakers won the opener going away, and they will win the series, probably in six games. It won't be easy, certainly not as easy as it was in Game 1 when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had his way inside with 31 points, and Magic Johnson had his way outside with 26 and 18 assists. Sure, L.A. will have its shaky moments, just as it did in the Western semis, where it took six games to dispatch the Dallas Mavericks. And look for the Rockets to marshal all their considerable weapons—the open-court brilliance of off-guard Lewis Lloyd, the textbook outside shooting of Reid, the sudden impact of the unselfish McCray, and, of course, the imposing skyline of Olajuwon and 7'4" Ralph Sampson—to produce one blowout at the Summit in Houston. But it won't be enough.
Something happens to Abdul-Jabbar when he strolls onto the court against the Rockets. Perhaps he feels compelled to prove that, at 39, he is still king and Houston's big men still supplicants, just as he did while averaging 33 points in five regular-season games against the Rockets. Or maybe it's something that doesn't happen. Against Houston he doesn't get double-teamed much, he doesn't get muscled out of skyhook range, he doesn't get fronted and he doesn't get physically abused when he takes his shot. Sampson guarded him most of the way on Saturday and allowed Abdul-Jabbar to get the ball close to the basket, where he is unstoppable.
This is one frisky Abdul-Jabbar on the loose right now. With the Lakers in control late in the sixth and final game against the Mavericks in Reunion Arena last Thursday night, he walked to the first row of the uproarious Dallas fans and cupped one hand to his ear, as if to say, "I can't hear you now." (He paid for it later when someone dumped two cups of beer on his head as the Lakers left the floor.)
Magic is at his best against Houston, too. The Rockets use as many as five different players at the point—six, if Sampson's forays outside are counted—but the Lakers need only one. "The difference wasn't Kareem's 31 points," said Fitch after Saturday's game. "It was that we didn't have a guy out there to take charge, like Magic."
In simplest terms, it is Kareem and Magic who show the Rockets what they are—the Young and the Restless of the NBA, not the Old and the Established. Houston's time will come, but it is not now, not while Kareem has a skyhook left in him and Magic can still find a yellow brick road lo the basket. As the seconds ticked away in Game 1, the Forum fans began a familiar chant: "We Want Boston!" How terribly premature. And how inevitable.
via cf.net's another brother...great find by him
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Are we back in 1986?
Phil Jackson wants to play us straight up. I hope he does because Yao will flat out destroy Bynum in the post.
As Phil Jackson told reporters that since the Rockets have lot of shooters on the team, he doesn't plan to front or double-team Big Yao as heavy as the TrailBlazers. The Lakers will instead play Andrew Bynum one-on-one to guard Big Yao from behind.
LMAO Bynum not fronting Yao is going to get the Lakers burned in the post.
What you talkin' about? You weren't even around back in '86.
I think the Bynum/Yao head to head matchup is favorable for the Rockets but not by a whole lot. Bynum has great size and better footwork than the Portland Centers. Plus with very quick centers in Pau/Odom, they'll probably run the entire game to tire out Yao.
If the Lakers play, Pau+Odom (two of the quickest running Big men in the NBA), Yao will be a liability due to the speed and the Laker's knack for transition offense/showtime stuff. Yao will probably have to sit or play in spurts when Pau+Odom are on the floor.
I think Aaron Brooks will decide the series for the Rockets. He's the one guy that can turn the game with his speed and shooting.
If we throw the ball down to Yao and run our offense through him, he will either score or pass out of the double team for the open jump shooter. I don't think we've even done this against the Lakers yet. But if Phil wants to play us straight up, I think that's what we ought to do.
Plus a little high low post with Yao and Scola should be interesting.
And glad I wasn't. I don't want to be an old fartWhat you talkin' about? You weren't even around back in '86.
Well I agree that the key to the Rockets winning or losing is in the hands of Aaron Brooks. If he comes out and sucks balls, we are done.
If the Lakers don't run the out of Yao, the Lakers will probably have a hard time stopping Yao from scoring.
Most likely, they'll have to double team Yao when he gets the ball.
The two wild cards for the Rockets are streak shooters Ron Artest and Aaron Brooks. If either of them shoots 2-12 ughh, it'll be a long series for us.
Von Wafer !!!!!
What sucks is that we haven't has a great passing guard except for Rafer Alston who had his issues at the perimeter. What we really need is a great set up guard who can also make teams pay for sagging off defensively. Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowery are good but nowhere near the cream of the crop NBA point guards. Now if we had CP3, Calderon, or Devin Harris, completely different story for the Rockets. The Rockets biggest weakness is at point guard.
The Lakers were a perfect 4-0 straight up in the four head-to-head meetings during the regular season and this is a bad sign for the Rockets as teams that were swept in the regular season (three or more games) are 0-25 all-time in a NBA playoff series.
Doesn't matter who gets past this round...
Cavs over the Nuggets in 6. Book it.
You think you have point guard issues?
The Lakers haven't had a talented point guard since Nick Van Exel.
Fisher's solid all around but not particularly talented except in clutch shots. Farmar's defense is worse than Steve Nash's. Shannon Brown looks good but it still too early to tell.
Rockets fans don't seem to like Brooks very much, I think he's pretty good.
Two teams are playing.
Rockets
And
Lakers.
When asked on who will win, most would say the Lakers, but no one could give a 100% straight answer.
One thing is for certain that I can say with a 100% certainty.
THIS IS GOING TO BE A A FUN GAME!
I'm surprised this guy (Jack McCallum) isnt predicting Suns in 5 since he was all about them in "7 Seconds or Less"
I see that Photobucket has screwed you too. We need to both migrate over to tinypic. Screw Photobucket.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Yao isn't Olajuwon and Scola isn't Sampson.
Joe Johnson would be money in Houston.
JJ has an orgasmic jump shot
What? Hakeem and Sampson are playing?
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