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I LOVE LAKERS I LOVE LAKERS I LOVE LAKERS ..... oh and even thought i dint call it, i predicted houston would win game 4 .... signed hollinger
People are writing off the Rockets and the Lakers for different reasons. But why?
By John Hollinger
ESPN.com
"It's over."
It's all too easy to write those words about a team any time a crisis comes up -- injuries, slumps, locker-room dramas, or whatever other obstacles arise during the long season.
It's also, in most cases, completely inappropriate. And the Rockets and Lakers provide two compelling examples for us to study why.
First, let's talk about the obvious one: Houston. Nobody gave the Rockets much of a chance after hearing they had lost Yao Ming for the rest of the playoffs; certainly, there wasn't a soul who foretold them being up by 27 after three quarters on Sunday.
Yet the Rockets' success only mimics what they did a year ago. After Yao was lost for the season, Houston won nine consecutive games to run its amazing streak to 22 before finally suc bing; the Rockets went 18-7 without Yao before losing to Utah in six games in the first round. Even that playoff loss came in part because of a second injury, to point guard Rafer Alston, that led to home losses in the first two games.
Compare that edition of the Rockets to this season's. Ron Artest fills in where Tracy McGrady was a year ago -- no big difference there. While McGrady was getting all kinds of ludicrous MVP chatter because of Houston's winning streak, he actually struggled offensively down the stretch last season. McGrady didn't make more than half his shots in a game once after March 8, a span of 26 games; the Rockets were just winning anyway.
Go up and down the roster and Houston looks better at nearly every spot than it was a season ago. Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry are now the point guard combo, replacing Alston and Bobby Jackson, and that has to be considered an upgrade. This season's Luis Scola is better than last season's Scola. Carl Landry was battling a sore knee at this time last year; now he's back and playing very well. Von Wafer is better than Luther Head. Chuck Hayes and Shane Battier are no better than a season ago, but no worse, either.
The only big difference is that they don't have Dikembe Mutombo around to protect the middle; instead, shooting specialist Brian Cook is the fourth big man in the rotation.
So we shouldn't have expected the Rockets to be toast just because of who was on the sideline; the players remaining on the court have shown they can be a pretty effective force despite a lack of marquee names. Sunday's lopsided win only proved it.
That said, let's now tackle the other side of the equation: The Lakers.
With as bad as they looked on Sunday, the prevailing opinion on L.A. is that they don't look anywhere near championship material -- in fact, that they're the third-best team in these playoffs behind Cleveland and Denver.
That may well prove to be true, but before we get too far along in writing them off, perhaps we should consult some history books. The NBA landscape is littered with champions who looked nothing like the part midway through the second round.
Let me remind you of the history of our past six champions:
• A year ago, Boston reached this point in the playoffs with a sterling 6-5 mark against two teams that had allowed more points than they'd scored in the regular season. Following a second straight double-digit loss to Cleveland, commentators openly questioned the ability of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to deliver in the clutch.
• A year earlier, the Spurs lost Game 4 at home to Phoenix to even the series 2-2, and didn't have home-court advantage. It took the controversial suspensions of Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw a day later to propel them toward the le.
• In 2006, Miami had lost twice to Chicago in the opening round and dropped the opener of Round 2 to New Jersey before rallying toward the le. Like this season's Lakers squad, the Heat were seen as horrific underachievers at the time.
• The 2005 Spurs reached this point tied 2-2 with the Sonics in a rough, physical series in which the Sonics got under the Spurs' skin. It's easy to forget now, but a sizable contingent of media already had their golf clubs and Coppertone packed for a Phoenix-Miami Finals.
• In 2004, the Pistons were in even worse shape. Not only were they tied 2-2 with the Nets after a second straight one-sided loss in the Swamp, they went on to lose Game 5 at home because they couldn't contain Brian freaking Scalabrine. Still, they went on to win it.
• In 2003, San Antonio also found itself knotted at 2-2 against three-time defending champion L.A. -- in fact at this point in the postseason the Spurs' record was just 6-4, and lot of critics were pointing to their alleged softness as a reason they wouldn't prevail.
Six straight champions had adversity staring them in the face at this point in the playoffs; not since the Lakers' three-peat have we seen a champion get through a second-round series without having to answer a lot of questions along the way.
Yes, the Lakers looked awful in Game 4. Uninspired, nonchalant, en led ... you name it and the adjective fits. And yes, obviously, that's a worrying sign.
But no, this doesn't mean we get to write them off as a le contender. Recent NBA history is positively littered with examples like theirs -- in fact it seems to be a more common path to glory than the ones Cleveland and Denver have embarked upon thus far.
So while Houston shouldn't be feeling jolly about losing Yao Ming and L.A. can't be too excited about Sunday's performance, there are precedents for each being a much less cataclysmic event than we might think. Their paths just got harder, for sure, but it's definitely not over.
I LOVE LAKERS I LOVE LAKERS I LOVE LAKERS ..... oh and even thought i dint call it, i predicted houston would win game 4 .... signed hollinger
Hollinger is not a Laker homer.
what a stupid ing article. series is 2-2 of course it's not over.
Go tell that to Rocket fan.
Please, I don't remember seeing alot Rocket fans saying this series is "over"
I do however remember seeing a load of (just about every) Laker fans saying this was going to be a sweep and at worst a 5 game series. So please don't try to play the "everybody is against us" card...that's ours. We're playing the underdog role.
Rocket fans think this series is all wrapped up from what I'm reading around the net.
Enjoy this moment, it won't last.
Umm....where? On clutch fans.
On ISHs and this site, Lakers are easily still the favorites...even from Rocket fans. Don't mistake "supporting their team" with thinking "It's the Rockets series to lose".
Last edited by Tmac&Luther; 05-11-2009 at 06:13 PM.
Here, clutchfans, realgm, you name it.
99% of Rocket fans think they own the Lakers now after Game 4. Like I said, enjoy this moment cuz it ain't gonna last.
And 99% of Lakers fans still think the LOB is the Lakers to lose, when given their recent play, both Denver AND Cleveland would absolutely kill them. So both teams' fans have an inflated sense of accomplishment at this point, and the series is simply tied.
99% of Rocket fans...really, did you just pull that # out of your behind or are you actually going to back it up with facts?
I mean, honestly......you expect people to believe that 99% of pretty educated fan base expect Houston to be favorites in this series when they have to win 2 out of the next 3 games.......when 2 out of the next 3 games are in LA, when they also have to play 2 out of those next 3 games without all of their centers and without their supposed "star" wing player.
Okay, whatever. You probably just read a couple of posts and got butt hurt (btw, Clutchfans doesn't count...that's a home board, I'm talking about "NBA boards"/non bias boards)
No not really. You're pretty sensitive to say the least...
Denver is getting way too much credit right now.
They're not contenders.
Go read clutchfans idiot.99% of Rocket fans...really, did you just pull that # out of your behind or are you actually going to back it up with facts?
Okay, whatever. You probably just read a couple of posts and got butt hurt (btw, Clutchfans doesn't count...that's a home board, I'm talking about "NBA boards"/non bias boards)
You all think you're the now that the series is tied 2-2.
For "not being contenders," they're about to finish off a clean sweep of _allas tonight.
As that Rockets fan already pointed out, that's a HOME board, much like LG and CL are for the Lakers. It's a given that the fans are going to be much more one-sided there. The difference is you Laker fans like to bring that one-sided crap even into neutral boards like this one.
Read what I wrote about Clutchfans idiot. (damn if that's your source you're reaching and have already failed in this thread)
Most Rocket fans here don't even like that site.
Lakers fans and pundits were saying the same thing after their double digit victory Friday and news of Yao's season ending injury. Columnist Bill P of the LA Times headline and column was basically that it's "over" for the Rockets.
Laker beat writer covering the team predicted a 15 point Laker victory Sunday.
Just about everyone here, including myself, were shoveling dirt on the Rockets.
So the confidence or overconfidence factor goes both ways!
It's luck, not skill that they're up 3-0 right now.
They have no shot v LA, no shot v Cleveland, and are underdogs against Houston. They haven't even been that impressive against Dallas, save 2 4th quarter Dallas TO implosions.
lol We don't think we have this wrapped up at all. We are just reveling in the fact that our team of scrubs took out the Lakeshow and maybe...just maybe they can do it again.
Marcus Camby future Rocket????
just my observation, rocket fans for the most part have been pretty even keeled in this series. So I can't blame really blame some rockets fans for having a bit of glow..."why not us, right?"
I love Camby. And he looks badass in the pic.
99% of Lakers fans said this would be a sweep or go to 5 games at most. You guys think you're the and just got your ass handed to you by a Yao-less, T-Mac-less Houston team.
Believe it or not this is a win win situation for us. If we lose, we weren't even expected to win at all and in such a way (game 4), and if we win, its probably the greatest triumph over adversity...ever (well maybe not).
Does anybody honestly think that
AB (playing great but sophmore guard)
Ron Artest (Mr Ballhog that doesn't know what a good shot is)
Shane Battier (No offense all defense)
Scola (Good but sophmore)
Chuck Hayes (Sub D league level player with amazing defense, can't even make a layup)
That team gets raped by even the thunder probably. Its is THAT attrocious on paper. If we had deke I might be giving them some leeway. But they don't even have a ing Center on their roster now.
Bryan ing Cook gets playoff minutes. Thats how badit is.
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