Los Angeles Lakers v Houston Rockets (Lakers lead 2-1)
The Houston Rockets lost one of its slim core players when G Daniel House decided to violate the bubble protocol, nearly killing off any chances the Rockets had at winning this series. The Rockets ran about a 6-7 man rotation, which House was part of. The Lakers won this game easily, 110-100. The Rockets were utterly dominated and only made a late push when the game was out of hand, and all of the Lakers sat their starters.
The Rockets had a slim chance of winning this game, but the team looked defeated; there was no effort to win. James Harden (2-11FG 1-6 3PT) had another awful game, just when the team needed him to be at his best. This has been a pattern Harden, coming up poorly in huge games.
This series has also shown that this small ball plan that Mike D’antoni implemented halfway through the season cannot work against a quality basketball team. The Lakers have destroyed the Rockets by using their size to kill any hopes of being taken down. D’antoni’s system has gotten teams to great regular-season records, but as soon as the playoffs roll around, it never seems effective in the playoffs.
The Lakers are now up 3-1, and there is no way the Rockets have any chance to win this series. They haven’t changed their gameplan, and the Lakers have too big of a team for the Rockets to handle. The Lakers were led by F/C Anthony Davis (29PTS 12REB 5AST 2BLK). Houston just doesn’t have anyone who can match Davis. One step closer to the LA showdown we have all been waiting for.