Just saw this. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2507800 Rockets done waiting, ready for LA By MEGAN MANFULL Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle Finally, the Rockets could start talking about it. Finally, they could start planning. After waiting five years to return to the playoffs, the Rockets have to wait only two more days. The Rockets will play the Lakers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs starting Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The decisive game between the Lakers and Trail Blazers didn't end until after midnight, and most of the Rockets had already left Toyota Center. Mark Jackson and Scott Padgett were the only two who waited until Kobe Bryant's game-winning 3-pointer, which sealed the double-overtime victory for the Lakers and set up the first-round matchup with the Rockets. The Rockets and Lakers split their regular-season series this season with two victories apiece. "I'm looking forward to it," Padgett said. "We've had some success against (the Lakers), but none of that matters now. The first game is the most important, as always." The victory by the Lakers gave them the Pacific Division title over Sacramento, which lost to Golden State on Wednesday. The Rockets' 92-89 loss to Dallas in their regular-season finale didn't have any bearing on the playoff seedings. The Rockets now must hit the road, where they were 18-23 this season. They won one game against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Dec. 25. They lost their most recent game at Staples on April 1. "Even though our road record wasn't that great, it gives us a chance to find and really see what we're made of in that first game," Jim Jackson said. "That's when all the pressure is there. A lot of the pressure is going to be on the home team because they are the Pacific Division champions who are supposed to win." While the Rockets had more success against the Lakers than against Sacramento this season, the players did not seem relieved about the matchup. Houston went 0-4 against the Kings, who will now play Dallas in the first round. "I don't care, because it's 0-0 when it starts," Maurice Taylor said. "All those wins are out the door when it starts. We're not looking at which team beat us or which team we played best against during the year, because when we start on Saturday, we all start from the same point: zero. Everyone is tied in the standings from that point. You've got to play well." The opening round is a best-of-seven series with the first two games in Los Angeles. Games 3 and 4 will be in Houston. If needed, the fifth and seventh games will be in LA, with the sixth game in Houston. This will be the Rockets' first postseason appearance since they lost to the Lakers in the first round of the 1999 playoffs. That year, the Lakers won the best-of-five series 3-1, dropping only the third game of the series, which was played at Compaq Center. "If we are ready to lock down and focus in on one shot, one rebound defensively and executing on offense, we'll always have a chance," Jackson said. "This year the playoffs are different. One through eight, all teams are competitive. Any team can get beat on any night, and I think that's why it'll make for an exciting playoffs."
