[Game 1] Rockets 100, Lakers 92: non-Houston media wrap-ups

SamFisher · May 5, 2009

Fox Sports

Lakers Better 'Progress' in a Hurry

SI

Rockets' fourth quarter domination of Lakers five games in the making

MSNBC

Determined Rockets catch Lakers napping

NBA.com

Brooks, Yao Provide Lift in Win

Sportsline

Lakers strangely encouraged

LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-rockets5-2009may05,0,4062196.story

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers5-2009may05,0,881984.column

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-rockets5-2009may05,0,4955338.story (Ron Artest story w/video interview)

bleh12345 · May 5, 2009

Thanks for the links.

SamFisher · May 5, 2009

SportingNews:

Yao guts it out for Rockets while Kobe is contained

bleacher report:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/167979-rockets-have-lift-off-in-game-one-vs-lakers

Slam online (using the oh so creative "houston we have a problem" subheader)

http://slamonline.com/online/blogs/game-notes/2009/05/lakersrockets-game-1-recap/

The OC Register

Game 1 Ends with a Thud

durvasa · May 5, 2009

ESPN Daily Dime:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-090505 includes pieces by J.A. Adande and Eric Neel

Shaq2Yao · May 5, 2009

Some very good reads.

Shaq2Yao · May 5, 2009

Yahoo Sports:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...ug=jy-rocketslakers050509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Shaq2Yao · May 5, 2009

Yahoo Sports: Behind the Box Score.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...t=AumViRXSXVnp8eTmHlNN9X28vLYF?urn=nba,161174

BranJ17 · May 5, 2009

the fan comments are funny in the Fox Sports article. A fan says something along the lines of, "this is kobe's team, this is kobe's series, houston just messed up because the woke up the sleeping giant."

Were the Rockets supposed to lose because they may wake up the giant? I mean if losing 4 games in a row is what needs to be done to not wake the giant, then lets lose 4 in a row darn it.

durvasa · May 5, 2009

Shaq2Yao said:

Yahoo Sports: Behind the Box Score.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...t=AumViRXSXVnp8eTmHlNN9X28vLYF?urn=nba,161174
Click to expand...

"And Artest, do his credit, did a rather Shane Battier-esque job of forcing Bryant to his left, getting a hand in his face, while refusing to body up too much or tug on Superman's cape."

That's because the guy defending Kobe for the vast majority of the game was Shane Battier. I'm not sure why Artest is being given the credit here. Ron did do an excellent job against Odom, however.

glad_ken · May 5, 2009

This picture from the NBA.com article is great!

Hayesfan · May 5, 2009

durvasa said:

"And Artest, do his credit, did a rather Shane Battier-esque job of forcing Bryant to his left, getting a hand in his face, while refusing to body up too much or tug on Superman's cape."

That's because the guy defending Kobe for the vast majority of the game was Shane Battier. I'm not sure why Artest is being given the credit here. Ron did do an excellent job against Odom, however.
Click to expand...

Artest did get some time on Kobe, but not all of it was successful Kobe turned the corner on him and beat the help when Ron was guarding him.

Thanks for all the links yall!

I just saw this on that daily dime thing...
HTML:
Shane Battier contains Kobe Bryant
Defender 	   FG-FGA 	Points
Shane Battier 	8-for-22 	17 points
Ron Artest 	     3-for-5 	6 points
Chuck Hayes 	1-for-1 	2 points
Yao Ming 	     1-for-1 	2 points
Brent Barry 	0-for-1 	0 points
Uncontested 	1-for-1 	2 points 

lwqbulb · May 5, 2009

[DIME]NBA Playoff Blogger Faceoff Round 2: Lakers vs. Rockets

http://dimemag.com/2009/05/nba-playoff-blogger-faceoff-round-2-lakers-vs-rockets/

NBA Playoff Blogger Faceoff Round 2: Lakers vs. Rockets

By Dime Magazine

lakersvsrockets
Welcome to our first ever NBA Playoff Blogger Faceoff, where we pit our favorite team-related writers against each other to let them tell why the teams they represent will win their first round matchups. We gave them no set format, no style guide - we just told them to do their thing. Check it out and join in the debate in the comments section.

Next up: 1. Lakers vs. 5. Rockets

WHY THE LAKERS WILL WIN
Written by Kurt of ForumBlueandGold

The Lakers are going to advance past the Rockets simply because they can outscore them. Houston is a good defensive team, but they try to funnel everything into Yao Ming (with good reason), the problem is the Lakers can attack with many different weapons from many different places on the court, they cannot be funneled as easily as the TrailBlazers were.

Also, the Lakers will run this series, getting down the court and getting mismatches in transition, as the Rockets bigs do not run well and only Yao blocks shots well. The Lakers will wear Yao down — harder to do than it was a couple years ago, but it can be done. They also will attack him directly and try to get him in foul trouble, getting him out of the game.

While all this is happening, the Rockets offense is pretty basic — get the ball to Yao. The problem becomes if you can stymie that they have nobody (outside Von Wafer off the bench) that can create his own shot. The result is Ron Artest jacking up a contested jumper. The Lakers in the crunch can shut down the Rockets — the Rockets cannot do the same to the Lakers.

Then there is Kobe Bryant. Despite what you read in the New York Times, Kobe shot 53% against the Rockets this year and 50% from three, scoring 28 points a game in some of his most efficient play. The Rockets really have no good answer for this, and they can’t match the scoring output.

WHY THE ROCKETS WILL WIN
Written by David Clark of TheDreamShake

Yes, the rumors you have heard are true. The Houston Rockets will defeat the Los Angeles Lakers. Why? The Rockets simply have nothing to lose.

After clearing the first-round hurdle with a convincing series victory over the upstart Blazers, the Rockets no longer have any pressure. Instead of Tracy McGrady sulking around and disappearing in the fourth quarter, the Rockets now feature Ron “Crazy Pills” Artest, the man who is so relaxed he will go into the stands to share a beer with fans mid-game — and then turn a post-game interview into an impromptu comedy routine. No longer are the Rockets timid or unsure. This version is a whole different animal. (*Insert obligatory “Wolverine” movie advertisement here.*)

On the flip side, the Lakers have the burden of expectations. A humbling defeat in the NBA Finals last year supposedly has Kobe Bryant obsessed with winning it all this year. The Rockets, however, are the only team that can throw two elite defenders on Bryant at all times. Artest has already started the mind games when he stated that Brandon Roy — and not Kobe — was the best shooting guard he’s ever had to defend. Kobe may revert to the “old” Kobe, and try too hard to win it by himself. After Artest gets Kobe to turn the series into a 1-on-1 battle, the Rockets win.

While the Lakers do have Kobe … the Rockets have an answer. Two, in fact. But the Rockets have Yao Ming. And no one has an answer for the Great Wall. Andrew Bynum is not in the Hall of Fame yet. No matter how many Laker fans want to put him there already. Prepare to be humbled, Mr. Bynum.

In Round 2, Yao Ming re-asserts his status as the best center in the NBA. The Rockets win.
Click to expand...

professorjay · May 5, 2009

I hate to bump, but I thought this really deserved it.

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[Game 1] Rockets 100, Lakers 92: non-Houston media wrap-ups

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