ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Lakers 5/12/2009 (Playoffs Round 2, Game 5)

No more crawford plz
Who are the refs for game5?

 

We will pay hard and the pressure will be on LA. This is where we find out if LA still has any Mojo left.

 

I hate how the series' page on ESPN gives the Rockets a 17% chance of winning. Really? That low?

 

B. Salvatore, K. Mauer, D. Stafford

 

Refs for tonight from NBA.com:

Houston @ L.A. Lakers: B. Salvatore, K. Mauer , D. Stafford


Oh boy....

 

I've been thinking about last game. The biggest reason we won, we were hitting our shots, especially our 3s (that and kept Kobe cold). Battier and Brooks were our stars that game.
I then start to worry, we cant hit our 3s and shoot that well every game.
But look at it this way:
Brooks and Battier were on fire.
Ron was cold
Scola didnt play exceptional offence
Wafer didn't play much

So, I'm positive about this game. If Scola can bring it and shoot a high %, any mix of the 2 Ron/Battier/Brooks/Wafer heat up, and we play solid D, we can just as easily win this game too.

Bring it boys! Lets go!

 

Big game tonight but we all already know that. GO ROCKETS!

 

It's been a long time since the two championships, but I seem to remember those teams sometimes had a different person step up in each game, which I would guess make it difficult for the other team to prepare for. Phil Jackson sounded like that in his post-game; he mentioned that RA tried to establish Ron and Yao and then when Yao went out, RA switched the emphasis to Brooks and Shane.

Since Von, Landry, Ron, and Scola didn't have big games, maybe one or more of these will step up in this game and make it difficult for Phil to adjust again.

 

i dont believe this garbage bc i can guarantee theres another stat somewhere that says something else, while i do think its important for us to get off to a good start im not gonna be disappointed if LA comes out on fire in the 1st at home

Rox 105 L.A. 98

 

I think we win if we can do three things:

1. No turnovers

2. Eliminate Lakers transition baskets

3. Shoot the ball whenever you are open (everyone)

It seems like the Lakers margin of victory in every game thus far has been transition points and easy baskets. Our half court defense has been stellar. If the Lakers are unable to run, other than Kobe, they can't produce enough points in the half court to win, particularly with their porous defense.

 

this is going to be a GARGANTUAN task. Aaron Brooks needs to keep doing what he's doing and Artest needs to bounce back.

I just pray we keep it close and take care of the ball

Go Rox!

 

Lakers roll tonight 109-81. Rox come out flat and don't have that go-to guy to rely on to answer the Lakers' spurts. AB does his famous merry-go-round move and gets stuffed by the rim, or fumbles the ball away, or throws it to Scola with 2 seconds on the shot clock and watches him pass to Artest for a shot-clock violation.

AB can be brilliant, and he can be ugly. The same is true of this entire Rockets team.

Lakers in 6.

No one thought we'd play them this hard, no one thought we'd kick them in the teeth. But we've shown they're not invincible, and we're not afraid. Adelman gets mad props for staying poised throughout.

 

They'll be focusing on AB and ignoring Chuck completely. We won't be able to get much inside when Chuck's on the floor and his presence is vital. Battier himself said we'll be chucking up 30-40 shots from downtown. Let's pray we hit them.

 

Two of those three, Salvatore and Mauer, called the Mavs-Nuggets Game 3 in Dallas the other day. The third ref, Mark Wunderlich, is the one who had the no-call at the end of the game. Looks like he's been replaced by Stafford on the crew.

 

Is this good/bad for the Rockets? I just hope that at the end of the game.. no one mentions the refs.. I want to see a game won on the floor, not on the sidelines.

 

Transition D is the biggest thing in this game tonite. Without Yao we're the faster stronger team, so we cannot let the Lakers get out in transition and run up the score we have absolutely no chance if they score over a hundred points. Control the transition, play our hardcore defense in the half court set and keep it close and give yourself a chance in the fourth. If the Rockets pull this one off it'll be the most significant win of the last twelve years, no pressure though.

 

Exactly, we blew out the Lakers in Game 4 b/c our offense was stagnant and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. W/o Yao, some can argue we might be better defensively, although I think it's a stalemate.. what we lose in height, we gain in strength and quickness.

On offense is where Yao being out changes things.. and they CAN change things for the better. If we are efficient at getting Yao the ball, we would be better.. but in Game 3, we were horrible at doing this and became horrendous to watch on offense at times..

In Game 4, we played offense w/ intelligence and w/o a conscience.. we didn't hesitate and played with instinct.. IMHO, Game 4 showed that we can also be good on offense w/o Yao, especially if Yao will cause us to play how we did in Game 3..

SO, in conclusion, it is hard to say our team is better/worse w/o Yao, but I can say this. Our team has less room for error w/o Yao. We have to play the same, instinctual and decisive way that we played in Game 4 to match our offensive ability when we play efficiently WITH Yao.

Sorry if the analysis is confusing.

 

Actually I won't much about rockets,cause it has already done enough for fans.Good luck rockets!

 

i'm hoping this small lineup continues to create awkward mismatches for the lakers ala golden state vs. dallas. the warriors were able to win that series because dallas could not contain their speed. we also have a superior defense to golden state from that year. if we limit turnovers and can exploit them with our quickness we definately have a punchers chance. will the lakers have enough time to adjust, will we sustain the effort? stay tuned...

 

To BigMak.. 10-29 from 3s isn't that great of shooting.