NYTimes: Rockets Think They've Found Weaknesses in the Lakers

Good article"

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/19/sports/basketball/19LAKE.html?th

LAKERS LEAD SERIES, 1-0
Rockets Think They've Found Weaknesses in the Lakers
By VITTORIO TAFUR

Published: April 19, 2004


OS ANGELES, April 18 — Greatness comes with the benefit of the doubt. The Los Angeles Lakers, with four likely Hall of Famers on their roster, were inconsistent and injured during the regular season. All that was supposed to change in the playoffs.

But on Saturday night, the Lakers got lucky twice in the final 20 seconds to beat the Houston Rockets, 72-71, at the Staples Center in the opening game of their first-round Western Conference series.

"This is why I don't read or listen to sports people talk about these things," Lakers forward Karl Malone said, adding that the Rockets "are a team that's been laying in the weeds."

The Rockets, who split four games with the Lakers during the regular season, believe they have seen the chinks in their opponents' armor.

¶Gary Payton is 35 and cannot stop Steve Francis, who had 18 points and 5 assists on Saturday. Francis still has a hard time deciding when to shoot and when to set up Yao Ming and his other teammates, but his speed gives him an edge over Payton.

¶Malone is struggling with his jumper. He tweaked his ankle in the first quarter Saturday, and he could do no better than make 3 of 14 field-goal attempts. With the Rockets either doubling down on Shaquille O'Neal or sagging into the paint when Kobe Bryant drives, Malone will get more scoring opportunities. "I didn't make my shots, but I will not be bashful on Monday" in Game 2, he said.

¶Bryant is still trying to find his rhythm. He had one field-goal attempt in the first half on Saturday, making it, and shot 16 times in the second half, making 3. After being ripped by teammates for pouting and not shooting in last Sunday's loss to Sacramento, he played hard (five assists, four steals) in the first half on Saturday. Then it seemed as if a switch was flipped, and he forced most of his shots in the second half.

The Rockets say that Cuttino Mobley frustrates Bryant as much as a defender can, but they acknowledged that Bryant had been stopping himself a lot these days.

"We can't worry about that," Jim Jackson said, "but we know eventually it will come back around and he'll start shooting."

Bryant, who followed his 8-point performance against the Kings with 82 points in the final two regular-season games against Golden State and Portland to help the Lakers win the Pacific Division and gain the Western Conference's No. 2 seeding, did not talk to reporters on Sunday for the seventh straight day.

The Lakers would not be in position to take a 2-0 lead in the four-of-seven-game series had it not been for two breaks Saturday night.

They trailed Houston, 71-70, with 20 seconds to go when Bryant forced a wild 3-point attempt over two Rockets. The shot came up short, but O'Neal grabbed the air ball and dunked it over Yao.

If Bryant's shot had hit the rim, there is a good chance the Rockets would have rebounded the ball and won the game.

O'Neal was fouled. After he missed the free throw, the Rockets had 17.4 seconds to score. With the clock winding down, Francis drove the lane and, when he ran into roadblocks, whisked a pass to an open Jackson in the left corner. Jackson, who made 40 percent of his 3-point attempts in the regular season, shot from his favorite spot on the court but missed short.

"That was misery," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said of watching the shot.

The Rockets, who are seeded seventh, knew they had lost a chance to steal a road victory, but there was more resolve than dejection in their locker room. They had been anxious early in the game on Saturday night, committing 15 of their 22 turnovers before halftime. Francis was appearing in his first playoff game, and it showed. He twice stepped out of bounds on the sideline on offense and twice missed Jim Jackson wide on passes to the perimeter.

"I think we're in great position to play better in Game 2," Francis said.

The Rockets not only dictated the sluggish tempo, but they also outshot the Lakers, 38 percent to 33 percent, and outrebounded them, 51-41. Yao, Francis and Mobley, Houston's leading scorers during the season, combined for only 39 points, and Jackson may have tried too hard to compensate, attempting 19 shots and making only 5. Yet, if he had gone 6 of 19, Houston would be ahead in the series.

"This loss makes us more determined because we were right there at the door," Jackson said. "We had confidence coming in, but you could see some of the guys were pressing because it was their first playoff game. That's not a bad thing; it's only natural. Now we can calm down and turn this thing around."

Maurice Taylor was a force off the bench for the Rockets, scoring 11 points.

"We were in the best situation in the world," he said. "We were down 1, drew up a great play and had a great shot at the buzzer. We'll take that every time."