The Houston Rockets were able to take game one from the Lakers in round 2 of the playoffs. This is HUGE for them. Not only do they go up one game against the "best team" in the NBA, but they also walk away with a stealing of home court advantage.
Most fans, if not everyone, really thought that the Rockets didn't have much of a chance in this series after the Lakers had beat the Rockets 4 times in the regular season. Let's face it...Kobe Bryant is an incredible basketball player who can hit shots that no one else sees, but last night the Rockets did an incredible job keeping "Black Mamba" at bay.
Yao looked like he had a little fire behind him and actually took it hard to the basket a number of times resulting in either points or fouls. He looked liked a different player and had lost some of his timid ways. Fouling Yao is like getting a goal-tending call. He is automatic from the line, so the more he can get fouled, I'll take it.
The young fellas, Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry, both had incredible hustle up and down the court. Whether it was throwing their bodies around for loose balls, creating turnovers or zig zagging around yellow jerseys to pop an open shot, these two had no problem. Derek Fisher and his old age got a little tired of chasing these two young whipper-snappers around.
Artest and Battier collectively did the bulk of the job shutting Kobe down. They were able to keep him from ever going off on the Rockets, while also scoring a few points themselves.
Overall the Rockets looked pretty good last night. I expect the Lakers to come back a little angry on Wednesday night and handle business, but then it's back to Houston for two games where the Rockets are one of the best.
Can they do it? Stay tuned to see if "Clutch City" has made it's return.
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