Here come the Rockets....and How Good is the Bulls/Celtics Series?

If you listen to the show, you know that I've been hoping the Lakers' second round opponent would be Houston, and now it's happening.  It's not that Houston isn't any good--they are.  But the Lakers beat the Rockets in all four meetings this year, by an average score of 103-90.

NBA experts will try to sell you on the fact that Houston can give the Lakers problems because they have great defensive match-ups for Kobe Bryant.  On paper, you could make the argument that Ron Artest and Shane Battier pose the best one-two punch that Kobe will face in a series this year.  The problem with that is...the facts don't support it.

In the four wins over Houston this year, Kobe averaged 28.2 points a game--that's above his season average.  In the one game when Artest took it upon himself to challenge Kobe (guarding him most of the game and talking a lot directly to him), Bryant scored 37 points.

On top of that, Andrew Bynum didn't play in two of the four games against the Rockets.  Even though Bynum struggled in round one against Utah, his height alone should help against Yao Ming.  On March 11 in Houston, Bynum was out and Lamar Odom was suspended (for leaving the bench in Portland during the Rudy Fernandez scuffle)--and Houston still couldn't win. Shannon Brown didn't play in any of the four games, and he's been a key reserve for the last three weeks.  And just for good measure, the Rockets highest-paid and arguably best player, Tracy McGrady, is out for the entire series.

The Rockets just don't match up.  I've got the Lakers winning the series in five games.

On another note, people keep asking me if the first round series between Boston and Chicago is the best first round series ever.  Forget that, it might be the best series of all time--regardless of the round.

Mason stole a phrase from football coach Marty Schottenheimer that I like to use a lot these days.  It was Marty's theory that every player was either "ascending or descending."  In other words, every player and every team, at any given moment, was either getting better or getting worse. Clearly, this season, Chicago is getting better and Boston is getting worse.  But what has happened here is that these two teams have met at the exact moment when they are dead even.

Prior to this series, the all-time record for overtime periods in one series was four.  There have been seven overtimes in this series, and it's not over yet.

Four of the six games have gone to overtime (two of those have gone to multiple OTs). There have been 106 lead changes, even though there were none in game three (which Boston won in a blowout). 

You can summarize just how good this has been by looking at game six:

--Ray Allen scored 51 points in a game, and his team lost.

--Rajon Rondo, after showing he could play in last year's playoffs, has shown he's an elite player now.  He had 19 assists and zero turnovers, while playing 58 minutes.  And you know what?  Derrick Rose, Chicago's point guard, is better than Rondo.

--John Salmons, who was a role player in Sacramento two months ago, played 60 minutes and scored 35 points.

--If you walk by a TV and this series is on, you now stop and watch even if you have no rooting interest in either team.  When is the last time that happened?

I've covered two classic seven game series--Lakers/Portland in 2000, and Lakers/Sacramento in 2002.  I was at every game in person, and in both locker rooms afterwards.  The Lakers/Kings series had Robert Horry's buzzer beater and overtime in game seven, with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.

This Bulls/Celtics series is better. 

  

Comments

[ThinknBlue]

Gotta admitt I'd rather see the Lakers playing rockets instead of the blazers but only cause I didn't feel like listening to the media all over the country saying the Lakers can't win in portland. On the other hand, just as John has said we're gonna have to listen to all the garbage about the "Kobe stoppers" (Battie and Artest). It's nonsense, but we're gonna have to listen to it cause even though the media knows it nonsense it gives them something to talk about. How bout just playing the game!!!??????????

[Mohammed]

I think the Bulls-Celtics series is the best so far this year. I hate to say this (even though I am not rooting against bulls or celtics) but K.G. not playing in the series is making it very exciting to watch. I think if he was playing, Boston wins in 5 and the games wouldn't have been this close.
Mohammed

[bleed angels red]

i think the rockets will give the lakers a series and i will comment on this more when the rockets win game one in staples center.

[bleed angels red]

like i told you i was right you guys are going down in six dont underestimate the rockets their clicking on all cilindars. In your face big forhead ireland. And talk about something else than the sorry lakers on your radio show. GO ROCKETS GO FOR THE SWEEP.

[deez nutz]

oh you didn't know? the rockets are better with out yao!