Game 1
- Yao starts strong. Two quick fouls on Bynum and another quick one on Odom. They'd really like to see two of the three (Bynum, Odom, Gasol) on the bench with foul trouble. Yao is taking his shots quickly. He could spend a little more time getting his shots. He can pass well out of the double team.
- Who's that guy that sits next to Jack Nicholson? If you look crazy sitting next to Jack ...
Apparently it is Lou Adler, an "important" record producer in the 50's and 60's.
- Scola baseline to baseline. He's got more offensive game than he shows. The Argentinian national team runs a lot of its offense through him.
- Battier gets rocked in the face and has to tell the refs he's bleeding. These playoffs have gone past physical. Lots of cheap shots and lots of contact on 50-50 balls. Even if "no blood, no foul" is true, apparently the inverse is not true. (Inverse? Converse? Contrapositive? Austin, you're the math teacher)
- Bynum had a sweet rebound / short jumper where he didn't bring the ball below his head. That's a quick play that's tough to defend.
- The Lakers keep jumping passes. The Rockets will really need Brooks and Lowry to take care of the ball. Keep it out of Barry and Ron's hands.
- Shane Battier is great. Any foul down low, he shoots his hand up in the air. This just saved Yao or Scola a foul. He's also doing a great job on Kobe - 4/12, 0 FT, 8 pts in the first half.
--- Second Half ---
- Brooks really doesn't look for the shot. He should go ahead and take the open looks, but with Yao and Artest and shooters in Battier and Wafer, an unselfish PG is an asset.
- Battier is in Bryant's head, Kobe has passed in the air at least three times. Kobe's makes have come on Lakers' confusion on the offensive end. When he can get lost behind other players, he's been getting good looks.
- Ron-Ron kept true to his word and went with the Wafer mohawk. He gets bonus points for getting the Rockets logo shaved into the side.
- Kobe has a game high 23 points, but on 24 shots. This is ok as far as Battier and the Rockets are concerned. His season average PPS was 1.29.
- I'm not sure I like the switch to Artest on Bryant in the 4th quarter. Bryant has played most of the game, so Battier needs a rest, but Artest is emotional, to say the least. Bryant doesn't need any more motivation, and Bryant will capitalize on Artest's gambles.
--- end of game ---
Well, that was a pleasant surprise. Rockets take game 1! Yao gave Rockets fans a scare, but was able to come back and close out the game. What a great asset to have a post player that can go 10 for 10 from the free throw line. Brooks missed another free throw down the stretch, which is worrisome. It's easy to forget that he's a second year player and wasn't the starting point guard until half-way through the season. Year after year, the Rockets play so many different starting lineups and somehow remain competitive.
Quick thoughts:
Rick Adelman rocks the crossbar. A couple side-shields and those would pass for safety shields.
- Man, the TNT guys sure changed their tune. All of them said the Lakers would own the Rockets. A little different now that Houston took the first in LA. Now they're saying the regular season series didn't mean anything. Whatever, Houston is always slighted. Battier has done a good job of articulating it. Yao has elluded to it. Artest proclaimed a first round win wasn't the goal.
- TNT shows the replay of Battier getting his brow bust open. CWebb says Battier can take it, he's from a tough high school. (They went to the same Detroit high school.)
Well, Houston wins the first. I'll be on the road for the second (may have to stop to watch it) and the third (Austin, Joe, we'll have to find a place) and the fourth (again, might have to stop) but this thing has gotten serious, and I'm excited.
