Fourth quarter collapse Dooms Rockets 112-102

It looked like the Los Angeles Lakers had their perfect game in the second game of this second-round series. They made an unlikely shooting percentage. They went so far as to hit their opponents in the gonads with no repercussion. Scott Foster made his contribution.

Those hoping for a decline in the Lakers’ woeful fortunes probably weren’t looking for a flawless half of basketball from the NBA’s greatest former child prodigy, LeBron James. His first half of basketball in this game is one of the reasons why some consider him the best basketball player of his generation, if not of all time. His legacy could only be improved if he didn’t complain (literally) about every single thing that didn’t turn out his way.

There wasn’t a shot that King Komplainin ‘couldn’t make. Long turnaround falaways, stepback threes, charges drives the opposition. The Rockets somehow kept pace with this explosive play and went into the second half with a slight lead.

The Lakers defense was blocked in the second half and did not need to be charged by James. The Rockets went from scoring 64 in the first half to 38 in the second. That’s not a marker for a Rockets win. The Lakers would fight, for an entire game, to equal 128 points. The Rockets, by contrast, have little hope in a contest hovering around 100pts, until things got sloppy late.

LeBron James kept the Lakers alive in the first half, where a normal outing might have seen them buried. His defense buried the Rockets in the second half. The Lakers defense and an unexpected offensive explosion from Rajon Rondo. It pains me that a player that I have never, at any time, enjoyed watching can make a difference in a Rockets playoff game. Tonight he was, scoring 21 points, with 9 assists.

I doubt Rondo is playable by a team that doesn’t possess two threats like James and Davis, but he can play center field, guess passes, slap, and shoot wide open shots, because the two Lakers stars are there to clean up his mistakes. and keep the defenders glued to them. However, his mind and passing are still good, so he works for the Lakers in this context. You need to be attacked, quickly, rather than allowing you to scare off the dribbling displays. Rondo’s lateral movement is practically non-existent. It’s a mystery why Russell Westbrook, who had a much better game, doesn’t just drive him every time he does.

The Rockets’ small ball experiment could end in this series. However, it would be a shame to see him end up with poorly refuted decisions in the paint. James and Anthony Davis received a very favorable whistle tonight, between them they fired 7 more free throws than the entire Rockets team (21 for Davis and James, 14 for the Rockets).

The Rockets are a team that relies on interchangeable parts and energy. Losing the energy at Danuel House cost them dearly, and I hope all is well with a guy who normally gives the Rockets everything he has.

The Rockets set the pace in the first half, but Lebron James was, almost exclusively, able to match it. The Lakers set the pace in the second half and the Rockets weakened. Don’t blame James Harden, who finished the night with 33pts on 11-23 shooting, with 9 rbs, 9 asts and just 2 TO. The only thing I’d say the Rockets need to do is punish Laker’s double-team Harden, and fast.

The Rockets can tie things up with a win in the next game, but to do so they must force the Lakers into a Rockets game, and not the other way around.