- Lakers/Rockets
Quite a start for the Lakers, who come out meaning business on a 13-2 run. Early in the bubble the Rockets defense was putting so much effort in their switching but it has dropped off in this series. The Rockets finally create an open three with Westbrook flashing middle and swinging quickly to Rivers in the corner. This is an action that should’ve been used more frequently. Their defense was strong yet again with their small ball units in the 1Q, though they left Rockets shooters open in the final 2 minutes and were punished with 3 straight makes. Much different look to this game since the Lakers stopped flying around on D. Rockets suddenly look comfortable. Much more work for the Lakers to do. It’s now 35-28 after a 17-2 Houston run into a time out. Russell Westbrook has wreaked havoc on the Lakers' passing lanes in this quarter. 11 turnovers by the Lakers so far. Kuzma's cutting this whole series has been great. LeBron was initiating everything early. He sat for some of this stretch, and it’s been Rondo running the offense since LeBron returned. LAL have re-invested defensively with some added intensity, with a massive Caruso chase-down block of Harden as an example. AD will need to be wary of Houston looking to draw his 3rd PF on the offensive end. Anthony Davis hasn't scored yet but he's adjusted really well to the attention he commands down on the block and already has four assists, the last two were easy layups to KCP and Caruso. It's been great seeing AD find the open man. His passing has looked better and better with each game. There’s one of the few times we’ve seen in this series as Harden is used as the screener for Westbrook. This should’ve been utilized much more by MDA. Turnovers are keeping Houston within reasonable distance. LAL have committed 11, towards 15 Rockets points. I just won't understand why teams are always posting up Harden. That plays right into the Rockets plans, he's a good post defender. The rule should be if he's on you go set a ballscreen. Rondo worked in this series. His ability to get to the rim made him pretty valuable. Houston’s been more committed to walling off the paint on LeBron and Davis especially, conceding a bunch of open 3’s as a result, and LAL’s role players are drilling them. The ball's been moving so fluidly on the offensive end. Such a beautiful sight to see. LAL continue to do a strong job defending Westbrook, encouraging him to shoot and contesting his shots at the rim. LAL advance to the Western Conference Finals on the strength of outstanding defense against two very strong offensive teams, beating both Portland and Houston 4-1. On offense, LeBron and AD led the way, as role players increasingly stepped up to knock down shots/make plays.
