Ming Man on Mission

Yao Ming collected 28 points and 10 rebounds as Houston bested the Lakers in Los Angeles in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals. Kobe Bryant had 32 points in defeat. Ron Artest added 21 points for the Rockets, who lead the best of seven series against the top seeded Lakers. Houston hit all their foul shots and got the stops down the stretch to pull out the upset road victory. The Rockets scored 30 fourth quarter points, even with Ming being knocked to the floor. The tall center fell when he and Bryant crashed and bashed knees with each other. The seasoned and elite Ming remained in the game, and the Rockets remained unstoppable through the final six minutes to win 100-92.
The scoring starting early for Houston. They held a three point halftime lead and were sharp offensively in the first half. Houston scored more points in each quarter to pace themselves throughout the night against a harsh opponent. L.A. only had 18 buckets in the first quarter and fell behind early. The Lakers never got into a rhythm, missing 7 of 19 free throws. L.A. shot 8 for 24 over the first 12 minutes. They were ineffective from the 3-point line and couldn’t execute on offense. Houston committed turnovers in the second half and L.A. came within one point of snatching the lead. That’s when Yao and the Houston defense attacked the Lakers’ passers and played more consistent basketball. The Rockets scored on nine consecutive possessions. Ming had two blocked shots on the night and Los Angeles had no answer for him or point guard, Aaron Brooks. Brooks was more aggressive and played much more consistently than he did in the series with Portland. He and Artest corroborated the rugged Rocket’s defensive.
The Rockets coasted to an 8 point lead when Yao’s knee buckled and went berserk. Lakers forward, Pau Gasol, cut the Rockets lead to six with a definable dunk and Lamar Odom rebounded on the next possession to reduce the lead with a basket of his own. Odom replaced Andrew Bynum of the Lakers after the center committed two fouls in the first three minutes of the game. Artest and Ming mugged the Lakers with under three minutes left in the game. Yao hit a 20 foot jumper and nailed four free throws and Artest sealed a shot to keep Houston on top. With an 11 point lead and only 1:30 remaining after Shane Battier hit a pair of free throws, the Lakers attempted a Staples Center comeback. Yao’s two free passes finished L.A. for good when time expired. Ming’s 28 points are a personal playoff high for the Chinese all-star. Artest had an equally gigantic night, dishing out 7 assists in the effort.
The Rockets got a scare late in the fourth quarter that reminded fans of the four regular season meetings between the teams. In all four games, the Lakers outscored Houston by an average of 12 points in the fourth quarter. L.A. swept the season series in one-sided games. This time, the Rockets responded late with the help of Ming, Artest and Brooks. The team did not fold. The Rockets cannot win games without Yao. Ming left the game with 4.54 on the clock but returned to rejuvenate the Rockets. He scored 8 points after his return to the game and did not miss any of his six free throws. He had ten free throws all together.
Artest and Battier did a great job in guarding Bryant. Battier and Kyle Lowry were terrific and relentless. They smothered the Lakers on defense and gave their best effort the entire game. They forced the Lakers to rush points and shunned and shrugged off their defense. Battier needed stitches to his left eye in the first quarter after a hard hit from Sasha Vujacic. Shane returned just before halftime. Gasol sat earlier in the quarter with a left eye injury too. He came back to finish with 14 points and 13 rebounds for L.A.. Kobe made three shots in two minutes during the second half to narrow the gap, but Bryant kept missing his points down the stretch. Defensively, the Rockets forced Kobe to take outside shots and Yao and Brooks helped Houston keep the lead by driving the baseline for baskets.
Steady veteran, Derek Fisher, didn’t factor much in the loss for L.A. who has the better frontcourt team. He scored 8 points Monday night. Fisher is not the same player he once was and could not guard second year man, Brooks. Jordan Farmar’s shooting went cold this year as he regressed offensively. Perhaps this is the series he will step up in place of Fisher. He isn’t playing with confidence right now but a playoff performance might snap him out of it. For Houston, Luis Scola led in scoring during the Portland series ,but also did not play a major role last night.
The heavily favored Lakers have a formidable trio with Trevor Ariza, Gasol and Bynum. All play secondary roles to Kobe, but may be the most important players if L.A. is to win the series. We all know Kobe is going to get his points. But Artest and Battier are going to make him work. Houston’s defense ranks among the league’s best and they know the game plan against L.A. They held Kobe last night harassing him into missing 17 shots and giving only five chances at the line.
Gasol is low-post presence and keeps the offense moving. Ariza muscles his way on defense and is a hustling player. Bynum hasn’t performed well this season and the 21 year old struggled in the first round of the playoffs against Utah. It will be increasingly difficult for Andrew to defend Yao. If Bynum can handle the coverage without the Lakers having to double team Ming, L.A. will be able to play a stronger perimeter defense. The Rockets several three point threats but Bynum can mitigate their shooting success if he can contribute his unbelievable skills. He is the L.A. x-factor and many feel the Lakers would have beaten the Celtics with a healthy Bynum last year. Andrew has height, size and quickness for a traditional center.
Guard, Vujacic carved out a niche with his hot shooting during the final week of the season. He’s a promising player who could shake things up when backing up Bryant. Gasol is a tough match for Houston’s Scola. The two are familiar with each other because they played international ball together. Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry may have to be present on the court more often if Scola gets into foul trouble or can’t fend off Gasol. Luckily, the Rockets have that depth at the forward position. They have a suitable crew to be a industrious scoring team.
The Lakers certainly have more weapons offensively and arguably the best clutch player in Bryant. Last night they didn’t show their supremacy. L.A. only shot 44.3% and made only 2 of 18 three point attempts. The Rockets shot 47.9%. The Lakers were being stripped of the ball and shot poorly throughout the Rocket romping. Now it’s in the Lakers’ psyche whether or not they can win an NBA championship. They have to move the ball more and exhibit more patience on offense. Reserve players need to come off the bench for Phil Jackson. L.A. must have quicker passes and execute their prolific pick and roll. When the Lakers took quicker passes, Houston’s defense could not react in the second half last night. L.A. thrived on getting better looks inside and freeing up the circle instead of relying primarily on perimeter shooting.
The Rockets only won 53 games this year but the team is hungry and energetic. Houston already got the monkey off their back by winning a first round playoff series for the first time in forever. They stole a game in Los Angeles and even if they lose Wednesday, can take care of business at the Toyota Center to make it a very attainable series. Let the plot thicken.

Parting points: Posada + Hamstring = trip to the DL; not a good sign for the Yankees