After eliminating Chris Paul and the Oklahoma City Thunder in a grueling seven-game series, the Houston Rockets had to take on the best team in the Western Conference in the Los Angeles Lakers in Round Two. Based on the rather shocking performance in the first match-up, it is safe to say that they will not go away easily.
This series against the Lakers would be an ultimate test for their much talked about Small-Ball lineup, especially as they face off against a team which have the services of great wing players (on their good days).
The Small Ball experiment worked against the Lakers when these two these faced off in February during the regular season, however, the Playoffs is an entirely different ball game.
It would be a tough task for PJ Tucker who just stands at 6’5 to guard a 6’11 monster in Anthony Davis, even though he did more than a good job limiting the 'Brow' in the paint.
But I believe the series can go either way as long as Russell Westbrook performs at an elite level just like he did in the month of February. The key to winning this series for the Rockets would be to outscore the Lakers in three more games, just like they did today. The Rockets know that they cannot out-rebound or disrupt the Lakers offense.
In the past the Rockets have gone through a cold streak beyond the arc during the Playoffs but this season they have acquired Westbrook to attack the basket when their shooter are on a cold streak. Ever since trading their center the lane has been wide open for Westbrook and he is in a perfect situation on the offensive end, surrounded by shooters.
According to me, this is the best shot the Rockets have to win a championship as they have shown
that if the Small Ball lineup is executed perfectly, they can beat anyone on any given night. We also have to keep in mind that they finally have no “Warriors Roadblock” for them this season.
It all comes down to their superstars to make the right decisions during clutch time and I think both Harden and Westbrook are way too talented to be labelled as “regular season players”.
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