Opening Night Rematch In Houston

Lakers (3-3) @ Houston Rockets (6-2)

November 14, 2007, 9:00 PM Eastern (8:00 PM Pacific); Shown nationally on ESPN

Toyota Center- Houston, TX

A day after suffering their worst loss of the season in San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers are in Houston for the second half of a brutal back-to-back. The Lakers will be looking to avenge their opening night defeat at the hands of the Rockets, when they were beaten 95-93 at Staples Center. That night, the Rockets led by double-figures for much of the second half, before blowing a 12-point lead in the game’s final 1:28, before being saved by a Shane Battier 3-pointer with just a few seconds left. The Lakers come into tonight’s game sporting a solid 3-3 record, which includes quality wins against two Western Conference contenders (Phoenix and Utah). The Lakers will need to secure a win against the Rockets tonight in order to avoid losing three of four games, and to maintain any early season momentum that they may have built up with their solid early season play.

After a loss against the Spurs last night in the season’s first “measuring stick” game, tonight’s game offers the Lakers another opportunity to measure their progress in a road game against another of the Western Conference contender.

Lakers’ Notes

Based on the assumption that Kobe and Tracy McGrady offensive numbers will effectively cancel one another out, it is imperative the Lakers control the tempo of this game from the outset and not allow the Rockets to establish Yao Ming’s inside presence early. The Lakers will need to speed up the game’s tempo, which will reduce Yao’s impact at both ends of the floor- particularly on defense, where not allowing him to fully set up on defense will provide opportunities to draw fouls against the Rockets’ big man. Since the Lakers do not have a big man capable of consistently battling Yao in the low post, it will take a group effort, led of course by Kobe Bryant, to take the ball hard to the basket at every appropriate opportunity.

As always, the Lakers will have to turn in a balanced offensive performance, looking to create early, high-percentage chances for interior players like Andrew Bynum Ronny Turiaf and Kwame Brown. Finally, ball movement in the halfcourt will be key, as the Lakers, who are shooting under 30% from 3-point range, will need to find open shooters around the arc when they have good looks available..

Defensively, the focus will have to be (as it always is) on limiting the number of quality looks for Tracy McGrady (Maurice Evans will be huge here) and Yao Ming and making every offensive opportunity as difficult as possible for them. However, in doing so, it will important not to leave the Rockets outside shooters, of which there are a few (Battier, Luther Head, Mike James) alone on the perimeter- as they did with Peja Stojakovic in their loss to the New Orleans Hornets, getting burned for a ridiculous 10 3-pointers.

Injuries continue to plague Lamar Odom, who in just his second game back from a shoulder injury, tore a tendon in his right (non-shooting) pinkie. Though he’s in some pain, Lamar expects to start tonight in Houston. In addition to Odom, Kwame Brown is still bothered by bursitis in his right heel, which limited him to just 14 minutes in San Antonio Tuesday night. The Lakers’ starting lineup should feature Kobe and Derek Fisher in the backcourt, with Lamar Odom, Ronnie Turiaf and Kwame Brown up front.

Rockets’ Notes

The Houston Rockets, who have gotten off to an impressive 6-2 start this season, are also finishing up a back-to-back set, having lost in Memphis to the Grizzles on Tuesday night, 105-99, despite 63 points from Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. McGrady, whose performance allowed him to take over the NBA’s scoring lead at 29 points per-game (Kobe’s at 28.3), made sixteen of his twenty eight field goals and added four rebounds and four assists in the losing effort. While they will obviously ride their their two superstars, the key for the Rockets (much like it is for the Lakers) will be to get some consistent performances from the supporting cast, who had only player in double figures (Mike James, 10 points) and shot just 37% (16-43) from the field. Despite Rick Adelman’s reputation as an up-tempo, offensive-minded coach, the Rockets will need to look to slow down the tempo of the game, allowing Yao Ming’s presence in the paint to have greater impact at both ends of the floor.

The Rockets come in without any significant injuries and should field a starting lineup of Yao, Shane Battier and Chuck Hayes up front, with Tracy McGrady and Rafer Alston in the backcourt.

What should we look for tonight?

Remember that the Lakers led Rockets for much of the game on opening night, despite playing without Lamar Odom in the midst of swirling Kobe Bryant trade rumors. Not only is Odom now back in the Lakers’ lineup, the team’s collective attitude, not to mention the increased balance in the offense, has improved dramatically in over the past two weeks. Also, with Houston’s next three games coming against the Spurs (in San Antonio), Phoenix and Dallas, there is a very real possibility that the Rockets may be looking past this game. Just as the Lakers found themselves in a classic “trap” game against New Orleans last week, the Houston Rockets are staring down the barrel of a “trap” game Wednesday night. Look for the Lakers to play well against Rockets once, this time having enough in the tank to pull out the win over Yao, McGrady & Co.

Trap Game: Lakers Try to Avoid a Letdown

Lakers (2-1) vs. New Orleans Hornets (3-0)

November 6, 2007, 10:30 PM Eastern (7:30 PM Pacific)

Staples Center- Los Angeles, CA

The Lakers are riding an impressive two-game winning streak, beating both the Suns (in Phoenix) and the Utah Jazz by double figures over the weekend. The biggest concern coming into this matchup will be to avoid an emotional letdown after having knocked off two of the top contenders in the Western Conference in three days. As great as the last wins were, they will only take on real significance if the Lakers can use them as a springboard to strong start to the season.

The quality of play tonight should be relatively high, as the unbeaten Hornets, led by the supremely gifted Chris Paul, lock up with the Lakers. With just one game on the NBA schedule on Monday night, and neither of these teams playing in it, both teams should be relatively fresh and ready to go from the opening tip.

Lakers’ Notes

For the Lakers, this game has letdown written all over it. Though they may not be in the class of the Suns and the Jazz, the Hornets are definitely not to be overlooked. They pretty loaded with talent and a likely playoff team in the loaded Western Conference It will be very important for the team’s leaders (Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher) to preach consistency to the younger members of the team, reminding them that two quality wins don’t automatically make you a contender.

As the Lakers look to continue their streak of balanced offensive performances, it will be vital to create some early open looks for Vladimir Radmanovic, Luke Walton and Derek Fisher, as well as some quality opportunities in the post for Andrew Bynum. With Kobe likely to be guarded by Morris Peterson (he, of the Toronto Raptors’ defense in Kobe’s 81-point game) or David West or Rasual Butler, it’s pretty reasonable to pencil him in for at least 30 points, but it will be more important for Kobe to get his teammates rolling as well.

Defensively, the New Orleans Hornets present one of the biggest challenges of the Lakers’ early schedule, as they feature an elite point guard with a full compliment of diverse weapons. Led by Chris Paul, the Hornets offense is not only highly skilled, but among one of the most versatile in the league They feature threats in the paint (Tyson Chandler and David West), in the mid-range game (West, Peja Stojakovic, Rasual Butler), and on the perimeter (Peja, Butler, Morris Peterson), not to mention the issues created by Chris Paul’s (or Bobby Jackson’s) penetration. The best strategy for dealing with the New Orleans offense is three-pronged: 1) attack Tyson Chandler (he may block a few of your shots, but he will commit some fouls), 2) make Chris Paul be the Hornets’ primary weapon by giving him open jump shots rather than driving and passing lanes (and staying at home any time he does beat his man), and 3) if you have to give defensive help in the paint, DO NOT LEAVE PEJA STOJAKOVIC! When he’s healthy, which he is right now, Peja is still the deadliest spot-up shooter in the NBA and should NEVER be left alone on the perimeter.

In addition to Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown will be out of lineup Tuesday night with an injury to his right heel. As a result, the Lakers’ starting lineup should look like this: Kobe and Derek Fisher in the backcourt, Luke Walton and Ronnie Turiaf at forward and Andrew Bynum in middle.

Hornets’ Notes

Led by Chris Paul, the NBA’s future-best-point-guard, the New Orleans Hornets are putting together a very strong start to their 2007-08 season, with consecutive blowout wins over the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trailblazers (sure these are bad teams, but the Hornets really took care of business), and an impressive 93-88 road win over the Denver Nuggets. The Hornets have gotten some stellar play from Chris Paul (18.7 ppg, 9.7 apg, 6.3 rpg, 3 spg) and one of the NBA’s best young big men, Tyson Chandler (12.3 ppg, 13.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg; can you believe he’s only 25 years-old?) and one of the NBA’s underrated offensive players, David West (16 ppg, 7.7 rpg). Hornets’ coach (and 3-time world champion as a Laker) Byron Scott also has a collection of viable, but certainly not spectacular options on the bench, with Bobby Jackson and Rasual Butler ready to step in on the perimeter and Melvin Ely and second-year center Hilton Armstrong backing up Tyson Chandler in the paint.

The Hornets are not nursing any notable injuries and should field a starting lineup comprised of Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic and David West up front, with Chris Paul and Morris Peterson in the backcourt.

What should we look for tonight?

Tonight’s match-up with the Hornets could end up being the Lakers’ biggest test of the young NBA season. Like the Jazz, the Hornets feature a talented and intelligent point guard who runs the show flawlessly. This game sets up as a classic “trap” game for the Lakers- they’re feeling great after back-to-back wins over quality Western Conference opposition. With the Lakers’ next game at home against the winless Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night likely to result in another victory, if they can avoid a letdown tonight, they will go into next week’s Texas Two-Step (11/13 @ San Antonio, 11/14 @ Houston) riding a four-game winning streak, with a chance to make a real impact on the early NBA season. Look for tonight’s game to be entertaining and free-flowing, with neither team able to open up much of a commanding lead. Expect the final margin to be no more than five or six points. The Lakers’ level of focus will ultimately determine which side of that margin they’re on.

A Golden Opportunity Squandered Against Houston?

Despite trialing by double figures late in the fourth quarter, and playing without Lamar Odom, the Lakers pushed one of the Western Conference’s top-tier teams to the limit before falling by just two points. Whether it was the fumbled rebound between Luke Walton and Kwame Brown that bounced into the basket or Kobe Bryant’s eight missed free throws (his 9^th miss was intentional), the Lakers’ miscues cost them the opportunity to start the season off on the right note.

This issue is doubly important when the team’s early season schedule is taken into account. Starting tomorrow night in Phoenix, the Lakers will play seven games in the next two weeks, only one of which (11/9 vs. Minnesota) they really should win easily, and another (11/6 vs. New Orleans) that should be very hotly contested. The remaining five games over this stretch are against the NBA’s best: 11/2 @ Phoenix, 11/4 vs. Utah, 11/13 @ San Antonio, 11/14 @ Houston, 11/16 vs. Detroit.

Consider that if the Lakers cash in their home games against the Timberwolves and the Hornets, they’ll still need to beat two legitimate contenders just to be at .500 through eight games- that illustrates the enormous difference between 0-1 and 1-0. Granted the schedule has not done the Lakers any favors, but this team is not good enough to squander opportunities against good teams.