[LAL/HOU] - round 2, game 7

Who wins?

  • Total voters
    48
The Rockets will have to fight through bad calls, lakers home crowd and the early jump that the lakers will try to get on them. But they just need to go in there and play like they have nothing to lose. Because they really don't have anything to lose. They already overachieved by taking the lakers to 7 games with their roster.

Fight hard, stick to the game plan and play D. If the lakers are down by half time, I think they will fall as the pressure will be all on kobe and the lakers. They are suppose to win the championship. Getting bounced by a Yao-less and TMAC-less Rockets team will be a huge slap in the face.
 
Yes, but he's probably right on this one.

Actually I'll bump it to 10%, if I squint. The Lakers are so sloppy mentally there is always a chance they are not focused, and there is always the foul trouble/injury sort of angle to play. But this is a brutal game to win if you are the Rockets. The Lakers will have no excuse not to be up for it -- its obviously do or die. The crowd will be behind them. The last game in that building the Rockets got completely creamed. Just tough.

As an aside, another overlooked Rick fact: 5 of the 6 years of our prime ('99-'04) we took series to the final deciding game before losing.

'99 -- 5th game (of a 5 game series) OT vs. Utah
'00 -- 5th game (of a 5 game series) vs. the Lakers.
'02 -- 7th game OT vs. the Lakers
'03 -- 7th game vs. the Mavs
'04 -- 7th game vs. the Wolves (lost at buzzer)

We were the underdog in every one of those series (except Dallas, but we were after we lost Webb), yet we always fought it down to a deciding game, and often a deciding shot or OT. These Rockets are fighting the same way. Its not coincidence.
 
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Is it probable? Hell, no. Is it likely? Most likely not. Is it possible? Hell yes...

Miracles do happen.
 
I'll give us a 10% chance but I expect the Lakers to assert themselves and close it out.

But hey it shouldnt have even gotten this far, no reason why we cant win one more game.
 
I'm confident that the Lakers will win this one...not sure if they'll beat the Nuggets with the way they're playing though.

Also, I gotta say that I'm really gaining a lot of respect for Shane Battier. I am NOT a fan of Duke players, but this guy is winning me over.
 
Lakers should win, but I don't see how they can come out of this series very confident regardless of what happens in game 7.
 
I voted Lakers, but the Rockets need to come out fast and furious to start the game off... just let it all hang out, see if they can build a lead and put some pressure on the Lakers.
 
Bricklayer said:
As an aside, another overlooked Rick fact: 5 of the 6 years of our prime ('99-'04) we took series to the final deciding game before losing.

'99 -- 5th game (of a 5 game series) OT vs. Utah
'00 -- 5th game (of a 5 game series) vs. the Lakers.
'02 -- 7th game OT vs. the Lakers
'03 -- 7th game vs. the Mavs
'04 -- 7th game vs. the Wolves (lost at buzzer)

We were the underdog in every one of those series (except Dallas, but we were after we lost Webb), yet we always fought it down to a deciding game, and often a deciding shot or OT. These Rockets are fighting the same way. Its not coincidence.
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Thanks, that was what I meant when I wrote 0%.

There was an interesting little speech that Kenny Smith made about how Adelman never beat Phil Jackson. You could see that confidence in Phil Jackson after the first quarter of today's game, even thought they had a pathetic start of the game. The come back that they made today was reminiscent of many Kings game where we blew up a huge leads, if that happens in LA, it's game over.

On the bright side, it is very nice to see Adelman's offense working very well again even without their two superstars. This Houston team has a couple of very smart and hard working players in Scola and Battier, so it is nice to see some intelligent basketball being played again. Adelman has always been good at making a slightly above average team very good, but his problem was that he could never make any of his very good teams truely great (when it mattered anyway).

I hope I'm wrong this time.
 
Bricklayer said:
Yes, but he's probably right on this one.

Actually I'll bump it to 10%, if I squint. The Lakers are so sloppy mentally there is always a chance they are not focused, and there is always the foul trouble/injury sort of angle to play. But this is a brutal game to win if you are the Rockets. The Lakers will have no excuse not to be up for it -- its obviously do or die. The crowd will be behind them. The last game in that building the Rockets got completely creamed. Just tough.

As an aside, another overlooked Rick fact: 5 of the 6 years of our prime ('99-'04) we took series to the final deciding game before losing.

'99 -- 5th game (of a 5 game series) OT vs. Utah
'00 -- 5th game (of a 5 game series) vs. the Lakers.
'02 -- 7th game OT vs. the Lakers
'03 -- 7th game vs. the Mavs
'04 -- 7th game vs. the Wolves (lost at buzzer)

We were the underdog in every one of those series (except Dallas, but we were after we lost Webb), yet we always fought it down to a deciding game, and often a deciding shot or OT. These Rockets are fighting the same way. Its not coincidence.
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One more time, Rick. One more time.
 
I said before Game 5 that the Rockets didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning. I think the same thing about Game 7, but there's a variable that works in their favor: the Lakers are so inconsistent and undisciplined (really an anomaly for a Phil Jackson team) that they could buckle under the pressure of an unexpected and suprising Game 7, even at home, and be in a dogfight late in the 4th quarter. Then it would come down to who's shots are falling and who's taking care of the ball.

I think Kobe is one of the few players in the NBA who can turn on a "we're not going to lose this game" mechanism and do whatever it takes to pull out a win, but I was expecting that to happen in Game 6, and it never did. Even with the big run in the 3rd quarter, the Lakers never led last night.

I would really like to see Kobe vs. LeBron in the Finals, but I think I'd like to see Rick finally beat Phil even more.
 
Superman said:
I would really like to see Kobe vs. LeBron in the Finals, but I think I'd like to see Rick finally beat Phil even more.
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And, at the end of the day, that's what it boils down to for me, also.

If "Mine That Bird" can win the Derby, miracles truly are possible. And if good wishes can make things happen, Adelman is surely due for a win.

:)
 
Andriod_KiNg said:
Its going to get uglier when the Rockets win.

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As usual, its always the other guys' fault in kobe's world. He was on Pau, sasha and the rest of the guys all night. But kobe is the guys that has been slacking off the most on D. He is probably saving energy for offense himself while he expects the other guys to hustle on both ends. kobe's poor D was the reason why Battier had a huge game in game 4.
 
the only way that the rockets win is if jeff van gundy is one of the announcers calling the plays. the rockets have won every game to my knowledge that jeff was announcing.
 
As much as it pains me to say this, I think Lakers will beat them by double digits.

Still a great season by the rockets and a GREAT job by coach Adelman.
 
kingsnation said:
Um does Kobe realize that before Pau came and Bynum developed, this team was a borderline lottery team? :rolleyes:
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What does that have to do with anything? The point is the Lakers are supposed to be so damn good and they actually are. But as mentioned before they're underachieving and playing inconsistently and that's what Kobe is probably upset with - guys not playing like how they normally play.
 
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