Tomorrow at 3:30 eastern the Lakers head to Sacramento for a huge game. I don't know about you guys, but I do NOT want to see the Rockets swept by the Kings in the playoffs. If the Lakers manage to beat the Kings tomorrow, odds are they will win the Pacific and get the second spot. What would you rather see? Yao-Shaq or Yao-Divac? A close, competitive series, or a sweep where the Rockets are trounced by over 30 in each game? The Rockets MUST play the Lakers in the playoffs (or the Wolves, for that matter). But the Kings would be a complete joke, and a quick exit. GO LAKERS!!!!!
Trounced by over 30 in each game? I know we haven't had much success against the Kings lately, but I think that is a bit of an exagerration. Especially with the way they've been playing lately.
The fact is, the Rockets were 2-2 with the Lakers this year, and should have been 3-1, if not for that choke job back in March. The Kings kicked their asses 4-0. Bring on LA!
The Lakers would smoke the Rockets ZRB. We played them 3 times w/o Malone. and LA in the playoffs is a different ballclub. Trust me. We dont want the Lakers. I feel like we have a slim chance against anyone else. But with the Lakers, we have no chance of winning the series.
The Rockets have no chance of winning any series, but the Lakers would be a lot more interesting than the Kings.
It would be a 30 point loss each game with the lakers too, but i agree with ZRB, it would be more interesting.
Exactly. I'll go a step further. Rockets/Lakers would be one of the most hyped and epic first-round playoff matches . . . ever. Go Lakers!
I can't ever root for the lakers to win anything, anywhere. If the lakers played a team made up of Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Andrea Yates, Saddam Hussein, and Manuel Noriega, I would root for the convict team.
Houston wants the Lakers, whose core has won 3 titles since the Rockets last made the playoffs? What planet are some of you from?
It's simple. The Rockets match up better with the Lakers, and would at least have a chance of winning a game. The Rockets always play the Lakers tough, and seem to rise to the occasion against them. The Kings have owned the Rockets for the last four years. They are the anti-Rockets; it's as if they were designed for exact purpose of being Houston's nightmare matchup. I don't care that the Lakers have won three titles in four years. Looking at the results in the regular season, I'd take them a thousand times before the Kings. And how good would it be for Yao to have playoff experience against the best center in the game? I want the Rockets to learn something from the playoffs, not just get pounded in four straight games by a team that always seems to make Houston look like a middle-school reject team. If I had my choice, I'd pick the Timberwolves in the first round. But that isn't going to happen now. So I'll take Yao-Shaq, please.
If for one reason and one reason only why I wouldn't want to face the Lakers in the playoffs is they'll get double the FTs the Rockets will get because of the 4 big starters they have on the floor. **** I'm convinced if the Rockets even so much as breathe on the Lakers the refs will call a shooting foul and get them to the line. Kings aren't much better with flopping Vlade, but still they're better. Also Webber and Peja have been notorious for choking in the playoffs. This may be a completely wrong stat I remember, but I recall Peja being a below 40% shooter in the playoffs. Or maybe that's just against the Lakers when Rick Fox used to give Peja fits. Either way I'd still prefer the Kings, although no matter how you dice it, the Rockets don't have an edge in any matchup in the playoffs, but they're just as capable of winning it all as the other 7 teams in the Western Conference. It may take 16 top of the line games from every one of our players to get a ring but hey crazier things have happened. Although I will say historically the Rockets have always given the Lakers fits in the playoffs, barring that one series where Quitten messed up.
I prefer the Queens because they always choke in the playoffs. Plus they are a worse away team than Lakers. They are in a slump right now. Phoenix beat them yesterday, so why cant we?
Bring on the Lakers. The Rockets need to learn what it takes to win in the playoffs, and they'll learn more playing a championship caliber team like the Lakers(or the Spurs) rather than a team that's never done anything like Sacremento or Minnesota. No way a series against the Lakers would be close, though.
Would love to take on the Lakers. The main reasons we match up so well with them are: 1)how they defense Yao, and 2)they don't outquick us. Every game has been a dogfight. ZRB is right on. The Queens do a great job of exposing our every weakness...it could be really ugly. We can't stay with LA in a 7 game series, they have too much talent, depth, and playoff experience. But it would be a fantastic first round matchup and a great learning experience. D R
I see where you are coming from, but I'd still rather face the Lakers because they have no bench to fall back on. Even with Malone, we match up better than against Sac-town. The Lakers play our style of game, mostly half court sets, inside out whereas the Kings are an uptempo run and gun offense that the Rockets can not match. Plus there is the whole conspiracy theory that Stern wants 7 games of Yao vs. Shaq. It's really pick your poison, but I'd rather see us face LA.
Oh I agree with you. I would much rather see them in a first round matchup with the Lakers. Every game they've played this season has been entertaining, and the media would go nuts over Yao vs Shaq in the playoffs. I don't think they could win, but it would be fun to watch.
The only good thing about playing the Lakers in the first round would be that a lot of the games would most likely be on national tv. That is, it's good for us out of towners. I do think we could steal a game or two from the Lakers. I don't think we will beat them.
Playing either the Lakers or the Kings is going to be ... interesting. However, against the Kings, we are matched five on five out on the court. Against the Lakers, we are matched five against eight. Now, on the face of it, I know that sounds silly. But watch the referees when the Lakers play anybody. The refs defer to the glitz of their fans and a fawning media entourage.
Ya'll would rather take the Lakers in the first round? Shaq vs Yao - Shaq is going to dominate hard in the paint.. with the looks of how Yao is playing right now, Yao is going to get stomped on. Malone vs PF - either way I don't think our PF can match up unless it is Cato on defense. Kobe vs Cat - Alllllllllll offense.. kobe is a killer Payton vs Francis - a true pg vs a confused pg.. im afraid francis is going to panic when the rockets arent going to make the open J and he might try to take the game over with his usual 1 on 1 and have trouble making the shots.. we need to face the kings rather than lakers
Didn't we almost beat L.A. with Cato out and Malone playing?..............yea bring on the fakers plus Kobe might miss some games
