HOUSTON -- Unexpected achievement in the face of incredible adversity isn't quite how the Houston Rockets saw their playoff run unfolding.
But that was certainly the theme that carried the Rockets, minus injured stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, to within one game of reaching the Western Conference finals this season. One amazing night by McGrady or just the presence of aging Dikembe Mutombo in the paint might have been all the Rockets needed to avoid a Game 7 Semifinals in Los Angeles and overcome the Lakers.
It wasn't meant to be, but still it was enough to re-energize a franchise that seemed in serious trouble a few weeks ago because of it's often-injured stars and nondescript supporting cast. The Rockets hadn't been out of the first round of the playoffs in 12 years prior to this season.
HOUSTON -- Let's be honest: This wasn't supposed to be this difficult for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Add up talent level, star power and experience and the Western Conference's top team should have taken the Houston Rockets out in five, maybe six games tops. But here we are staring at an upcoming winner-moves-on Game 7 after the Rockets put forth an astounding performance at home Thursday night to prevail 95-80 in Game 6 of their semifinal matchup with the Lakers.
The series unexpectedly moves back to Los Angeles tied 3-3 Sunday with the winner moving on to face the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.
"For the last two days all I've heard is that we weren't going back to L.A. and guys in our locker room didn't believe that," said Rockets coach Rick Adelman.
It's time to give Rockets coach Rick Adelman some credit before it's too late. After all, who knows what's going to happen Sunday? But it must be noted that he's doing quite the job on the bench this postseason, like he's done time and time before.
The mere fact that Adelman has been able to guide the Rockets to two victories over the L.A. Lakers since Yao Ming went down makes Houston's coach the MVP of this series right now.
It was one thing to shock the Lakers in Game 4 on Sunday, the first game without Yao. It's quite another to handle the Lakers again in Game 6 on Thursday -- by a score of 95-80 -- to force an anything-can-happen Game 7 back in L.A.
Rockets 95, Lakers 80: Recap | Box Score Series Tied 3-3 | Next Game: Sunday @ Los Angeles, 3:30 PM ET
There's too much going on in the NBA playoffs right not to try to touch on every series. Let's take a look ahead to Monday's games, as well as a look back at Sunday's games ...
-- It's really too bad that Game 3 of the Dallas-Denver series had to be decided the way it did, with the officials missing an intentional foul and allowing Carmelo Anthony to hit a game-winning 3-pointer.
But now on Monday we're really going to find out about the Mavericks, and it could go a long way toward whether they're completely dismantled this offseason. Do the Mavericks have a little Houston in them?
Perhaps NBA fans wouldn't have had the opportunity to watch Houston's lightning quick guard Aaron Brooks had it not been for the night of March 9, 2006 at Staples Center, the same place Brooks burned the Los Angeles Lakers for 19 points in 36 minutes during Monday's 100-92 Rockets Game 1 win.
It's trophy time in the NBA, and the FanHouse crew has submitted its ballots. Find out which players deserve to take home the hardware and which ones don't, in our NBA Awards series. Next up: Coach of the Year.
This turned out to be one of those seasons where it would be hard to be wrong in making a pick for Coach of the Year. Eight different coaches were named by our voters, and it was so close that we ended up with a tie for third place. But the one man that stood out above the rest was the one holding the clipboard to your right.
But you're starting to hear it more and more, and with the passing of time, the evidence seems to mount: The Houston Rockets are better without Tracy McGrady.
Sure, that doesn't quite sound right, but the numbers don't do McGrady any favors, either.
With McGrady in the lineup, the Rockets are 20-15; without McGrady, the Rockets are 33-13.
The Rockets visit Louisiana in a truly handsome match-up for fans of speedster point guards running slow-like-poison offenses. At some point in the near future, perhaps April or next Christmas, pockets of bastardly revolution calling for the ouster of Byron Scott in the name of a fully unleashed Chris Paul will sprout. I'd join, were I a revolutionary bastard. But I'm cool with the mundane Paul-to-Peja so long as cohabitation with Paul-to-Chandler is plausible.
Kevin Garnett will miss another game, which adds a ready-made excuse for the Celtics in case of a loss, and could -- in TV-analyst speak -- put a ton of pressure on the Cavaliers. If, after all, the Cavs can't win in Boston (where they've dropped six straight) with K.G. missing, how can the team expect to get a postseason victory there?
As Brinson relayed, Tim Donaghy has alleged the NBA and two referees conspired to fix a playoff game in 2002 in order to provide for a high-ratings Game 7. Only one series in 2002 went to seven games: Kings-Lakers in conference finals. How funny, that's a Game 6 with is the first example anyone brings up when discussing monumental miscarriages of NBA justice.
In said Game 6 -- which makes me queasy on memory to this day -- the Lakers took 27 free throws in the fourth quarter (the Kings had 9). Scot Pollard fouled out in 11 minutes. Vlade Divac battled foul trouble the entire night and finally got disqualified with three minutes left. Chris Webber -- never confused for a banger -- had foul trouble and finished with five. Both Vlade and Webber received techs in the first half. Shaquille O'Neal took 17 FTs, and Kobe Bryant 11. Sacramento was called for a stunning 31 personal fouls ... and lost by 4. Coach Rick Adelman had this to say to reporters after the game:
"It's a shame, a real shame. ... Our big guys get 20 fouls, and Shaq gets four. You tell me. Obviously, they got the game called the way they wanted to get it called. We tried to play through it ... but obviously, it was a huge change tonight over the last few games.''
Donaghy could very well be making an attempt to embarrass the league or save his own skin. He is not a trustworthy person. And being that Game 6 is such a legend, that believing it was fixed is such an easy conceit to make ... it makes sense that Donaghy would make the claim. David Stern's arguments (and Pollard's statements) make sense.
But you can't unsee certain things. And on May 31, 2002, almost everyone saw an unfairly officiated game. Maybe Donaghy's team just knew the right button to push, but you can't blame us for believing him. We think we saw it, and this guy's saying it happened. What do you want to do?
HOUSTON -- Unexpected achievement in the face of incredible adversity isn't quite how the Houston Rockets saw their playoff run unfolding.
HOUSTON -- Let's be honest: This wasn't supposed to be this difficult for the Los Angeles Lakers.
It's time to give Rockets coach 
There's too much going on in the NBA playoffs right not to try to touch on every series. Let's take a look ahead to Monday's games, as well as a look back at Sunday's games ...
Perhaps NBA fans wouldn't have had the opportunity to watch Houston's lightning quick guard 
It's trophy time in the NBA, and the FanHouse crew has submitted its ballots. Find out which players deserve to take home the hardware and which ones don't, in our 
On the surface, the statement defies logic.
As 
