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
During the third quarter of the Rockets' Game 4 win over the Lakers, Shane Battier steps in front of a Lamar Odom drive, and Odom falls awkwardly to the floor on his back. He stayed down for a few minutes, and then left the game due to the injury, one that was still hurting after the flight home, and one that could keep him out of a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday.
There's no question that this was a completely legal play by Battier, and the referee even believed he got to his spot in time to tag Odom with an offensive foul. But was it a reckless and dangerous play on Battier's part? I believe it was.
The Houston Rockets, playing a day after learning star center Yao Ming is lost for the remainder of the playoffs, stunned everyone but themselves with a convincing wire-to-wire 99-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers during Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal game Sunday at the Toyota Center.
Suddenly, a day after this series seemed all but over, the Rockets have again made things interesting with the series tied and Game 5 headed back to Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Coming into Game 4 against the Lakers, and playing without Yao Ming, the Rockets knew that they'd have to out-work, out-hustle, and out-shoot L.A. for 48 minutes if they were going to have a chance to win.
That's exactly what they did.
Houston jumped on the Lakers from the opening tip, and led by as many as 29 points on their way to evening the series at two games apiece.
HOUSTON -- The way Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals was setting up, the Los Angeles Lakers seemed vulnerable to the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
But fighting through adversity that included the one-game suspension of its starting point guard and coming into a hostile environment after the Rockets had stolen home court advantage, the Lakers reclaimed momentum in the series with an impressive 108-94 win at the Toyota Center. Los Angeles has now won two straight in the best-of-seven series to claim a 2-1 edge heading into Sunday's Game 4.
A win Sunday would all but deliver the series to the Lakers and quiet any chatter about the re-emergence of Clutch City in Houston.
Yes, this is playoff basketball, and yes, the games are getting more physical. It's what separates the postseason from the regular season, and we wouldn't want it any other way.
But what went on in Game 2 of the Houston-Lakers series, with the physicality, fouling hard and flopping was a bit over the top, don't you think? Game 3 on Friday night – a 108-94 L.A. victory – was tamer, but rest assured the dust-ups and skirmishes will return in this series.
The cameras have moved to Houston, where the Rockets and Lakers will rev up for the third scene Friday night. NBA fans already knew this is a must-watch series, just given the personalities and styles involved. Kobe has a penchant for showmanship; Ron Artest's tax returns actually list "entertainer" as his current occupation. The Lakers have become known as the lig's most elite finesse team, while Houston is full of bullies and bruisers. The script, my friends, is excellent.
But the execution has been equally superb, with an upset win by the Rockets in Game 1 (featuring Kobe and co-star Pau Gasol laying a brick patio) and a staggering brushback by the Lakers in Game 2. Elbows, yapping, gamesmanship -- this is competitive basketball at its most uncomfortable and thus at its most intriguing.
Tuesday night, the TNT studio crew (minus Ernie Johnson) went apoplectic because of comments Dirk Nowitzki made regarding the successful fashion in which Denver's forwards and centers defended him in Game 1. In short, Dirk said that the Nugget big men were good, long and daunting. To Chris Webber, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, this was the equivalent of concession.
Even as Dirk destroyed Denver on offense in the first half, the crew kept it up. No elite scorer admits he can be stopped or stunted, argued a nearly in tears Webber. Ball Don't Lie's Kelly Dwyer accurately refuted this line of thinking Wednesday, and his commentary is pitch perfect. Webber, Barkley and Smith (in that order) were ridiculously off-base.
But don't think this has limited scope, that the comments about Dirk were just stupid in a vacuum of bad. That exact philosophy of man is the sort of thing that allows Kobe Bryant to taunt Shane Battier for 48 minutes ... and be heroicized for it.
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 
HOUSTON -- No Yao? No problem.
Coming into Game 4 against the Lakers, and playing without 
HOUSTON -- The way Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals was setting up, the Los Angeles Lakers seemed vulnerable to the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Yes, this is playoff basketball, and yes, the games are getting more physical. It's what separates the postseason from the regular season, and we wouldn't want it any other way.
The cameras have moved to Houston, where the Rockets and Lakers will rev up for the third scene Friday night. NBA fans already knew this is a must-watch series, just given the personalities and styles involved. 
Tuesday night, the TNT studio crew (minus Ernie Johnson) went apoplectic because of comments 
