Rockets-Lakers Game Six: Never Underestimate The Heart Of A Non-Champion

Tonight in Houston, the Lakers slept through the first half and trailed by 16. In the third quarter, with Phil Jackson's footprint in their collective ass, they came out and played defense, and more or less effortlessly cut the lead to 2 with a 16-2 run. Houston had that deer in the headlights, we can't actually score against these guys look that a spent team gets, and I started to write the "Lakers turned the switch on" lede to set up the Lakers-Nuggers preview.

And then the Rockets, well, just kept playing. Luis Scola refused to quit. Aaron Brooks continued to show how he's a sneaky great roto pick for next year (shh!), especially on an Iverson-esque drive where he more or less treated Pau Gasol like a Kleenex. Chuck Hayes made a few defensive plays. And the Rockets shook off the punch and built the lead back up to 9 by the end of the quarter, with their own 20-13 run.

Win or lose, that five minutes showed why this Rockets team demands your respect. No Final 8 team this year, or in recent memory, has gotten more from less against such superior talent. No Final 8 team has fought harder after losing their offensive leader, going against one of the best players in the world, against a coach that has more championships than anyone alive. Players like Brooks, Carl Landry, Von Wafer, Kyle Lowry, Hayes... anyone could have had them, really. They were not very high picks, or well-regarded on talent or attitude. Only the Rockets got them, coached them, got them to work as a unit and won 7 playoff games (so far) with them. If you're a Rocket Fan, you could not ask for more; if you are an NBA fan, you owe them a debt of gratitude for giving you much more compelling action than, say, the immensely more talented Hawks did.

In the fourth, Testy hit an ill-advised three with 7:30 left to make it a 10 point game. That's his third make against 15 misses from distance in the recent games, which means it was just a terrible idea, except, of course, when it works. (It also cost them later, in that Testy kept going back to the fool's gold well, but that's Testy for you.) A Gasol make was followed by a thunderous Hayes dunk to keep the game at 10. Bryant returned and tried to take over, but missed. Brooks then sliced the Lakers defense like old-school Steve Nash, getting Landry to the line, where he made one of two to push the lead to 11. The Lakers had a terrible possession end with an Odom make. Brooks misses, but Hayes boards, and the Rockets wisely ran clock. It ended with a Testy 3 miss, and the Rockets getting a break from a kick ball call that wasn't made. With 4:56 left, the lead is 9, and the Rockets had a better than even money chance at forcing a Game 7.

Why don't I like this Lakers team? Because their coach has to say things like, "When they score, don't whine, don't roll your eyes, just walk it off" when five minutes left in an elimination game. Does he also give them orange slices and Sunny D?

The teams traded baskets after the timeout, and Testy missed another bad 3, but Landry is all about the floor burn and called a timeout on the ground. Brooks with a make out of the timeout. Bryant's 3 is way off, and he's crying for the foul against the best defense imaginable from Battier. Brooks makes another, just channeling his AI 2000 right now. Landry with a huge block on Odom and the lead is still 13, now with 3 minutes left. Landry gets to the line at the end of a ragged clock kill possession, and that's Odom's fifth foul. Landry makes one, and the lead is 14; we're about 60 seconds away from the starters getting pulled and everyone talking about Sunday.

Kobe with a make to prolong the drama. Brooks runs clock, then gets Odom's sixth on a drive to the basket. The Lemur tells us that the Rockets have no fourth quarter turnovers -- and that's really an important point. When they don't turn it over, they play this Lakers team even. When they do, they get run out of the gym. Something to keep in mind for Game 7, and after two Brooks makes, that's where we are heading. Bryant with the missed three, and he's in I Have No Teammates mode. The Rockets turn it over, and Bryant drives and gets to the lane: 110 seconds left after one make, 13 point lead. A Lowry miss at the end of the clock, and the microcosm of the game: Landry ripping the board away from Gasol, because he just cares more than the Laker big. Telling, folks, telling. More clock burn ends with Brooks making two more free throws, and it's 15, and I'm going to stop with the micro-blogging at this point. The Rockets win in a game that the Lakers never lead, and your final is Houston 95, Los Angeles 80.

In the post-game interview, Brooks was asked about the team's lack of respect, and how they could possibly win Game 7 in LA. He smiles and replies, "We still have no chance." How do you not love him, really?

Now, what will happen in Game 7? Unless Brooks brings it for 30 points or more, a Lakers win; unless the Rockets shoot well and don't turn it over, it won't be close. But does this mean that the Lakers are vulnerable for the increasingly rested Nuggets?

Hmm, I say.

Hmmmm...