Print5 Things From Game 1
April 18, 2004 - After handing over Game 1 to the L.A. Lakers, the Rockets must regroup and look to steal Game 2 on Monday. If anything, Houston has shown that it can play with L.A. so the remainder of this series should be entertaining. Here are a few things we noticed from Game 1.
1. CAT'S DEFENSE OF KOBE
 Mobley |
Bryant is capable of going off at any time but if Mobley, who was in Bryant's face from the get-go, can keep that same defensive intensity for the rest of the series, the Rockets certainly can win it.
2. BEG MALONE TO SHOOT
 Malone |
Granted the future Hall of Famer is hobbled by an ankle injury suffered in the final game of the regular season. But he looked so bad in Game 1 that by the end of the game the Rockets defenders were backing off him, begging him to take the outside shot. As recently as a year ago that would have been a bad strategy, as Malone has always been money from 18 feet in with his jumper.
Malone can still contribute off the glass (he did finish with 11 rebounds) but the Rockets would be wise at this point to let him have his jumper at will.
Actually, the same could be said for Gary Payton. He just doesn't look comfortable in the Lakers offense. And with Rick Fox basically just taking up space on the court, the Lakers don't really have any other viable offensive weapons outside of Shaq and Kobe.
3. WOUNDED FRANCHISE
 Francis |
Francis should never be questioned for his effort. He plays hard and with determination every minute he's on the court. Francis hustled everywhere, grabbing nine rebounds and setting up Jim Jackson perfectly for what could have been the game-winning jumper. The wrist injury, however, is preventing him from shooting from the perimeter. He even struggled with his free throws.
The wrist is so heavily taped that he can't follow through on his jumpers. It appears that this is going to bother him throughout the series, so the Rockets and Francis will need to make the necessary adjustments offensively. If he's not going to be a threat from the perimeter, the Rockets inside game with Yao Ming and Maurice Taylor becomes even more important.
4. HACK-A-SHAQ
 O'Neal |
Other teams have had success employing this strategy in the past and the Rockets would be wise to utilize it as well. The Rockets don't want Yao to foul out every game, so it will be up to the weak side defenders to slide over and take the hard foul. There simply isn't any other way to defend him. Expose his weakness and make him earn it from the foul line.
5. CUT THE SENSELESS TURNOVERS
Watching a Rockets game sometimes can be as painful as having your teeth pulled. And that's how it felt at times watching Game 1.
It's one thing to commit turnovers while trying to make plays. That happens during the course of a game and coaches normally don't get upset with those type of errors. The turnovers the Rockets committed in Game 1, however, were mostly of the unforced kind. Sloppy ball handling and poor decision-making by Rockets guards Francis and Mobley were the primary culprits.
If the Rockets are to win this series, and their performance in Game 1 showed that is a definite possibility, then the senseless turnovers must be reduced.
The Rockets proved they can hang with the Lakers. Now if they can just execute a little better offensively and take better care of the ball, this series is up for grabs.
