Lake Show Life
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Los Angeles Lakers lose opening game to Houston Rockets, 5 Lessons

By Ronald Agers

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 04: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Houston Rockets goes for the rebound against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter in Game One of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 04: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Houston Rockets goes for the rebound against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter in Game One of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

The Los Angeles Lakers are down 0-1 to the Houston Rockets.

The Los Angeles Lakers finally got their second-round opponent in the Houston Rockets on Friday night. Now they just want a do-over after getting blown out in the opening game in the Western Conference semifinals. Lake Show Life looks at this game and reminisces over some very controversial articles in Lake Show Life Lessons!

The Los Angeles Lakers went into Friday’s game with the media attention and assumptions (Lake Show Life included!) that the Houston Rockets would get blown out of the gym much like the Denver Nuggets did against the Los Angeles Clippers. Both the Rockets and Nuggets played seven games down to the last second right? Only two things the media left out of the equation.

  1. The Houston Rockets are not the Denver Nuggets.
  2. The Los Angeles Lakers are not the Los Angeles Clippers. 

For the next 48 hours, the Lakers media will try to put the makeup on the pig and come with excuses for the proverbial egg the Lakers laid in this bad blowout.

  • Oh, the Lakers had five days between the last game of their first-round series and the first game of their second-round series.
  • Oh, they were rusty!
  • Frank Vogel has to get his rotations straight now that Rajon Rondo is back! 

Okay, it’s reality time. The Los Angeles Lakers got their basketball stolen from them along with their basketball shoes getting whipped by the Houston Rockets 112-97 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Please don’t compare this loss to the one against Portland.

The Blazers were just riding a wave of the “Dame Zone” behind Damian Lillard. The Houston Rockets physically outworked the number one seed in the Western Conference.

These post-game reports always include the trappings of social media setting up Lakers fans with ridiculous narratives that come back to bite in the end. Are we saying that the Rockets will win the series? No. But keep drinking the Kool-Aid with tweets like these.

It’s real cute before the games start. But when the Rockets outscore the Lakers in the paint, which is embarrassing considering the Lakers’ size compared to the Rockets’ micro ball built roster, these things look silly.

Now that the Lakers are now playing the postseason’s top defense (Yeah, Lake Show Life was SHOCKED too!), it’s not a good look to have porous defensive rotations while letting James Harden light it up for 25 points in the first half!

Doesn’t James Harden like lead the NBA in scoring or something? Three years in a row? 30-plus points?

This Lake Show Life Lessons piece will trigger a lot of fans. Why? All of the analysis in the world won’t cover the fact that the Houston Rockets punched the Los Angeles Lakers in the mouth and the game was over by the 4th quarter. The “Micro Ball” Rockets exposed the same issues the Lakers packed for Orlando.

  • The starting guards (No check that, all of them!) can’t stop dribble penetration.
  • KCP and Danny Green at times, continue to donate bricks to the construction efforts to build Florida highways.
  • 3 point perimeter defense is still bad! The Rockets shot 14-39.
  • The defense always lets a few players go crazy in the game (The Rockets had three!).

The Lakers coaching staff has work to do if they want to even this series on Sunday. This team is nowhere near the Portland Trail Blazers. The Rockets are a better team and have shown that they will compete and take pride in their match up with the Lakers.

Think this is a game? Go ask the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo what execution and hard play can do for your opponent. Throw that in with a maniacal star in Jimmy Butler, it can add up to problems. Houston has their own version in Russell Westbrook.

To the new Los Angeles Lakers fans that are checking us out for the first time, welcome to Lake Show Life Lessons. An extended post-game report with video analysis.

Over the next several pages we will provide highlights of certain players and coaches. Afterward, the comment section is loaded with knowledgeable fans adding their basketball knowledge. We usually start with the stars.

Let’s get to Lesson One!

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