The Houston Rockets still might stand a chance against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Houston Rockets are reeling; the Los Angeles Lakers are getting stronger. Can Houston avoid the Gentleman’s Sweep and win either Game 4 or 5?
The easy answer is no. It is clear the Houston Rockets have no answer for the Lakers. To be fair, neither did the Portland Trailblazers in the first round. The only difference was Portland at least had the size to match up. Houston is just too short!
Height is really important in basketball. No one on Houston is going to magically grow six inches!
Going all-in on “Micro Ball” was the right move, precipitated by trading starting center Clint Capela for Minnesota small forward Robert Covington. Capela’s contract was a bit of an albatross (he had trouble staying healthy and proved to be unplayable with Westbrook) and Covington is a perfect fit for Houston’s system due to his defensive versatility and shooting ability.
Russell Westbrook began to thrive due to the team’s newfound five-out spacing. PJ Tucker was thought to be strong enough to defend opposing centers.
Houston’s rationale to play without a traditional center was sound. They can switch 1 through 5 on defense. Tucker was always strong enough to guard opposing centers (especially now today’s centers try to play like yesterday’s small forwards). Nobody posts up anymore.
Except for the Lakers. This can happen on every single possession.
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1303513987561078784
Houston has no chance of winning this series.
Or can they?
Let’s play devil’s advocate here. I see three compelling reasons why a Gentleman’s Sweep is not a fait accompli.