Following the Houston Rockets' Game 5 victory on Wednesday night, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. made remarks to the press that will have the Los Angeles Lakers shaking a bit in their boots, at least more so than LeBron James and Co. would ever admit publicly. Speaking about Houston's Game 3 collapse earlier in the series, Smith branded the meltdown in a positive light.
"I think it was just a learning moment," Smith said, per ESPN's Kris Rhim. "And I feel like we grew up. We're growing up together. And it's just good to see Reed (Sheppard) bounce back from the mistake, me bounce back from the mistake. ... A week ago, we folded and lost the game, you know what I'm saying? So I think that's a step in the right direction."
Jabari Smith Jr. and Rockets have suddenly turned the tables on Lakers
At the end of Game 3, Smith turned the ball over and then foolishly fouled Marcus Smart shooting a 3, giving the Lakers life where they had none. Sheppard cost Houston big-time during the same sequence of events, throwing the ball away in the backcourt and enabling LA to tie the game on a LeBron 3.
Following the epic Game 3 collapse, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka chewed out his young guys directly to the press, saying they needed to "Grow up". Smith's remarks on Wednesday night following Game 6 were obviously a response to that directive from Udoka.
This is the second time within a few days that Smith has turned heads with his off-court comments. Following Game 4, Smith asserted during an interview that the Rockets were the better team in this series, despite being down 3-1.
With Houston having validated that statement in Game 5, it's becoming more believable that they'll back up Smith's latest theory that the Rockets are now fully grown, an idea that implies that Houston is fully capable of winning this series in seven games.
Lakers should not dismiss Jabari Smith's comments as nothing
At this point, the Lakers would be unwise to dismiss Smith's mindset as cocky, youthful bravado. The Rockets just came into LA and pulled off a gutsy road win to stave off elimination. They are doing this without Kevin Durant on the floor, which gives guys like Smith, Sheppard, and Amen Thompson all the more confidence. This could end up being a massive turning point for a young Rockets core that's been knocking on the door for a couple of years.
The Lakers have already squandered two opportunities to close out this series, and they are hemorrhaging momentum on what feels like an hourly basis. In Game 6, LA will need Luke Kennard and Smart to be better. The Lakers will also need at least one bench contributor not named Austin Reaves to provide something. Preventing a Game 7 at all costs is all JJ Redick and his squad should be focused on at the moment.
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