The NBA Playoffs are coming up quickly now that the regular season is over. The Rockets came in fifth, therefore they will play the Los Angeles Lakers, who came in fourth, in a best-of-seven series. The higher-seeded team (Los Angeles) will host the first two games, as usual. After that, the series will go to Houston for games three and four, then back to LA for game five, back to Houston for game six, and finally back to LA for game seven. The Lakers won three games in a row to finish the season.
The Timberwolves ended Houston’s eight-game winning streak, but the Rockets beat the Grizzlies on Sunday. One main plot point of the series is the continuing battle between Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Even though their most famous battles happened years ago in the NBA Finals, there is a sense of nostalgia and excitement as they meet again, this time in the first round. At this point in their careers, both players may still dominate games, but they are under quite different kinds of strain. Durant plays for a Houston team that is deeper and more balanced. LeBron is now in his 40s and is supposed to be the Lakers’ main offensive player, especially with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves hurting. If the Lakers don’t let their ailments get in the way too much before the series, they might have a better chance of making it further in the playoffs. Reaves, an important guard, and Luka Doncic, who was brought in to be LeBron’s co-superstar, are both up in the air for this series. When the game is mostly one-on-one, LeBron has to score a lot because the rest of Los Angeles can’t make baskets or set up plays for other players when they aren’t there. Without those parts, the Lakers can’t afford to make as many mistakes. The Rockets, on the other hand, are in good shape and ready for the playoffs. Houston has quietly become one of the best teams in the conference because they emphasis on being tough and disciplined on defense. Alperen Şengün’s frontcourt gives them a reliable inside scoring threat, and their perimeter defenders enable them to alter up their defenses and mess with their opponents’ offenses. Durant can score in a variety of different ways, and Houston has numerous other players that can also score (Sengun, Thompson, Sheppard etc), so it will depend on how well Houston’s supporting cast does. The Rockets play a slower, more organized game, employing their size and skill to rebound to keep the ball. The Lakers, on the other hand, perform best when they get ahead early and make the game go faster. It’s harder to do this when Doncic isn’t in charge of the half-court. If Houston can keep the game moving at their tempo, they can keep the Lakers from getting easy points and put them in tough situations at the end of the game. One of the most important things in the series is whether or not Doncic will feel better and how much. The Lakers wouldn’t simply be a top-heavy team; with him on the roster, they would be a big offensive danger straight away. Los Angeles would have to rely on role players to step up, which would be risky against the Rockets’ at times well-organized defense. It will be a tough and close series, but Houston has the upper hand with the L.A. injuries unless the Lakers get well soon.
