That was disappointing. The Lakers had a chance to break the backs of their undermanned, gutty opponent - the Houston Rockets. Leading by 40 going into the 4th quarter, they failed to extend the lead. Instead, in a replay of the alarming trend that's plagued them all year, the team gave away a large lead as the Rockets closed the gap to under 30 before a late Laker push resulted in a marginal 118-78 victory.
Dejected fans puzzled through their team's disappointing performance as they pushed back through the Staples Center turnstiles. A prominent courtside ticket holder offered up this commentary: "The Lakers absolutely must find a way to defend small, quick guards. Hey, isn't Allen Iverson a free agent this summer?"
Andrew Bynum started in place of the purportedly injured Lamar Odom and put up an underwhelming 14 and 6 against the Rockets 6' 6" starting center. It's hard to imagine Laker fans settling for less than the 30-20 numbers Shaq put up when he and Kobe led the team on its three-peat earlier this decade. The oft-injured Bynum is, after all, promoted as the best young center of his generation.
Addressing his team's failure to break the back of their opponents after the game, a subdued Bryant tipped his cap to the Rockets: they're "not some chump team", he said. Perhaps the best performance by a Laker last night came from Adam Morrison. Sitting at the end of the bench in street clothes, Morrison managed to hold back his tears as the Lakers gave away yet another large 4th quarter lead.
Next up is Game 6 in Houston. The Lakers had better figure a few things out before Thursday if they hope to prevail in a manner that will appease their fans. The heart of a champion still beats strong under Rockets Red, but does it beat under the Purple and Gold Armor?
Comments