We may pretend we were best friends

I promised another post tonight and here it is. It might be brief, but the books and another failed practice test are calling me.

So last night I watched the Lakers play with the Houston Rockets. By the end of the first quarters the Rockets looked to be in total command with a healthy 12 point lead, but then came a second quarter charge by the Lakers that led to them taking a two point advantage into a half which they then turned into a 111 to 82 thrashing.

The Lakers are of course good enough to come back from a dozen point deficit early on in a game, but there were two startling (maybe three...you'll see) things about last night. First, although Kobe played his usual closer role, the comeback was sparked by the second unit. The bench was great for the Lakers last year, but seems even better this year. Seriously, the Lamar-led backup squad seems like the best in the league. Easily. But as impressive as that was, the thing that really caught my eye was Houston's impotence throughout the final three quarters of the game. This is a team I have high hopes for, but two things became clear last night. As much as Artest adds to the team's attitude, they still don't seem tough. I believe this will change at some point during the season, but it was alarming sight last night. There was one moment in the second quarter, after Jordan Farmar finished off a two-on-on, that you could just see the Rocket's exhale and check out for the game. Shortly after this McGrady rolled/tweaked/fucked up/did something to his ankle which high-lighted the fact that other than him, the Rockets don't seem to have anyone who can just score when they need it. The Rockets looked woeful before the injury, but after it they just looked retarded. Stumbling around, passing to no one in particular, taking shots when they realized there was a shot clock. It was an all around disappointing display.

Now before anyone gets any ideas, I'm not sticking a fork in Houston. I think they'll end up either the two or three seed in the west, but I just wanted more than I've seen from them this season. It's disappointing to think that they might just end up being this year's version of the Carmello/Iverson Nuggets, a team that on paper and in my dreams comes off as nothing short of enthralling but in actuality is quite boring.

One last thing though, despite the commentators befuddlement at Ron Artest immediate hoisting (and draining) of a three milliseconds after a Lakers turnover, I absolutely loved it. It felt like the most natural thing for Artest to do at that moment. It was not a showing of stupidity, but seemed to exemplify a understanding of the games ebb and flow that no one else on the Rockets seemed to have. The game was slipping away, they needed points, as ingloriously as they may come.