Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs. Houston Rockets (5)

Western Conference Semi-Finals

Round two, fight! Next contenders in this ring? Houston Rockets, say hello, to the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, now fellas, shake hands, and play nice! This is going to be a true test for Lakers to stay on their toes, defeat, and move on to play against even more mentally tough and inspired teams in the near future. For the Rockets, it’s an opportunity to shake the Lakers by their feet for as much change as possible. No one wants to make it easy for anyone, so this is bound to be a fun matchup to tune into. First game for the Lakers/Rockets starts up Monday May 4, 2009 10:30PM ET.

Regular Season: Los Angeles Won 4-0.

Jan. 13: at Houston 100, Los Angeles 105

Mar. 11 at Houston 96, Los Angeles 102

Apr. 3 at Los Angeles 93, Houston 81

Nov. 9 at Los Angeles 111, Houston 82

Starting 5

Point Guard (Derek Fisher v. Aaron Brooks)

Oh, D Fish, the Laker who once picked up fame for shooting a game winning shot in .4 seconds, is a veteran threat. He’s got the Lakers 3-peat championships under his belt and when it comes down to it, the guy sinks’em in. But Aaron Brooks has been one of those surprise players after joining the Rockets. Brooks has dropped an average of 15 points and 4 assists in round one, and may once again capitalize on his quickness this round.

Edge: Rockets

Shooting Guard (Kobe Bryant v Ron Artest)

While Ron casually dismissed Sager’s question whether Kobe or Lebron have been the best guys he’s ever matched up against only to reinforce his belief that in fact Brandon Roy has earned that title for him, Artest’s CD sales have skyrocketed since. Wait, we can’t prove that. But what we do know is Kobe is an undeniably stellar player even if Ron may disagree. Kobe can take the toughest shots and usually he will. He can score 40+ points when he really takes the court by storm, and on other occasions, he can sit back and let his teammates do their thing and minimize his role, as of this year. Ron may possess skill on the defensive end, but to out-perform Kobe Bryant, that’s a feat that remains to be seen.

Edge: Lakers

Small Forward (Trevor Ariza v Shane Battier)

Battie can have a good night to go 10+ points. But is he enough to step in front of perhaps the most improved Laker, Trevor Ariza? Trevor Ariza who has gone under the radar by most of the league may only have been known for his defensive attempts in the past. Trevor Ariza version 2.0, has upgraded to an all-around hustler who can also shoot from beyond the arc. Trevor is expected to outhustle Battie in this matchup.

Edge: Lakers

Power Forward (Pau Gasol v Luis Scola)

And they call Pau soft? All-around Pau can do it all, especially on the offensive end. His D could use a little work but still every once in a while he can lock it down on D if needed. Scola’s often underrated but brings up the intensity with his game. Scola’s averaged 16 points,and 6 boards this playoff season and could be motivated for more. In this case of the Spaniard vs. Argentinan, both need to go out there and prove who’s the best hombre on the floor.

Edge: Lakers

Center (Andrew Bynum v Yao Ming)

This is the Andrew Bynum Laker fans are hoping will prove the doubting Thomases wrong. The same Bynum, plagued with a sensitive knee since his injury, and the same Bynum who has been unable to unleash his inner beast thus far in the playoffs. If Bynum pulls through and actually shows up to play this next series without seeing any foul trouble, even Yao Ming’s killer efforts will be thwarted. It will be a battle on the inside but Yao’s strengths will prevail.
Edge: Rockets

The Bench

The Lakers already have a Pau-erful first five, but don’t forget Lamar Odom heads up their second unit. The Rockets, sure with guys like Carl Landry and Von Wafer, can play, but wouldn’t be surprised if the Lakers stay up thanks to help from Lamar Odom who has become another treasure in these playoffs.

Edge: Lakers

Intangibles

Universal mind control. Is Ron Ron playing mindtricks on the Lakers? As part of their strategy matching up against this Laker team who they could not hold down in the regular season, if it’s to stir up a little drama, Ron’s the man. He’ll tell it like it is, well, at least the way the world is according to Artest, and maybe he’s calling Kobe out all part of his diabolical plan? Will it backfire?
Edge: Rockets

3 Questions

1) Will Ron Artest find out that Kobe is indeed one of the best shooting guards to play against or will he stick to Brandon Roy?

2) Can Bynum channel his Bynumite to help Lakers become unstoppable the rest of this series?

3) Are the Rockets more than just another hiccup for the Lakers on the road to the finals?

Prediction

The Rockets have demonstrated their tenacity in the first few playoff games, what’s to stop them now? Well, for one thing, a stacked Laker team that knows how to build up leads, although they’ve been called out for letting their opponents make comebacks later on in the game. In the end, the Lakers know how to win since they’ve been down this road a time or two before. The forcefield created by Kobe, Pau, Bynum, and even their surprise attack players like Lamar and Ariza will do the deed. Lakers will shut down the Rockets though the Rockets won’t just stand idly by and let it happen. The rockets will fight, claw, and nail, but Lakers will hop right on through to the next round.

Lakers win 4-2