Los Angeles Lakers: 3 areas to improve ahead of Game 2
By Dalton Sell
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered an embarrassing Game 1 loss to the Houston Rockets Friday night, and three specific statistics show why.
Following their 4-1 first-round victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers would get some much-deserved rest before the second round began. They would either take on the Houston Rockets or the Oklahoma City Thunder, who went all the way down to the wire in Game 7, with Houston ultimately coming out on top.
On paper, Los Angeles clearly has a significant size advantage over the small-ball Rockets that should make them the favorites. The tallest player in Houston’s starting lineup is 3-and-D specialist Robert Covington, who stands at a whopping 6’7″, and the team’s “center” in P.J. Tucker resides at just 6’5″.
With three rotational players all listed at 6’10” or above in Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee, it seemed like LA’s big men would have a field day in this series.
In Game 1, however, it was a far different story, as the Rockets came out and handled their business, securing the 112-97 upset win over the Lakers. With a combined 83 points between James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Eric Gordon, Los Angeles once again suffered a Game 1 defeat in these playoffs.
Harden, who led the way for the Rockets with a game-high 36 points, stated postgame that their size would not determine their outcome in this series. “I don’t know why people keep saying we’re small. I don’t care if you 7-feet. If you don’t have heart, it doesn’t matter.”
Being down 0-1 against the spirited Houston Rockets is not an insurmountable task to overcome. If the Los Angeles Lakers are going to do so, they need to improve on three aspects that plagued them in Game 1.