EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The story lines are endless for the playoff series between the Lakers and Houston Rockets that starts Friday. If nothing else, this will be wildly entertaining.
Two former MVPs (Russell Westbrook and James Harden) team up against one (LeBron James). Houston’s quick-strike offense tries to solve the Lakers' sharp-as-a-blade defense. Mike D’Antoni, who coached the Lakers from 2012-14, now wants to beat them in the playoffs.
And this is only the second round?
The Rockets are fun to watch if you love scoring, but an abomination if you’re a purist. They start a “center” who’s only 6-foot-6 and they couldn’t care less about defense.
The Rockets’ season has gone just about as expected since they acquired Westbrook last summer to pair with Harden, giving them two ball-dominant guards who put scoring above all else.
It’s been a fully unpredictable ride, including a first-round series that went the full seven games and almost tilted against Houston until Oklahoma City frittered away some late opportunities Wednesday.
The Lakers were surprised by the Rockets back in February when they unveiled their small-ball lineup for the first time. No player taller than 6-foot-7 saw the court that night as Westbrook scored 41 points in Houston’s 121-111 win.
The Lakers presumably won’t be as surprised this time, and they’ve had plenty of time to rest since dropping Portland in five games last Saturday.
Here’s a breakdown of what to expect when the Lakers play Houston in their best-of-seven series in Orlando.
Lakers
James was dominant in the first round against Portland, averaging a triple-double — 27.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 10.2 assists. What more can you ask?
Anthony Davis was stellar in the Lakers’ close-out game against Portland, scoring 43 points in 36 minutes of Game 5. He rebounded nicely from an odd Game 1 to be a force down low, despite Portland starting two centers most of the series.
Simply put, Houston has no chance of stopping James and Davis, or even slowing them down.
Rockets
It’s kind of amusing to look at the Rockets’ frontcourt players.
P.J. Tucker is the aforementioned 6-6 center. He’s really a small forward who can hit threes and play good defense against other small forwards.
Robert Covington is a 6-7 small forward who can also make threes and play good defense as well, against other small forwards.
Eric Gordon is a 6-3 shooting guard listed as a small forward and – you get the pattern here – can hit threes and play good defense (sometimes) against other players his size.
Edge: Lakers
Lakers
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope improved greatly as the first round progressed. He went from a forgettable Game 1 (one point in 29 minutes) to make 13 of 27 three-point attempts (48 percent) the rest of the way. His accuracy will be a key in this series.
Danny Green wasn’t as fortunate against Portland, averaging eight points in the series while shooting 35 percent overall.
Rockets
You know how the Lakers set a team record with 17 threes last week against Portland? Houston averaged 18 a game in the first round against Oklahoma City.
Harden won the MVP in 2018 and Westbrook won it in 2017. This backcourt can put up points in a hurry, no question.
Edge: Rockets
Lakers
Alex Caruso has become a defensive star despite averaging only five points in the playoffs. He made Damian Lillard work for his points when he guarded him.
Kyle Kuzma didn’t score a lot in the first round but stepped up his defense, the latest sign of a maturing third-year player. Dwight Howard will have to make Houston’s short lineup pay whenever he enters the game.
Rockets
The Rockets use only three players off their bench. And that’s when D’Antoni feels generous.
Jeff Green, Austin Rivers and Danuel House get in the game and do what the rest of the team does — shoot threes.
Edge: Lakers
By the time Game 1 rolls around, the Lakers will have played exactly one game in an 11-day span. That’s not a lot of competitive basketball.
Then again, James told Spectrum SportsNet’s Allie Clifton that he’s enjoying the extended rest. He’s a few months shy of 36, after all. And when you have eight players in their 30s, all this down time probably isn’t a bad thing at all for the Lakers.
The Rockets, meanwhile, used a lot of mental and physical energy in some very close games to stagger out of the first round. Then they had less than 48 hours to get ready for the Western Conference’s top-seeded team.
Edge: Lakers
The Rockets seem a little lucky to be here after Oklahoma City’s gaffes in Game 7. The Lakers, on the other hand, expected to be here all along, and then some. Lakers in five.
Mike Bresnahan is the Lakers analyst for Spectrum SportsNet.