The tempo was the most jarring difference between Game 1 of Round 1 and Game 1 of Round 2 for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Houston Rockets put the Lakers in a 1-0 hole after last night’s impressive 112-97 victory, in which they made the Lakers play on their terms. Even though Lakers coach Frank Vogel tried to dictate by keeping his big personnel on the floor, the Rockets were impervious to the Lakers’ attempts to turn the gameplan in their favor.
The Lakers had faced this before in the regular season but it’s a well-known NBA trope that the playoffs are a different beast. After the game, LeBron James said that there is only so much scouting you can do when a team plays at the speed Houston plays, liking it to the St. Louis Rams of the early 2000s with Kurt Warner, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, and Marshall Faulk.
Lakers’ LeBron James compared small ball Rockets to the “Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams of the early 2000s: “There’s no way you can simulate that speed.” pic.twitter.com/TdSlacMbCK
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) September 5, 2020
James believes that now they have a better feel for their speed and what to expect heading into Game 2.
