Code: Select all
Hakeem PTS RBS Assists Bls Stls fg fga ft fta ts
Game 1 28 16 n/a n/a n/a 10 14 8 13 0.71
Game 2 22 13 n/a 6 n/a 8 20 6 7 0.476
Game 3 40 12 n/a n/a n/a 14 28 12 15 0.578
Game 4 35 8 n/a 4 n/a 11 23 13 20 0.55
Game 5 30 7 n/a n/a n/a 10 17 10 15 0.636
Magic PTS RBS Assists Bls Stls fg fga ft fta ts
Game 1 26 7 18 n/a n/a 9 15 8 13 0.627
Game 2 24 8 19 n/a n/a 7 14 10 12 0.623
Game 3 17 8 20 n/a n/a 6 11 5 6 0.623
Game 4 20 12 11 n/a n/a 9 18 2 2 0.53
Game 5 24 n/a 13 n/a n/a 9 17 6 6 0.611
Kareem PTS RBS Assists Bls Stls fg fga ft fta ts
Game 1 31 6 n/a 3 n/a 13 23 5 6 0.605
Game 2 21 n/a n/a n/a n/a 9 26 3 6 0.367
Game 3 33 n/a n/a n/a n/a 14 26 5 8 0.592
Game 4 24 7 n/a n/a n/a 10 21 4 4 0.527
Game 5 26 13 n/a n/a n/a 11 19 4 5 0.613
Sampson PTS RBS Assists Bls Stls fg fga ft fta ts
Game 1 19 n/a n/a n/a n/a 8 15 3 5 0.552
Game 2 24 16 n/a 5 n/a 10 16 4 7 0.629
Game 3 18 n/a n/a n/a n/a 9 22 0 1 0.401
Game 4 12 8 n/a n/a n/a 5 6 2 2 0.872
Game 5 29 n/a n/a n/a n/a 10 15 9 11 0.731
I haven't had a chance to review these articles, but here you go
Game 1
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 39, had little trouble getting over and around 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson, scoring 31 points today to lead the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers to a 119-107 victory over the Houston Rockets in the opener of the Western Conference finals.
Abdul-Jabbar got few chances to use his hook shot in the Lakers' ninth victory over the Rockets in 11 games since the beginning of the 1984-85 season.
"They didn't give me the hook and they sent me the other way," he said. "So I had to adapt."
He did, although he was one point short of his average against Houston over the last two years. And, as usual, he got the best of Sampson and 7-foot Akeem Olajuwon, Houston's other so-called "Twin Tower."
"We always throw a lot at him," Coach Bill Fitch of the Rockets said. "Playing defense against Kareem is not one of our strengths. Both Ralph and Akeem will get better. It's tough to play Kareem one-on-one."
Abdul-Jabbar, who is 7-2, scored 14 points in the second period and by the end of three periods had 28 to enable the Lakers to take charge before a sellout crowd of 17,505.
The Lakers, trying to become the first team to repeat as NBA champions since the Boston Celtics 17 years ago, led by 64-58 at halftime, thanks mainly to Abdul-Jabbar's 20 points.
The Rockets got within three points three times early in the third quarter. But Magic Johnson spurred the Lakers to a 10-point advantage midway through the period and they weren't threatened seriously after that.
"I took more control and tried to quicken the pace," he said, "because we needed to increase opportunities for myself and the other guys. I tried extra hard to push the ball upcourt as fast as we could go."
He had 10 of his 26 points in the third quarter. He finished with a game-high 18 assists. Teammate Byron Scott had 18 points.
It was 94-82 entering the fourth quarter and Houston got no nearer than eight points in the last 12 minutes.
Olajuwon led the Rockets with 28 points and 16 rebounds. Sampson finished with 19 points.
The Lakers, who are trying to win the Western Conference title and earn a berth in the NBA Championship Series for the fifth straight year, led by 34-32 after the first quarter by making 14 of 15 foul shots.
The Rockets, meanwhile, tried only two, which Olajuwon made with 14 seconds left in the period.
He had 12 points in the first quarter and substitute guard Mitchell Wiggins had 10 for Houston. But Wiggins committed his third foul with six seconds left in the period and didn't play again until the second half.
Wiggins finished with a career-playoff high 24 points.
Olajuwon had 18 of his points at halftime and 26 after three periods, but scored only two in the fourth quarter.
Neither team led by more than four points until the Rockets scored the first nine points of the second period to take a 41-34 advantage.
Before long, it was 44-36, but then the Lakers scored 13 straight points and led the rest of the way. They were up by six at halftime.
The second game in the best-of-seven series will be played here Tuesday night, then the series will move to Houston.
In the world of sports, old is in these days. First, there was 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus winning the Masters. Next was 54-year-old Bill Shoemaker riding Ferdinand to the Kentucky Derby victory.
And now there is 39-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who's attempting to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their second straight National Basketball Association championship.
Abdul-Jabbar, the oldest player in the league, scored a game-high 31 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and blocked 3 shots today to lead the Lakers past the Houston Rockets, 119-107, in the opener of the Western Conference finals.
No Secret for Abdul-Jabbar
Abdul-Jabbar's performance against Houston was no surprise considering that he has been especially dominant offensively against the Rockets in recent years.
''I don't have a secret,'' he said. ''I pay the price in the offseason.''
Abdul-Jabbar, who played 35 minutes and made 13 of his 23 field-goal attempts, gave the credit to others. ''Our guard play was better than their guard play,'' he said.
But the 7-foot-2-inch Abdul-Jabbar, defended most of the time by 7-4 Ralph Sampson, went over and around Sampson with relative ease as the Lakers beat the Rockets for the ninth time in 11 games since the beginning of the 1984-85 season. Abdul-Jabbar has averaged 32 points in those games.
''If I front him, they're going to lob over me,'' Sampson said. ''If I play behind him, it works better. I'll play better Tuesday than I did today. Kareem is playing better now than I can remember him playing.'' lakers Pull Away Abdul-Jabbar had 28 of his points in the first three quarters. He had 20 at the half as the Lakers led, 64-58.
The Rockets got as close as 3 points three times early in the third quarter, but led by Magic Johnson, the Lakers took a 10-point advantage midway through the period and weren't seriously threatened after that. Johnson had 10 of his 26 points in the third quarter and finished with a 18 assists.
It was 94-82 entering the fourth quarter and Houston wasn't closer than 8 points in the final 12 minutes.
Akeem Olajuwon led the Rockets with 28 points and 16 rebounds. Sampson finished with 19 points. Olajuwon had 12 points in the first quarter and the guard Mitchell Wiggins came off the bench to add 10 for Houston, but Wiggins picked up his third foul with six seconds left in the period and didn't play again until the second half. He finished with 24 points. The Rockets tallied the first 9 points of the second period to take a 41-34 advantage. With the score 44-36, the Lakers got hot, scoring 13 straight points to take a 49-44 lead midway through the period.
Game 2
The guard Lewis Lloyd scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter tonight, leading the Houston Rockets to a 112-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers that evened their Western Conference final series at one game apiece.
Lloyd scored only 4 points during the Lakers' 119-107 victory over the Rockets last Saturday.
The four-of-seven-game series shifts to the Summit in Houston for the third game Friday night and the fourth game Sunday. The Rockets are 41-5 at home this season, including 5-0 during the playoffs.
Los Angeles, which had beaten Houston in 22 of the 25 previous games between the teams, is now 6-1 in playoff games this season at the Forum.
Ralph Sampson added 24 points for the Rockets and Akeem Olajuwon had 22.
Earvin (Magic) Johnson led the Lakers with 24 points. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had 31 points in the series opener, was held to 21.
The Rockets outscored the Lakers by 10-4 in the final 2 minutes 18 seconds of the second quarter to take a 54-53 lead at halftime, and they were on top the rest of the way.
The Rockets continued their fine play at the outset of the second half, outscoring the Lakers by 10-2 in the opening 2:20 of the third period.
After the Lakers cut Houston's lead to 66-64, the Rockets responded by outscoring Los Angeles, 17-5, in a span of 4:24 to take an 83-69 lead, their largest margin of the game, with 2:42 left in the quarter.
The Lakers narrowed the gap to 87-77 entering the final period, and closed to within 2 points at 92-90 with 8:47 left in the game, but could get no closer.
Led by Lloyd and a tough defense, the Rockets pulled away steadily in the closing moments. A jumper by Lloyd with 1:59 left made it 108-99.
The first quarter ended with the Lakers ahead by 25-18.
Houston scored the first 2 points of the second quarter, but the Lakers got the next 9. However, the Rockets responded by outscoring Los Angeles, 14-2.
Preview
The Houston Rockets figure to have a different look Tuesday night when they face the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference final playoff series.
Coach Bill Fitch of the Rockets promised to "change everything" after his team dropped a 119-107 decision to the Lakers Saturday in the opening game of the best-of-seven series.
So while the Lakers enjoyed a practice-free Sunday, the Rockets were hard at work, trying to figure out a way to make their running game more effective and, at the same time, slow the fast-breaking Lakers.
After 38 minutes of play Saturday, the Lakers led the Rockets, 100-86, mainly because they had outscored them by 40-15 on fast-break points. When it was over, Los Angeles had achieved an efficiency rate of 28 conversions (field goals or free throws) in 45 transition opportunities.
"We kept the pressure on, kept dogging their guards," said Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has scored at least 25 points in eight straight playoff games. "We tried to get them running up and down the court as much as we could, and I think the cumulative effect wore them down."
"Somewhere along the line, Abdul-Jabbar's got to stop the fountain-of-youth stuff and be human," Fitch said.
The Rockets' running game might be more effective if they had a true point guard engineering their break. But they don't -- Robert Reid is being used at that position and that's not his natural spot. He has been a forward for most of his eight years in the NBA.
"Robert's done a great job for them, but they don't have a real point guard," Lakers swing man Michael Cooper said. "I think it'll work to our advantage."
Lakers Coach Pat Riley said, "It isn't the guys on the wing that make the running game. It's the point guard who determines if you run and how well you run."
Like Cooper, the 6-foot-8 Reid can be used at several positions. Reid became Houston's starting point guard late in the season when John Lucas was released.
Magic Johnson, the Lakers point guard, is only an inch taller than Reid, but point guard is Johnson's natural position. Johnson had 26 points and 18 assists Saturday; Reid had eight points and eight assists.
Reid acknowledged he didn't have a good game, but said that he has performed well as a point guard.
"What happened when they the Lakers came down to Houston late in the regular season and we beat them?" Reid asked. "I played the point. I shot the ball well. We moved the ball.
"What it's going to come down to is you have to take each game one at a time. Saturday, I shot four for 12. That's pitiful. A point guard is supposed to hit those shots.
" . . . When you look at the stats, I think I'm averaging two turnovers a game. I pat myself on the back for that . . . If anyone thinks I'm being overcautious, fine. I'll be overcautious. This is the playoffs and each possession, the ball is so valuable."
Reid realizes the Rockets have to do some things differently in order to be successful. "We've got to push the ball up the court , otherwise, it's five seconds off the clock," he said. "When we become a walk-up team, it's my fault. I'm the one not pushing it.
"Our fast break isn't like the Lakers, where Magic Johnson will dribble through four guys. When I get it, I'll take two, three quick bounces and look. Where's Lewis Lloyd ? Where's Rodney McCray ? Then I'll make the pass and we'll cut and weave off it."
"We have to play a little harder, get back on defense better and keep them out of the lane more," the Rockets' Ralph Sampson said. "The guys have to rotate when Kareem has the ball. You have to know where to rotate from because he is such a good passer and Magic goes down the lane. Hopefully, I'll come out more aggressive and offensive-minded."
Cooper, who has played in 415 consecutive games, including the playoffs, was unable to practice with the Lakers today because of a skin rash. The Lakers said Cooper was to see a physician, at which time his status for Tuesday night would be determined.
Game 3
The crown that the Los Angeles Lakers have worn so confidently for nearly a year is suddenly slipping, for the upstart Houston Rockets, a team Coach Pat Riley of the Lakers recently called a ''team of the future,'' have quickly become a team of the present.
Led by Akeem Olajuwon, who scored 23 of his playoff-high 40 points in the second half, the Rockets stunned the defending champions, 117-109, tonight to lead the Western Conference final series by two games to one.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers' 39-year-old center, did his part with 35 points, but received little support. James Worthy was the only other Laker who was effective, adding 26 points, but none in the final period. Earvin (Magic) Johnson scored 16 points and added 20 assists.
Olajuwon, who has been playing forward instead of center during much of the postseason, scored 11 points during a frenetic final period. Four of those points came during a crucial stretch when the Rockets outscored the Lakers by 9-2 to build a 114-107 lead with 1 minute 20 seconds remaining.
Houston Commands Boards
Olajuwon also had a game-high 12 rebounds - five on offense - that carried Houston to a commanding 45-34 advantage on the boards. ''He was every place he had to be at the right time,'' said Riley, who has guided the Lakers to the finals in each of his four seasons as coach. ''He was just incredible.''
The Lakers, with their wealth of proven talent, could never shake the Rockets. They never led by more than 4 points, and were often guilty of play that was uncharacteristic of champions.
During that fateful 2:55 stretch in the fourth quarter, the Lakers missed 3 of 4 field goals - though they shot 56 percent for the game, hitting 47 of 84 shots - and committed 3 of their series-high 19 turnovers. In the final minutes they missed four consecutive 3-point shots and managed only two free throws.
''This is the first time we've been in this situation in a long time,'' Riley said. ''Unless we start to control the boards and handle the ball with better efficiency, the games are going to be very close.''
But the game didn't begin as if it would be that way. The Lakers, taking advantage of a nervous start by the home team playing in front of a vocal sellout crowd of 16,016, burst to a 8-0 lead as the Rockets failed to score for more than 3 minutes.
Houston recovered quickly, exploding for a 13-2 surge that was sparked by Ralph Sampson. The 7-foot-4-inch center scored 8 of his 18 points during those 2 minutes. Bill Fitch, the Rockets' coach, called that period critical. ''It's important for a young team not to bury itself,'' he said.
The Lakers, shooting well from the start, led by 38-37 at the end of the first period. But they trailed by 60-59 at halftime after the Houston guard Lewis Lloyd scored 4 of his 26 points during a string of 8 successive points near the end of the half.
Riley called the third period ''a piece of art.'' And indeed it was the most exciting 12 minutes of the evening. The lead changed hands 13 times as James Worthy (29 points) scored 15 and Olajuwon 12. ''No one was giving in,'' Riley said.
The Lakers held a 91-90 lead going into the final period, but could not gain an advantage before the Rockets pulled away.
The Los Angeles Lakers' hopes of becoming the first NBA team in 17 years to repeat as league champions were dealt a blow tonight at the Summit when the Houston Rockets took a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference final series with a 117-109 victory.
Rockets center/forward Akeem Olajuwon scored 40 points and teammate Lewis Lloyd, a guard, had 26.
The Lakers, who will aim to even the series here Sunday afternoon, were led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 33 points. However, the task won't be easy. Tonight's victory improved the Rockets' home court record to 42-5.
The game was spectacular. From 3:27 of the opening period until just over two minutes remained, neither team led by more than four points. Olajuwon had 12 rebounds. Abdul-Jabbar blocked five shots. And Magic Johnson had 17 points and 20 assists.
It was a game in which most in the sellout crowd of 16,016 were hard pressed to do anything but try and keep up with the fireworks. After the Rockets rallied from an 8-0 deficit in the game's opening 2:40, only once did the teams take longer than 24 seconds to score. During one three-minute span of the third quarter, the lead moved back and forth 10 straight possessions.
By game's end, however, one statistic fairly glared out and bit the Lakers -- they scored but one field goal in the last six minutes -- definitely not typical of the high-scoring defending champions.
Then again, being down by 2-1 is a new experience, too. "We've never been down, 2-1, in a series in the last four years," said Coach Pat Riley. "We have to win Sunday to defend our championship."
The Lakers started the game as if grimly determined to win. Abdul-Jabbar, handled by the combination of Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson in Game 2, scored two sky hooks to help provide the 8-0 lead. But that quickly evaporated. Sampson scored eight points in about 1 1/2 minutes and Houston went ahead with a 13-2 run. But the fun was just starting.
"Both teams were red hot, on fire," Sampson said. "It seemed like it cooled off; it had to."
That was an aberration. The Lakers shot 69 precent from the field in that first period. The Rockets, who missed their first five shots from the floor, still made 53 percent that quarter.
When the shooting did approach some rational level, the game got physical. Sampson, Olajuwon and Abdul-Jabbar each would finish the contest with five personal fouls and the order of the day by officals Jack Madden and Joe Crawford seemed to be, "Don't call anything that happens in the free throw lane."
That appeared to suit the Rockets fine. They didn't give the impression of being the least bit awed by their more exalted opponents.
"I don't think about them; I think about my team," Olajuwon said.
"I wasn't paying attention to what they were feeling," Sampson said. "I was just trying to score and rebound over them."
It was Sampson who got the Rockets the lead for good at 107-105 by laying the ball in after an offensive rebound. It was 23rd lead change of the night.
At the 3:26 mark, eight seconds after Houston forward Rodney McCray's foul shot, Maurice Lucas scored the Lakers' last basket, a jumper that brought Los Angeles within 108-107.
The Rockets kept their bravura, though. Robert Reid (17 points and 12 assists) stole Johnson's pass and eight seconds later passed to Mitchell Wiggins for a layup that a 9-2 game-ending run.
"We ran the fast break well in the first half, but in the second half we weren't patient," Abdul-Jabbar said. "We forced some things and made some mental mistakes that hurt."
If that sounds like a case of role reversal, the experienced team losing control instead of the young upstarts, that's because it was. But suddenly the Rockets, who lost four of five regular season meetings between the teams, don't seem so young any more.
"We were just going through he motions then," Olajuwon said. "We didn't play with the same intensity as we do now. If we play our game, we can beat them."
Reid seconded that, although he wasn't quite ready to proclaim the Lakers finished.
"I think the pressure is still on us," he said. "I look at that team and I see too much pride and too many championship rings for them to just fall down in front of us."
Game 4
What has been a reign of dominance in the Western Conference in this decade is suddenly and surprisingly in danger of coming to an end.
The Los Angeles Lakers, the defending National Basketball Association champions and a team that has played in the finals for four consecutive years, are a game away from elimination.
The Houston Rockets overpowered the Lakers for the third successive time this afternoon, gaining a decisive 105-95 victory. The victory gave Houston a lead of three games to one in this four-of-seven-game conference final.
The third consecutive defeat matches the Lakers' longest losing streak for the entire season, and it is also the first time they have lost three successive games in the playoffs since they were swept in four games by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1983 championship series.
''Our path is very directed, said Pat Riley, the Laker coach. ''We've got to win every game.''
The next game of the series will be played Wednesday at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and if the Lakers are to avoid becoming the 17th consecutive champion to fail to defend its title, they will have to figure a means of stopping Akeem Olajuwon. The 23-year-old, 7-footer followed his 40-point performance Friday in Game 3 by scoring 35 points today, including 16 in the first period, while adding 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.
'Tried Everything'
''We tried everything,'' Riley said. ''We put four bodies on him. We helped from different angles. He's just a great player, and he's proved that.''
After coming into this series as a team many believed was not seasoned enough to challenge the Lakers, the Rockets have proven that they are ready. Besides Olajuwon's performances, they have benefited surprisingly from the play of their backcourt, which was considered their weakness.
Robert Reid, who became their starting playmaker near the end of the season when John Lucas was suspened for testing positive for drugs, scored his series-high 23 points, most of which were achieved from outside shots that took advantage of the Lakers sagging defense, adding 3 assists and 4 rebounds.
''Their guards have played a lot more consistent that we thought they would,'' said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scored 24 points, but managed only one of his seven rebounds in the second half. ''Their putting the ball in Akeem's hands, not turning it over, and not trying to carry the burden.''
Lift From Petersen
Houston is also proving that it is blessed with depth. On a night when Ralph Sampson, their 7-4 center endured his worst performance of the series - 12 points, 8 rebounds after sitting out 16:32 of the second half because of fouls - the unhearalded Jim Petersen provided them with an unexpected lift. Playing defense against Abdul-Jabbar for much of Sampson's hiatus, the 6-10 Petersen held the 39-year-old veteran to just two field goals before Sampson returned with 4:25 left to play and the Rockets ahead, 96-90.
Riley lauded Petersen's effort, calling it ''one of the best'' defensive performances against his center that he's ever seen.
The Rockets had trailed by only 53-50 at intermission, despite an abysmal second period in which they missed 16 of 23 shots and committed four of their nine turnovers. In the third quarter, which was highlighted by six ties and six lead changes, Houston gained a slim 80-79 edge on the strength of 10 points each from Reid and Olajuwon.
Pulled Away
The Rockets pulled away in the opening minutes of the final period, outscoring Los Angeles by 11-4 to take a 91-83 lead, a margin that the Lakers could only cut to 96-92.
At that point, a well-rested Sampson rebounded a missed shot by Reid and scored to stretch the lead to 98-92 with 3 minutes left, and the Rockets scored on each of their four subsequent possessions to seal the triumph.
The Lakers received a game performance from James Worthy, who was listed as questionable before tip-off after suffering a cervical strain in Game 3. He played all 48 minutes -the first time he can remember doing that in his three-year career - and managed a team-high 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Earvin (Magic) Johnson earned his third triple-double of the playoffs with 20 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds. He has only three triple-doubles during the entire regular season.
It would appear the only thing remaining for the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers is the passing of the torch. For the second time in three days, the Rockets displayed more poise and tenacity than the defending NBA champions and took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference final with a 105-95 victory.
That torch might well be exchanged by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Lakers and his counterpart at center, Houston's Akeem Olajuwon. Abdul-Jabbar, who has averaged 28 points per game for Los Angeles during the series, was outstanding today, scoring 24 points. However, he was once again bested by Olajuwon, who finished with 35 points before a sellout of 16,016 at the Summit.
Olajuwon's toughness was reflected in the fact that he shot more free throws, 20, than the entire Lakers team (17).
He hit four straight free throws to start the fourth quarter as the Rockets built a 90-83 lead with 8:41 to go. Forward Ralph Sampson, returning from a stint on the bench because of foul trouble, hit a basket to make it 98-92 with 3:19 to go, and just more than a minute later, Lewis Lloyd's jumper pushed the margin to 100-93.
The hunger of the entire Rockets team was embodied by substitute forward Jim Petersen. With Sampson in foul trouble for most of the game, Petersen, a second-year player from Minnesota, had 13 rebounds in 26 minutes.
Game 5 of the best-of-seven series will be played Wednesday night in Los Angeles and, according to Lakers Coach Pat Riley, "I know we'll be ready for that game. . . . Wednesday is all we have."
Only four teams in NBA history have been down by 3-1 and come back to win a best-of-seven series. The last to do so were the 1981 Boston Celtics, who were coached by Bill Fitch, now the Rockets' head man. Fitch said that was the first thing he told his team after today's game.
Riley, meanwhile, spent his first postgame minutes trying to rationalize the difficulties his team is facing in trying to become the first team in 17 years to repeat as league champion.
"If there is a destiny for this team, perhaps it's being at the bottom of the barrel, where things get darkest," he said. "Someone put a great team in the Eastern Conference [the Boston Celtics] and they're waiting for someone, either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Houston Rockets. Our path is very directed now -- we have to win every game."
The reason they are in that unenviable position is because "for the second time in a row, they found the gumption at the proper time," Riley said. "Rodney McCray, Robert Reid, Petersen -- at some point in the fourth quarter everyone on their team that played contributed something."
Reid was a thorn in the Lakers' side throughout the game, scoring 23 points mainly with long-distance jump shots. McCray finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, but his biggest contribution might have been when he disrupted a three-on-one Lakers fast break by blocking a Michael Cooper shot with just more than 7:30 remaining in the game.
The Rockets recovered the ball and eventually ended the possession with a Mitchell Wiggins jump shot that made the score 93-85. The Lakers would get no closer than four points for the remainder of the game.
If today's contest lacked the offensive fireworks of the Rockets' 117-109 Game 3 victory, it was because both squads were much more intense defensively. In the previous game, the Lakers shot 56 percent from the field, the Rockets 48. Today both teams hit only 46 percent of their shots.
"Both teams played great defense," said Abdul-Jabbar. "Nobody got good shots; Akeem had a great game and he didn't shoot 50 percent."
But what Olajuwon lacked in quality, he made up for in volume. Of his eight rebounds, six came on the offensive end. His relentless pounding of the boards has been as startling and powerful as Abdul-Jabbar's sky hook is majestic.
"You can't be mediocre and accomplish the things we've accomplished against this team," said Reid. "Akeem is playing every night against the best center in the league."
Sampson reentered the game with 4:25 left and immediately made his presence felt with the offensive rebound basket that gave Houston a 98-92 lead. He also scored four of the Rockets' last seven points, including a slam dunk that seemed to emphasize what the winners were on the verge of accomplishing.
"I don't think I'm bragging because the Lakers can sense it, too," said Reid. "They're saying, 'These guys have cut us deep, the blood is flowing. Now they're gonna go for the kill on Wednesday.' "
It has long been held in NBA circles that usually there are two ways to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, the defending champions and finalists in the past four league championship series.
One is to try to physically beat them, a tactic employed by the Boston Celtics the last two years and the Philadelphia 76ers the previous two.
The second method -- beating Los Angeles through superior athletic ability -- never really entered most coaches' minds. Playing against quality athletes such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Michael Cooper and Byron Scott, that strategy didn't make that much sense.
However, following a 105-95 victory Sunday at the Summit, the Houston Rockets have taken a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference final by outplaying the Lakers at their own game. In the process, they have not only threatened to unseat the defending champions but also have dominated them.
"Before they had us backed to the wall," said Johnson. "If we don't come out and play on Wednesday they'll bury us."
Game 5 will be played at the Forum in Los Angeles Wednesday night, but to look at and listen to the Lakers, one wonders if it will be a mere formality. Last weekend in Houston, there was no effervescence on Johnson's face, no joy in his actions.
The same dour mien seemed to permeate the entire Los Angeles locker room after Sunday's game. There were assorted bruises, knees and fingers, not to mention a number of battered egos.
"It's been a long time since we've been in this position. We're not out, but they've got us reeling," said Abdul-Jabbar. "No matter what's happened, what adjustments we've made, they've done what they've had to do."
For the past four seasons, the Lakers have driven opponents dizzy with their dazzling fast break and their flexibility.
Was Cooper a guard or a small forward? Was that a guided missle or Worthy hurtling toward the basket? Was Larry Bird the only other player on the planet who could approximate the overall skills of Magic Johnson? In last season's championship series, the Lakers even found the muscle necessary to wrestle the championship away from Bird and the Celtics.
There definitely was not much opposition in the Western Conference, at least until now. The Rockets suffered a disappointing first-round loss to the Utah Jazz in last season's playoffs. This year, Houston had injuries to center Akeem Olajuwon and fellow skyscraper Ralph Sampson. In addition, guard John Lucas was permanently dismissed from the team for a recurring drug problem.
In its own way, however, each setback served to make this young Rockets team (30-year-old Robert Reid is the oldest player) better.
"We went through a couple of years where we were lost," said Reid. "I think it's the same thing the Lakers and Celtics had to go through. We kept our same personnel and added some spice to make things better. Now we're starting to peak."
Forward Rodney McCray, 6 feet 7, and Reid, 6-8, have kept Los Angeles off balance by triggering the Houston offense. Guards Lewis Lloyd and Mitchell Wiggins have taken turns disrupting the Lakers by playing bump and run with Johnson.
"That's the same old game as Philadelphia and Boston ," said Johnson. "They're doing more handchecking, but they've been able to because they've stopped us from getting out and running."
The question now being asked is whether the Rockets' rapid rise is an omen of things to come. Yet Houston Coach Bill Fitch said that even with his team's apparently commanding margin, "I fear the Lakers more now than after the first game a Lakers victory ."
But Fitch wasn't in the Lakers' locker room after Game 4. "We want to get back, but the Rockets want to get there, too," said Worthy, who scored 26 points. "I can remember how it was the first time I was here; I wondered what it was like to win a championship. They're a young and enthusiastic team."
Houston also has displayed more power. The Rockets have outrebounded the Lakers by an average of 47-37 and gone to the free throw line 122 times to 94 for the Lakers.
"They're playing us as well straight up as any team has ever played us," said Lakers Coach Pat Riley.
And what do the Rockets think of the Lakers' chances from here? "Fortunately I don't have to answer that," said Sampson. "That's what they have to think about, not us."
Game 5
The challenge of defending the National Basketball Association title has not been easy, and tonight, in stunning fashion, the champion failed to retain its crown for the 17th consecutive season.
Ralph Sampson sank a last-second desperation toss from 12 feet out to give the Houston Rockets a 114-112 victory that dethroned the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Rockets eliminated the Lakers by the surprising margin of four games to one in the Western Conference finals, losing only the series opener. Houston will now meet the Boston Celtics, the Eastern Conference winners, in the N.B.A. final series, beginning Monday in Boston.
Meanwhile, the Lakers will be missing from the final round for the first time in five seasons.
To win, Houston had to overcome the loss of Akeem Olajuwon. The Rockets' 7-foot center and the Lakers' Mitch Kupchak were ejected for fighting with 5 minutes 14 seconds to play and the Lakers' holding a 103-99 lead. Olajuwon left with 30 points.
But then Sampson, the Rockets' other 7-footer, took over. Houston tied the score at 106-all on a Sampson hook shot over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 2:54 left.
The Lakers opened a 3-point lead, 112-109, when Earvin (Magic) Johnson hit a jumper from 17 feet. But Robert Reid hit a 3-point goal from the left side with 15 seconds remaining to tie the score.
Byron Scott, the Laker guard, missed an 18 footer with 4 seconds left. Houston rebounded and called time with 1 second left.
On the inbound play, Rodney McCray lobbed a pass to Sampson, who caught the ball and in the same motion tossed it toward the basket. The ball bounced on the rim before falling through to give the Rockets their only lead of the night.
Sampson finished with 29 points, 12 in the final quarter and 10 after Olajuwon was ejected. pik up b copy Fast Start for Lakers The Lakers led for the entire first half, and took early command of the boards by grabbing 10 rebounds to just one for the Rockets in the first eight minutes to build a 26-12 lead.
The margin was 35-23 at the end of the first period, thanks to some of Johnson's contagious effervescence. The 6-9 playmaker, saddled with two early fouls, was forced to the bench for nearly two minutes. But he returned with 1:46 left in the quarter and made two steals that helped the Lakers score the final 7 points.
The Rockets committed nine turnovers in the first period, matching their total in all of Game 4.
Olajuwon, held scoreless in the opening quarter when he was guarded by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, scored 9 points in the second as the Rockets sliced the Lakers' lead to 48-46. But then Los Angeles capitalized on the Rockets' mistakes to build a 61-54 halftime lead.
The Rockets were outrebounded, 22-11, in the half, with Olajuwon and Sampson combining for only 3.
Emotions ran high, and in the first period, the Laker guard Michael Cooper and the Rockets' Lewis Lloyd did some face-to-face challenging as the teams walked to their benches for a timeout. And later, Kurt Rambis, the Laker forward, after muscling against Sampson for the half, took out the frustration of giving away 8 inches in height by shoving the Rockets' center out of bounds as they maneuvered for rebounding position.
The Rockets' play remained lackadasical as the Lakers improved their lead to 14 points, 72-58, with a 13-4 surge early in the second half. The Laker run was capped by three fastbreak baskets, two by Rambis and a dunk from Abdul-Jabbar. But the Lakers suffered a damaging blow when Johnson was charged with his fourth personal foul early in the quarter and was forced to the bench.
Without him, the Lakers stumbled and the Rockets recovered.
