http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/2528113
Lakers slowed down; series lead cut to 2-1
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Steve Francis had tried to imagine how he would feel, tried to describe the
joy he yearned to experience. He did not come close.
He talked about a crowd louder than any he had heard in Houston, and then he
banged into Karl Malone and threw his body against Shaquille O'Neal, and as
those sidearmed shots fell, listened as the Toyota Center shook far more than
he had imagined.
He shaped his fingers into circles around his eyes to capture the way the
electricity he imagined coursing through his body would turn them into
saucers.
But then he made his consecutive shots in the lane as the Rockets pulled away
from the Lakers in the final 67 seconds to take a 102-91 win Friday before a
sellout crowd of 18,226.
He and the Rockets had waited five years to win a playoff game. So they
celebrated, said there was nothing really to celebrate, and finally decided
their first win merely made them hungry for more.
"That was all about determination," Francis said after the Rockets cut the
Lakers' lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven first-round series. "The Lakers came
as hard as they could, and we came as hard as we could.
"It feels good to get my first playoff victory, especially when it comes here.
It just feels great. We're not going to get caught up in it, because we know
what kind of team they are. We're not going to get overconfident. We're going
to run our stuff and stay poised. I'm not satisfied. None of us is satisfied.
(But) hey, we really wanted this."
Francis' consecutive drives into the beef of the Lakers' defense clinched the
win. But with a 16-point lead down to four, Yao Ming stopped the Lakers' run
and set up the Rockets for their last-minute run to the win.
The Rockets had led 90-82 with 3:49 left when Cuttino Mobley found Yao
rolling alone toward the basket and sent a pass inside for a slam.
But Kobe Bryant hit two free throws before his latest hang-in-the-air drive
cut the Rockets' lead to four with 2:10 left, as slim a margin as the Rockets
held since the first minutes of the second quarter. The Rockets had made just
two of their previous eight shots and had not scored in more than two minutes,
when they put the ball and perhaps the season in Yao's hands.
Yao made his move into O'Neal's body, then switched the ball to his left hand
to get his shot through, giving the Rockets a six-point lead with 1:51 left.
"You can determine what you're going to do," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy
said. "But you can't determine how they're going to defend it. It wasn't
about him getting `the' shot. He's worked a lot trying to develop his left
hand, and it was a good job against a very good defense.
"He (Yao) played 42 hard minutes against two studs, Hall of Fame, maybe
all-time greatest in their positions."
Yao had 18 points and 10 rebounds in his 42 minutes. O'Neal answered with 25
points and 11 rebounds. But after scoring 11 of the Lakers' first 13 points,
he never was in such control again.
Bryant had his usual 21 points but also could not take over the game as he
had Game 2, making just seven of 20 shots.
"I think we attacked them offensively and defensively," Rockets forward Jim
Jackson said. "We didn't allow a lot of penetration, and we didn't allow Kobe
to get off early. I think when they made their run and got it down to eight or
six points, we stayed steady. We came down and we made some good stops, and
then offensively, we either went to the free-throw line or got a good shot."
They also got their 3-point shooting going. After making just five of 22 3s in
Los Angeles, the Rockets made nine of 16 (56.3 percent). Francis, a 29.2
percent 3-point shooter during the season, made four of five, and finished
with 27 points.
"Steve has been outstanding in all three games, other than the seven turnovers
in the first game," Van Gundy said after Francis added nine rebounds and seven
assists to his scoring. "I don't think that's new. He was good the entire
game, made the right plays. I think Steve has continued to play well."
Mobley, who also took his turns running the Rockets' offense around high Yao
screens, made eight of 20 shots for 21 points, two more than he scored in the
first two games combined.
"You know what?" Mobley said. "I'm not even satisfied. The (Lakers) are going
to come back aggressive and we will, too. We'll see what we can do. When
Sunday comes, those guys are going to be ready. We'll be ready, too."
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Rockets summary
Mobley apologizes
When asked if the Rockets had an opportunity to more accurately show
themselves to those that had judged them so often this season, Rockets guard
Cuttino Mobley said that was the least of their concerns and suggested a more
constructive use for the public's scrutiny.
"Who cares?" Mobley said of public perception. "The public can't play
basketball. They can't coach. And they're not us. So they can say what they
want to say. They need to concentrate on their families, because I know they
have more problems."
On Friday, Mobley said his family values talk was misunderstood, that he was
angry with those he said misrepresented him and sorry to those he offended.
"Basketball is one thing; a family is different," Mobley said before taking
questions at Friday's shootaround. "I cherish my family. That's what I'm
trying to say. You're supposed to cherish your family. Like if people
criticize us or an individual, we take that to heart.
"I love fans, the crowd and everybody. I wouldn't want anybody to be mad at
me. I'm not that type of person. I don't really appreciate that. That's not
cool. Luckily a friend of mine was listening to it, and I felt bad about that.
I didn't mean to come off like that. If anybody is going to air something,
air that I'm sorry if I offended anybody."
Yao not a Vlade
Lakers coach Phil Jackson treaded more subtly into the subject of officiating,
suggesting that playing on the road means that close calls are more likely to
go against Shaquille O'Neal. But then he moved into even more familiar
territory, mocking the Kings and center Vlade Divac.
"I think there will be more of that edge the noise the crowd will make when
there is an opportunity for him to be called for a foul," Jackson said. "We
noticed that in Sacramento, places we have to go on the road. It's not a
Vlade Divac in the middle falling down when Shaq puts an elbow or shoulder in
his chest. Yao (Ming) is a pretty straightforward person as far as a
basketball player goes. He hasn't learned the hijinks yet of NBA play."
But Jackson added the hijinks are not necessary for Yao to be a good defender,
even suggesting the officials respect his style.
"I don't think ultimately that gains you that much ground," he said. "He's
going to steadily improve. I don't think we're going to see a dramatic
increase in Yao. I think you're going to see a steady player continually
improving his game."
Loud and clear
Rick Fox was skeptical that Yao Ming's comments were "lost in translation"
during Thursday's practice. Yao suggested that the Lakers were saving some of
their energy for the next round and that the Rockets should take advantage of
that. When coach Jeff Van Gundy heard the remarks, he said Yao must have been
inaccurately translated by interpreter Colin Pine.
Fox is confident Yao said what he meant.
"What was lost in translation?" Fox said. "That sounded like pretty good
English to me. I think that's just inexperience of dealing with the media and
letting out what is said in their locker room out here to the masses."
Early arrival
Shaquille O'Neal changed up his regular routine before Friday's game by
arriving at Toyota Center three hours before tipoff. The rest of his
teammates showed up about an hour later.
O'Neal spent the extra time on the court practicing his free throws. While
highly unusual for O'Neal, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he wasn't surprised
by the extra practice session.
"It's a long day, this is a late game obviously, and he gets antsy in the
hotel waiting to come here," Jackson said. "I think it's good for him. He
knows they are going to use hack-a-Shaq things in the fourth quarter, so he
wants to be able to produce."
The extra practice didn't help as O'Neal was 5-of-14 from the foul line.
Different world
Even after playing in 130 postseason games, Rockets reserve Mark Jackson said
he gets fired up for the playoffs.
"It's just a special time, and the more you're around it, the better it
feels," Jackson said.
Jackson is one of the few Rockets with playoff experience, and a number of his
teammates looked to him for advice before the series. Jackson tried to
explain, but he knew they wouldn't grasp what he was telling them until the
games started.
"You don't really understand it before you go through it," he said. "You think
about the moment, you think about everybody around the country watching
because you're watching games on off nights. For great players, it's the best
time of the year."
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