Welcome

to

Houston,

Texas,

and

Game

of

the

Western

Conference

Semifinals.

Lakers

looking

to

clinch

in

advance,

but

Shane

Battier

and

the

Rockets

have

a

plan

to

assure

a

Game

Here

we

go,

fellas.

Three

things.

Never

give

up,

never

give

in,

and

fight

for

That's

all

we've

got

to

do.

Very

simple.

Let's

go

out

and

win

this

game.

Here

we

go.

One,

two,

three.

Win!

Win!

Rockets

out

there.

Hometown

fans

fired

up

and

ready

to

go.

The

'Beat

LA'

chants

started

a

while

back.

As

you

look

at

the

Western

Conference

semis,

the

Lakers,

if

they

win

tonight,

they'll

face,

yes,

the

Denver

Nuggets.

Congratulations

to

them

for

getting

back

to

the

Western

Conference

finals.

But

the

Rockets

have

other

things

in

mind

here

on

their

home

floor.

Reminiscent

perhaps

of

earlier

when

they

pulled

off

the

huge

upset

to

tie

this

series

at

two

apiece,

but

it's

now

after

the

big

Laker

win

in

game

five.

Good

evening,

everyone.

Hello

with

Mark

Jackson

and

Jeff

Van

Gundy.

Mike

Green

on

hand.

Doris

Burke

will

join

us

shortly.

So

what

will

it

be?

Will

the

Lakers

get

that

win

in

advance

or

will

this

tough

and

gritty

Rocket

team

force

that

game

seven?

Mark,

Let's

start

with

the

Lakers.

Denver

Nuggets

are

waiting.

Why

is

it

so

important

for

the

Lakers

to

wrap

it

up

tonight?

Well,

Two

reasons.

First

and

foremost,

you

don't

want

to

allow

the

Denver

Nuggets

to

get

too

much

rest.

They

took

care

of

their

business.

Now

it's

your

responsibility

as

a

team

to

take

care

of

yours.

And

the

carryover

effect.

Good

momentum

from

last

game.

Get

in

the

habit

of

playing

the

right

way

with

a

sense

of

urgency.

Rockets,

of

course,

undermanned.

Yao

Ming

out

for

the

rest

of

the

season

after

the

injury

in

game

three.

They

pulled

out

that

amazing

win

on

Sunday.

We

were

here

for

that.

Do

they

have

another?

One

in

them?

I

think

they

do

because

they

defend

every

night.

They

rebound.

And

then

the

great

equalizer

when

you're

undermanned

is

the

three-point

shot.

They

made

ten

in

game

four.

They

were

five

for

in

game

five.

They

need

to

make

the

three

tonight

and

defend

the

three

well

to

force

a

game

seven.

It's

been

a

crazy

couple

of

games.

The

dominant

Rocket

win.

Game

five,

The

crushing

Laker

defeat

of

the

Rockets.

Lamar

Odom,

with

that

bruised

back,

will

come

off

the

bench

for

the

second

straight

game

for

head

coach

Phil

Jackson.

And

for

the

Houston

Rockets,

once

again,

Chuck

Hayes,

about

a

foot

shorter

than

Yao

Ming,

but

he

is

so

important

for

this

team.

He'll

get

the

start

with

Scola,

Battier,

Artest,

and

Aaron

Brooks,

who

was

sensational

in

Game

And

let's

check

in

right

now

with

Doris

Burks.

Hey,

Doris.

Hey,

Mike.

You

mentioned

Lamar

Odom's

bruised

back.

He

did

say,

in

fact,

that

he

is

still

experiencing

significant

pain

with

that

bruise.

He

said,

I

feel

it

most

when

I

go

to

leave

my

feet

to

pursue

rebounds

or

when

I

am

posting

up

and

trying

to

hold

off

a

defender.

He

will

give

it

a

go

tonight

as

he

did

in

Game

playing

minutes.

As

for

Ron

Artest,

a

stomach

issue

that

kept

him

out

of

practice

this

morning.

He

said

he's

The

best

thing

about

being

a

Rocket,

free

doctors,

and

they're

not

that

bad,

guys.

Well,

we'll

see,

again,

In

terms

of

the

best

medicine

for

the

Rockets,

it's

having

this

crowd

here.

They

were

so

vocal

last

weekend.

They

are

fired

up,

booing

everything

Kobe

Bryant

and

the

Lakers

do,

and

all

the

Rockets

saying

a

loss

means

something.

There's

been

a

lot

of

losses.

point

losses

in

NBA

playoffs.

In

fact.

That

was

the

time

a

team

has

lost

by

Many

times

a

team

that

loses

comes

back

and

wins

the

next

game.

Let's

see

if

the

Rockets

can

do

that.

Again.

Andrew

Bynum

is

getting

the

start

at

center.

He's

such

a

key

component

for

the

Lakers

in

their

championship

hopes.

He

had

a

good,

solid

Game

as

he

continues

his

recovery

from

knee

surgery.

He

had

really

been

struggling

in

the

playoffs.

Every

game,

perhaps

a

little

bit

better,

according

to

Bynum.

And

the

crowd

is

fired

up.

A

good

start.

Critical

for

the

Rockets:

in

all

of

their

playoff

games,

the

team

that

had

the

lead

after

the

first

quarter

won

the

game;

it

happened

in

the

Portland

series

and

in

all

five

games

of

the

Lakers

series.

There's

Chuck

Hayes

out

to

Brooks

Brooks'

runner,

first

shot

won't

go;

Trevor

Ariza

the

rebound.

You

see

right

away

the

Lakers

are

playing

the

same

defense,

not

playing

man-to-man

against

Chuck

Hayes,

using

Andrew

Bynum's

size

in

the

area.

During

the

playoffs

the

Lakers

are

two-and-two

on

the

road

(one

loss

here,

one

loss

in

Utah);

the

Rockets

are

four-and-one

at

home

one

of

the

best

home

teams

in

the

NBA

during

the

regular

season.

Their

best

home

record

in

years.

Five

on

the

shot

clock.

Scola

left

open,

likes

that

elbow

jumper.

Shooting

numbers

in

Game

Five

for

Houston

just

Jeff,

sometimes

it

just

comes

down

to

making

shots,

no

question,

and

especially

for

a

team

that's

undermanned

you're

gonna

have

to

outshoot

your

opponent

from

the

three-point

line.

Lakers

have

done

an

excellent

job

from

the

three-point

line

in

the

playoffs,

number

two

of

all

playoff

teams.

Stole

it

inside,

draws

the

foul.

He's

talking

to

Bynum

after

that

play

saying

you

got

to

come

over

and

help.

And

early

on

already,

I

like

the

patience

of

the

Houston

Rockets

on

the

offensive

end

three

trips,

Three

solid

jobs

of

moving

the

basketball.

That

time,

Ron

Artest

turning

down

the

jump

shot,

Feeding

Scola

underneath.

And

I

agree

because

Ron

Artest,

to

me,

is

an

ultimate

wild

card

offensively.

And

he

has

struggled

shooting

the

ball

the

last

two

games,

He

gave

up

a

good

open

three

to

get

a

great

shot

underneath.

Last

two

games:

four

for

and

four

for

hasn't

been

double

figures

in

either

game.

And

he's

missed

of

his

last

from

three-point

range.

He

can

explode

for

on

any

given

night,

But

he

has

been

way

off

on

his

outside

shooting.

I

think

if

you

run

a

test

you

too

skilled

offensively

have

the

contact

with

Chuck

Hayes

Rodding

target

so

you're

too

skilled

offensively

to

just

settle

with

being

a

three-point

shooter.

And

not

only

has

he

been

missing

but

he's

kind

of

stalled

their

offense

by

holding

on

to

the

ball

too

long.

he

pounds

it

a

little

bit;

Aaron

Brooks

at

times

pounds

it,

but

that's

a

huge

call

right

there

against

Chuck.

He's

the

one

guy

that

can

body

up

to

Gasol

and

make

it

hard

for

him

to

post.

He

only

played

minutes

in

game

five

because

of

foul

problems.

Scola

against

Bynum.

Here's

Bynum's

length

making

it

difficult.

Scola

still

puts

it

in.

A

tough

shot

and

six

straight

points

to

start

the

game

for

the

Rockets.

That's

a

very

tough

shot

with

a

contested

hand

of

Andrew

Bynum,

but

Rick

Adelman,

you're

excited

about

the

start

of

your

group.

Excited

about

the

start

of

Scola—he's

got

all

six.

Rockets

look

to

push;

good

transition

defense

by

the

Lakers.

Scola

has

fish

on

it,

looking

for

the

open

man.

Artest

back

out,

Brooks

the

extra

pass,

better

open

shot.

But

again,

that's

great

basketball

guys

turning

down

shots,

making

plays.

Tried

to

draw

the

charge.

What

I

love

about

scola

is

on

his

back

end

move:

patience,

poise.

Got

back

to

his

favorite

left

shoulder,

good

right-hand

jump

hook

to

negate

the

size

advantage.

He's

their

third

leading

score.

Ariza

shooting

from

the

field,

from

three-point

range.

He's

done

an

excellent

job.

He

just

continues

to

develop

a

young

player

that's

made

a

huge

difference

for

them

this

year.

And

he's

in

a

great

situation

because

teams

are

going

to

continue

to

live

with

him

making

shots.

When

you're

in

the

playoffs,

you're

playing

against

very

good

teams,

you

have

to

give

up

something.

And

teams

are

willing

to

give

Trevor

Ariza

open

looks.

Ariza,

a

very

good

defender.

He's

guarding

Artest,

who

has

a

huge

bulk

advantage

on

him.

And

Artest

dribbles

it

off

Ariza's

foot.

So

it's

still

Rockets

ball,

on

the

Coach,

I

don't

know

if

you

agree,

but

that's

a

jump

shot.

If

you're

Scola,

you

have

to

shoot

that

shot.

Pau

Gasol

is

going

to

play

you

in

the

paint.

Step

in

rhythm

to

shoot

that

shot.

I

agree

with

that,

and

I

also

like

Artest's

thinking

drive

most

of

the

time

until

that

shot

right

there.

Hayes,

Hayes

the

offensive

rebound.

Brooks,

the

water

pump,

gets

inside.

Beautiful

move

from

Aaron

Brooks.

He

was

the

best

player

on

the

floor

Sunday

when

he

exploded

for

a

career-high

in

game

four,

and

it

was

a

good

adjustment

by

Brooks.

You

can't

take

it

to

the

left.

That's

not

a

test

with

the

steel.

A

near

perfect

start

for

the

Rockets.

But

what

I'm

saying,

Mike,

is

you

can't

take

it

to

the

left

of

the

Lakers.

You

have

to

finish

like

Tony

Parker

teardropping

from

the

dot.

Rockets

open

up

on

Sunday

in

game

We've

opened

up

here.

Bryant

had

his

hand

to

his

face.

Excellent

defense.

Although

Kobe

Bryant

thought

there

was

a

foul.

And

Brooks

is

too

far

ahead

for

Chuck

Hayes.

Hayes

can

run,

but

not

that

fast.

And

turnovers

will

be

critical

for

the

five

games.

The

Rockets

have

had

four

turnovers

and

assists.

Fighting

under

the

screen,

the

offensive

rebound

and

to

me,

L.A.

needs

to

go

into

the

post.

This

crowd,

they

better

pace

themselves;

they're

hyperventilated.

Well,

Jeff

does

what

he

does;

he

follows

the

game

plan.

He

contests

shots,

and

then

it's

up

to

Kobe.

Does

he

make

or

miss?

That

time,

a

very

good

contest,

which

altered

Bryant's

shot

and

made

it

double-pump.

Brooks

steps

back.

There's

a

three.

Puts

it

in.

And

Bill

Jackson,

who

doesn't

like

to

call

timeouts

early,

has

to.

And

here's

the

first

standing

ovation

of

the

night.

I

tell

you

what,

if

this

continues,

Buster

Douglas,

move

over.

Talk

about

the

start

of

the

Houston

Rockets.

Aaron

Brooks

understands

he

has

to

be

aggressive

offensively,

gets

into

the

paint,

then

knocks

down

the

jumper.

Houston

Rockets

off

to

a

tremendous

start,

Once

again,

Back

from

a

disastrous

Game

in

Los

Angeles,

where

they

were

never

in

the

game.

They

lost

by

of

course.

That

loss

followed

the

terrific

Game

Not

many

people

outside

the

Rockets'

locker

room

are

giving

them

a

chance

to

win

the

series.

Shane

Battier

is

not

wavering

about

their

chances

tonight.

We

expect

a

good

effort.

We

can't

promise

results.

But

we

expect

an

effort.

We

know

when

we

give

an

effort.

We

have

a

shot

to

win

any

game

because

we

play

hard

and

the

challenge

is

great.

No

question

about

it.

We

need

to

find

ways

to

score

and

find

ways

to

take

care

of

the

ball.

But

there's

no

better

place

to

do

it

than

here.

And

they

are

boosted

by

the

home

crowd.

Lamar

Odom

has

come

in.

Bynum

will

sit.

Also,

Luke

Walton

will

sit.

So

there's

Jackson.

An

early

timeout.

That

is

rare.

There

are

some

early

substitutions.

Jackson

misses.

Hayes

with

the

rebound.

Brooks

looking

for

Scola

stolen;

Scola

inside,

eight

points

already

here

in

the

first

quarter;

he's

smiling

because

that's

a

big-time

post

move

by

Luis

Scola,

and

this

is

so

reminiscent

of

the

start

I

thought

they

played

a

lot

better

in

Game

Four

than

this.

This

is

unbelievable.

They're

just

pounding

them

inside.

They're

getting

whatever

they

want.

Scola

again.

And

a

foul.

You

talk

about

Luis

Scola

coming

out

aggressive.

Making

plays

in

the

paint.

Dominating

the

paint

area

no

matter

who

is

defending

him.

We

saw

Bynum.

We

saw

Pau

Gasol.

And

this

time

he

puts

the

Dream

Shake

on

Lamar.

They

are

constantly

letting

him

get

to

his

left

shoulder.

There's

no

help

or

digs

to

make

him

feel

like

he's

playing

in

the

crowd.

Plus,

They're

letting

him

get

back

to

his

strong

shoulder.

Inexcusable

lack

of

attention

to

detail.

Bryant

to

drive.

Left

shot.

Bryant.

Scola,

By

the

way,

He's

averaging

in

the

series.

points

per

game.

He's

got

points

in

the

first

six

minutes.

Ryan

picks

up

Brooks;

Artest

wants

to

post

up.

A

lot

of

dribbling

once

again.

Shot

clock

at

two;

Scola

has

to

put

it

up.

Nope

violation.

Second

turnover

for

the

Rockets.

Now

you're

gonna

think

I'm

crazy,

so

before

you

say

I'm

qualified,

I

already

got

a

head

start.

I

already

think

I'm

putting

Kobe

Bryant

on

stolen

and

putting

Lamar

Odom

on

batting.

I

want

someone

who

wants

to

compete

with

them

right

now,

and

I

don't

see

any

competitive

spirit

in

the

post

right

now

defensively.

It's

a

surprise.

I

don't

think

you

phrase

this

time

against.

He's

got

points,

but

it's

coming

right

back

to

his

left

shoulder

again.

The

catch

is

too

easy,

the

jump

hook

is

too

easy.

Miner

brats

makes

it

a

little

more

difficult

for

skull

over

the

size.

But

he's

on

the

bench

right

now,

the

soul.

So,

Brian.

Shot

clock

at

six.

The

soul

left

open.

Lakers

they've

scored

three

points

in

seven

minutes.

We

had

last

game.

Hayes

start

test.

Our

test

gets

inside,

the

drive.

Brooks

back

to

scola

up

top;

that

he

just

gets

it

off

blocked

by

Bryant

and

a

violation,

about

three

passes

too

many

for

the

Rockets.

This

is

again

too

easy.

Good

catch,

good

half-spin

to

try

to

counter

the

defensive

pressure,

and

then

gets

right

back

to

his

right

hand,

going

to

his

left

shoulder.

Lakers

during

the

playoffs

are

averaging

points

per

game

less

on

the

road

than

at

all,

as

Brian

can't

get

it

to

go.

Kobe

Bryant

now

for

from

the

field.

These

Rockets

seem

to

just

love

this

underdog

role,

especially

the

undermanned

role

right

now.

I'm

sure

they're

gonna

have

Yao

Ming

as

our

test

gets

it

in.

Backs

it

in.

An

lead

here

in

the

first

quarter.

This

is

a

time

you

have

the

right,

as

a

coach,

to

take

all

five

of

them

out

and

give

me

a

new

five.

A

five

that

wants

to

compete

and

play

with

energy

and

passion.

He

gets

inside

and

is

able

to

back

it

in.

Just

the

second

field

goal

here

in

the

first

quarter.

Bill

Jackson

was

saying

the

other

day,

Yes.

We

do

have

some

Jekyll

and

Hyde

tendencies.

They

are

taking

it

to

the

extreme.

Brooks

on

the

drive,

inside

Escola,

and

he

just

short-armed

it.

Brian

the

drive,

pretty

left

hand,

won't

go,

Escola,

the

rebound.

Go

at

points

and

five

rebounds.

You

know,

the

first

quarter,

and

we

still

have

three

minutes.

Our

chest

continues

to

struggle

from

downtown.

Fisher,

as

we

go

into

the

three-minute

mark,

I'm

sitting

there

speechless,

and

the

reason

why

is

because

I'm

amazed

at

how

lackadaisical

the

Lakers

have

come

out.

You're

talking

about

trying

to

win

a

championship;

they're

just

dominating

the

paint,

and

again

it

comes

back

to

this

front

court

toughness.

If

you

have

people

who

want

to

protect

the

basket

you

have

a

chance;

if

you

don't,

you

have

no

chance.

Tony

Bryan,

good

aggressive

move

right

there,

and

it

sits

into

the

floor,

and

it's

been

such

a

problem

for

the

Lakers

rocket

shooting

They've

hit

makeable

shots

Scola

again.

Notable

rebound;

Fisher

pulls

up

for

three.

Two

minutes

remaining

in

a

dominant

first

quarter.

What

a

show

from

the

most

underrated

player

in

the

NBA:

multiple

moves,

quick

move

back

to

his

right

hand,

left

shoulder

three-point

play

opportunity.

Rockets

up

and

rolling.

ESPN's

presentation

of

the

NBA

Playoffs,

Rockets

off

to

a

terrific

start.

Kobe

Bryant

struggling

in

the

early

going.

Back

to

six

of

his

first

eight.

Mark

Jackson

has

done

an

excellent

job

defensively.

It's

the

help

behind

Shane

Battier,

but

it's

also

Shane

Battier.

Keeping

a

body

on

Kobe

Bryant.

Following

the

game

plan

and

strategy.

Contesting

every

shot.

Not

giving

him

a

wide

open

look.

Fighting

through

screens.

You

talk

about

when

he

goes

up,

you

go

up

as

a

defender.

You

want

an

outstanding

job

of

not

surrendering

an

inch.

Shane

Battier

says,

hey,

I

stay

the

course.

That's

so

crucial.

Making

Bryant

work.

And

I

tell

you

what.

You

give

me

a

choice

of

anybody

that's

ever

played

the

game

to

defend

Kobe

Bryant,

and

I

am

choosing

Shane

Battier

after

watching

the

job

that

he

does;

they

have

Bryant

shooting

the

shots

they

want

him

to

shoot

long

two-point

jump

shots.

But

I

really

get

excited

watching

Shane

Battier

stay

within

his

limitations

and

say,

'How

can

I

help

my

team

win?'

It's

keeping

a

body

on

this

guy.

He

can

get

and

I

can

play

the

same

defense,

but

I'm

staying

the

course.

It's

inspiring.

Jordan

Farmar.

Farmar

hits

the

three.

Farmar

and

Shannon

Brown

have

actually

played

better

in

this

series

than

Derek

Fisher,

who

had

the

suspension

and

struggled

a

bit

with

the

speed

of

Aaron

Brooks.

Omer's

had

a

couple

of

double-figure

scoring

games,

both

in

games

three

and

five.

Scola

again

first-quarter

points

for

Luis

Scola

but

that's

the

shot

he

has

to

take;

he

missed

the

previous

one,

continue

to

step

it.

If

they're

gonna

give

you

that

shot

you

got

to

trust

your

ability.

His

high

in

this

series

is

so

he's

already

exceeded

that

near

the

opening

period.

The

shot's

short;

Scola,

his

seventh

rebound.

It's

disappointing

with

the

Lakers.

Magic

Johnson

in

the

studio

had

more

passion

about

the

disappointing

loss

than

anybody

in

a

Laker

uniform

or

in

a

suit.

Mark.

They

blew

it

off

when

they

got

blown

out.

I

think

when

you

let

it

go

too

easily.

It's

hard

to

learn

from.

Favar

trying

again.

Back

to

that

three

for

Jordan

Favar.

Huge

shots,

and

despite

the

complete

dominance.

It's

only

Yeah.

But

the

point

is,

if

I'm

the

Los

Angeles

Lakers

I'm

not

thinking

about

just

the

Houston

Rockets;

I'm

thinking

about

winning

a

championship

and

what

we

have

to

do.

You

have

to

develop

the

right

habits

to

be

in

position

to

win

it

all.

They

had

a

foul

to

give,

so

Favar

wraps

up

Brooks

and

the

Rockets

will

take

it

out

of

balance.

And

I'm

gonna

say

this:

they

better

start

thinking

about

the

Houston

Rockets.

They

let

it

get

to

one

game

for

all

the

marbles.

Who

knows

what

can

happen?

The

soul

is

even

saying

he

asked

him

was

game

five

a

statement

game.

He

said

we'll

see

because

you

just

don't

know.

These

averages

in

this

series:

just

points

per

game,

but

he's

got

here

in

the

first

and

also

has

seven

rebounds.

A

couple

of

assists

Rockets

led

by

as

many

as

here

in

the

first

period,

once

again

jumped

out

on

top,

and

after

the

first

minutes

they

lead

by

a

dozen.

Welcome

back

to

Houston

with

Lakers

coach

Phil

Jackson.

Coach,

You

said

earlier

this

week

your

team

has

a

little

bit

of

Jekyll

and

Hyde

in

it.

What

most

disturbed

you

about

the

way

your

guys

came

out?

We

just

didn't

come

out

hitting

the

shots.

I

thought

we

played

all

right.

But

for

the

shot

selections

and

the

shots

that

we

took,

They

came

out.

They

played

the

same

game

they

played

Sunday

afternoon.

Luis

Scola

hurt

you

in

that

first

period.

Anything

you'd

like

to

see

different

with

him?

Pau

has

to

pick

up

the

level

of

intensity

he's

playing

out

there.

He's

playing

a

lackluster

kind

of

game.

We

have

to

get

him

going.

All

right.

Thoris.

Players

themselves

are

trying

to

get

them

going.

A

pretty

heated

huddle

after

the

first

quarter.

Guys

trying

to

urge

each

other

on.

See

Jordan

Farmer.

See

Kobe

Bryant

with

Pau

Gasol.

Trying

to

fire

him

up.

Defense!

Defense!

Defense!

Defense!

With

what

Phil

Jackson

just

said,

it's

not

about

making

or

missing

shots.

It's

about

being

thoroughly

outplayed

and

not

stepping

up

to

the

challenge,

as

Brian

knocks

down

the

shot.

You

have

a

Houston

Rockets

team

that's

limited

to

Get

points

and

you're

trying

to

close

them

out.

You

have

to

begin

to

hold

each

other

accountable,

and

they

are

not

doing

it.

I

like

this

Baker

team

with

two

point

guards,

Brown

and

Farmer,

in

the

game,

putting

Brian

at

the

small

forward.

Odom's

block

leads

to

Brown's

layup.

It's

gonna

be

a

blocking

foul

on

Powell.

Lowry

and

Shannon

Brown—who

can

get

up—he's

gonna

go

to

the

line

for

two.

It

all

starts

on

the

defensive

end

with

Odom's

defense

and

the

block,

and

you've

got

to

give

Lamar

Odom

credit.

Good

job

stepping

up

and

not

allowing

them

to

get

a

shooting

rhythm.

Contest

a

shot,

get

the

block,

and

good

things

happen

when

you

get

stops

on

the

defensive

end

by

Shannon

Brown.

They've

got

to

get

him

in

the

post

and

force

the

double

team;

that'll

open

up

their

game.

I

think

if

you're

the

Rockets

you

also

want

to

expose

that

matchup.

Make

the

right

decisions—don't

just

pound

it

and

pound

it.

Trust

the

guys

around

you,

get

this

double-team;

come

on,

put

some

pressure

on

Lowry.

The

backup

point

guard

was

acquired

in

February

from

Memphis

and

has

done

a

very

solid

job

for

this

team.

Now

he's

trying

to

get

a

double-team:

Kobe

Bryant

is

on

him,

Landry

has

Brown

on

him.

Score

lost

it

all

of

a

sudden,

playing

hot

potato

with

the

basketball;

shot

clock

at

three—he

has

got

to

put

it

up.

Puts

it

in.

Nice

poise

on

what

was

a

shaky

possession

for

most

of

the

I

like

what

Phil

Jackson

is

doing

also,

leaving

Kobe

Bryant

in

the

ball

game.

Normally

this

is

a

time

when

he

would

rest.

You've

got

to

understand

we

can't

just

live

thinking

about

Game

Seven.

We

have

to

take

care

of

this

game

and

get

back

in.

That

deflection

from

Battier

helps.

Still

Laker

ball.

And

going

to

that

point,

Mark,

Two

days

off

between

games.

That

has

been

every

other

day

for

a

while.

So

fatigue

won't

be

a

factor

if

it

goes

to

game

seven.

Single

coverage

with

Battier.

Bryant

shoots

and

misses.

Skola

is

bound.

But

isolating

like

that,

shooting

long

jump

shots

without

dribble

penetration,

it's

hard

to

open

up

the

offensive

board

for

second

shots.

The

Rockets

will

live

with

those

shots

all

night

long.

Pass

inside

to

Landry

Landry

blocked

by

Odom,

another

rejection;

ball

knocked

loose,

nearly

goes

in,

and

Odom

comes

up

with

it.

Odom

trying

to

get

active

has

been

here

in

the

second,

driving

across

the

lane;

Battier

making

it

so

tough.

Landry

comes

out

of

the

pack.

Here

comes

Lowry.

Our

test

for

three.

Bang!

Good

job

getting

stops.

Shane

Battier,

outstanding

defense

of

Jacoby

Bryant.

At

some

point,

you

have

to

look

to

loosen

him

up

by

making

plays

to

other

guys.

Odom,

the

athletic

support.

To

me,

Odom's

got

to

go

to

work

against

Landry

on

the

block.

It

is

impossible

to

play

better

defense

without

fouling.

Stays

down

until

Bryant

elevates.

And

then

Shane

Batty

does

the

same

thing.

Keep

a

body

on

him.

Don't

commit

a

foul

one

thing

you

don't

want

to

do

is

allow

him

to

get

to

the

foul

line

and

get

a

rhythm

shooting

free

throws.

Landry,

part

of

that

Rockets

bench,

Artest

tried

to

jam

it

in

there;

Bob

are

quickly

and

able

to

put

it

in.

Far

more

speed

so

important

for

the

ladies.

Just

like

that,

back

to

Great

job

by

Rick

Adam,

and

when

Bryant

went

out

Adam

took

out

bad

EA

as

well

to

match

their

rest

periods

during

the

game.

Mark

Wunderlich

nearly

teed

up

farmer

and

said,

'All

right,

let's

get

a

little

emotion

out.'

Far

more

than

apologize

to

him.

It's

still

Rockets

up

by

double

figures.

One

of

the

fun

parts

of

this

series

has

been

watching

maybe

the

best

pure

score

in

the

NBA

go

up

against

one

of

the

top

perimeter

defenders

in

the

NBA,

And

these

two

guys

have

mutual

respect.

I

just

try

to

demolish

him.

And

he

tries

to

do

the

same

thing

to

me.

There's

a

certain

giddy-up

and

a

step

when

you

know

he's

out

for

blood.

I

try

to

go

for

the

jugular.

And

he

tries

to

do

the

same

thing.

So

it's

fun.

He's

out

for

blood

almost

every

night.

It's

just

a

matter

of

what

level

of

blood

he's

going

for.

Two

guys

that

play

as

hard

as

any

two

players

in

the

NBA

every

second

they're

out

on

the

floor.

Totally

different

personalities,

but

both

great,

great

competitors.

And

for

Shane

Battier,

there

is

no

Kobe

stopper.

But

there

are

guys

who

can

slow

him

down

a

little

bit,

and

that's

what

Battier

is

able

to

do

by

making

him

take

a

contested

two-point

jump

shot.

That's

all

you

can

ask

of

any

defender

on

a

great

player

like

Brian.

They

both

rest

right

now.

Artest.

Vaughn,

Wafer,

Luis

Scola,

Carl

Landry,

and

Kyle

Lowry

in

the

game

right

now.

Two

starters

for

the

Rockets.

Meanwhile,

Sasha

Bojicic

is

taking

his

first

appearance.

Shot

clock

at

seven.

Larry

the

jump

shot.

Good

pursuit

from

Luke

Walton.

The

ball

LA

have

to

get

Gasol

in

the

post.

That's

a

foul;

Gasol

picks

up

his

second.

Good

post

opportunity

for

Gasol,

a

little

jostling

again.

That's

to

me

between

a

flop

and

a

poor

choice

by

Gasol.

Good

sell

job

by

Stoller.

Foul

away

from

the

ball

down

the

other

end.

That

call

by

the

way,

was

made

by

Mark

Wunderlich.

Wunderlich

was

the

official

in

the

Denver-Dallas

game.

He

was

in

front

of

that

play

and

didn't

make

the

call

in

the

final

seconds

where

Nomello

Anthony

was

fouled.

The

NBA

said

that

he

missed

the

call.

Wunderlich

knows

that

he

missed

the

call.

He's

one

of

the

best

officials

in

the

NBA.

It's

his

year

in

the

league.

And

nobody

felt

worse

about

it

than

he

did.

but

he's

right

back

calling

another

good

game,

throws

it

down.

Now,

was

the

NBA

going

to

apologize

when

LJ

got

the

four-point

play?

Jeff

Van

Gundy

was

mixed;

they

moved

on

apologize

for

a

good

call.

Why

would

you

apologize

for

a

good

call?

That's

like

you

guys

didn't

get

the

benefit

of

the

doubt

in

Market

Square

Arena.

Marcus'

was

an

offensive

foul

call.

I

mean,

you

got

a

charge

instead

of

a

block

at

that

point

the

game

was

over.

You

got

to

let

it

go,

man.

I'm

talking

to

both

of

them.

It's

gracious

a

three-pointer,

Ron

Artest

in

and

out.

It

looks

like

the

bakers

have

let

it

go

a

little

bit.

Lead

back

up

to

it

was

as

high

as

The

game

started

on

a

to

run.

Loose-ball

foul

called

on

Scola,

and

that's

two

on

Scola.

No

check

that

one.

One

thing

you

want

to

do

if

you're

a

guy

coming

off

the

bench,

as

the

crowd

acknowledges

Louie

Scola,

is

you

want

to

continue

the

intensity

that

was

established

early

on.

He

does

a

good

job

on

the

dribble

penetration

by

Lowry,

finishing

at

the

rim;

they're

packing

on

him.

Here's

the

double

Wall

steps

back.

He'll

try

a

three

good

hustle

for

the

offensive

board.

Deflected

by

Hayes.

Seven

twenty-six

remaining

here

in

the

second.

This

is

game

six.

Lakers

trying

to

win

and

advance

to

the

conference

finals,

where

they'll

play

Denver.

That

series

would

start

Sunday

in

Los

Angeles

if

the

Rockets

win

game

seven,

also

at

Staples

on

Sunday

afternoon.

Vujicic

and

Gasol

playing

the

two-man

game.

That's

a

good

way

of

getting

Chuck

Hayes

off

the

body

of

Gasol,

dribble

penetration,

pick

and

roll

so

he

can

pop

in

rhythm

and

have

Hayes

running

out,

as

opposed

to

leaning

on

him.

Rattles

around

and

goes

in.

Another

one

of

the

unsung

heroes

for

the

Rockets.

We've

got

their

share

of

non-drafted

players,

second-round

players.

Vujicic

able

to

put

it

in.

Thirty-seven

twenty-five.

Still

a

dozen

for

the

Rockets.

It's

six

and

a

half

to

go

in

the

second.

Lowry

drives

hard

to

the

basket.

Oh,

Pretty

bold

from

Kyle

Lowry.

Again,

If

you're

the

Lakers,

you

have

to

be

discouraged

when

a

guy

can

drive

it

from

feet

to

the

basket

with

no

resistance.

Hayes

and

Landry

are

fighting

each

other.

You

know,

we're

talking

so

much

about

the

Lakers

and

their

lack

of

real

intensity.

To

start

the

game,

but

on

the

other

hand,

the

Rockets

just

played

so

hard

and

with

such

desperation.

Wafer's

three.

That's

good!

It's

back

up

to

Bill

Jackson.

Yeah.

You

couldn't

hear

the

whistle.

He

had

told

Bonnie

McCutcheon,

who

blew

the

whistle.

Players

kept

going

because

you

couldn't

hear

it.

The

roar

here

at

the

Toyota

Center

continues.

It's

all

about

the

ability

to

dribble

and

penetrate

here.

Great

blow-by

drive

by

Lowry.

Good

body

control

and

a

good

finish.

And

then

a

good

read

by

Bond

Wafer,

stepping

behind

the

penetration.

Knocking

down

the

wide-open

three-point

shot.

Rockets

back

up

by

Back

in

the

studio,

Hey,

Eastern:

it'll

be

the

Rockets

and

the

Lakers,

game

seven;

but

if

the

Lakers

win,

it's

Game

One

of

the

Western

Conference

Finals,

and

our

friends

at

TNT

will

definitely

have

a

game

seven

Orlando

at

Boston.

Interesting

that

it's

gonna

be

bright.

That's

it.

Dwight

Howard

had

a

huge

game

after

all

the

controversy

the

last

couple

of

days.

You

expected

him

to

come

through

under

the

pressure

and

play,

but

Bob

was

disappointed

in

Dwight

Howard

going

at

his

head

coach

Stan

Van

Gundy

because

he

talked

about

himself

and

was

disappointed

at

how

he

played

down

the

stretch.

I

can

remember

playing

with

Patrick

Hill,

and

he'd

have

said,

'Get

me

the

basketball,'

and

also

if

you're

gonna

point

the

finger

at

Stan

Van

Gundy,

then

point

the

finger

at

yourself,

and

then

the

guys

on

the

floor

who

didn't

get

you

the

ball

also.

Amen.

Good

point.

No,

I

was

fortunate.

I

coach

great

players,

truly

great

players,

as

Chuck

Hayes

has

called

for

a

foul,

who

never

looked

to

blame

others

without

taking

personal

responsibility,

accountability.

And

my

whole

problem

is,

hey,

coaches

make

mistakes.

Teammates

make

mistakes,

but

there

was

not

one

comment

after

the

game

about

what

he

could

have

done

better.

This

is

a

true

response

by

a

really

fine

player,

coming

out

there

and

getting

a

and

helping

your

team

win.

Don't

really

worry

about

who's

gonna

get

playing;

just

worry

about

doing

everything

you

can

to

help

your

team

win

and

everyone

will

get

the

credit.

That's

what

your

brother

Stan

said

after

the

game.

There's

emotions.

He

said

what

he

said.

but

we

talked

about

it.

His

only

concern

was

having

Dwight

Howard's

mind

all

set

for

an

important

game,

and

he

certainly

was.

Pulled

off

a

terrific

victory.

They

were

down

by

ten

in

the

third

quarter,

came

back

in

one

season,

still

alive.

And

now,

if

you're

a

great

player

like

Howard

you

win

Game

Seven,

you

don't

just

get

excited

about

one

good

home

game,

you

finish

it

off.

Offensive

foul

steps

in

and

it

draws

the

charge

on

Kobe,

outside

of

the

restricted

area.

Good

defensive

play.

But

I

didn't

think

he

got

there

before

Bryant

started

in

his

upward

position.

I

thought

that

should

have

been

a

block.

Shot

clock

at

nine.

Artest

kicks

it

out

good

ball

movement

from

the

Rockets.

Kick

ball,

so

they'll

reset

the

shot

clock

from

to

Brooks

very

big

minutes

for

the

Rockets

so

far

tonight,

five

points.

And

that's

actually

outstanding

minutes.

Kyle

Lowry

coming

off

the

bench

as

a

way

of

calming

this

team

down

and

execute

down

five.

Artest

again,

lots

of

dribbling,

fires

up

the

jumper

don't

go

Odom

and

He's

found.

Skola

picks

up

the

personal

that's

going

to

be

two

on

Skola.

Oldham

is

a

terrific

rebounder,

and

already

we're

witnessing

him

dominating

that

end;

he's

taking

care

of

his

business

on

the

board.

I

don't

like

that

possession

by

the

Rockets

they

don't

need

to

be

dominating

the

ball,

playing

one-on-one

and

jacking

up

shots;

you

can

do

that

when

you've

established

a

rhythm

or

when

you're

heat-checking.

But

not

when

you're

trying

to

close

the

door.

Coming

off

the

bench,

they've

been

most

effective

when

there's

been

ball

movement

and

man

movement.

This

is

a

one-on-one

play

by

Rana

test

against

a

very

good

defender,

Trevor

Riza.

Move

the

basketball

and

force

this

opponent

to

play

team

defense.

Odom

one

for

two.

With

about

four

minutes

remaining

in

the

set,

the

Rockets

have

led

right

from

the

start

to

to

Test

for

some

things:

Ryan

had

a

good

open

look

for

three

but

can't

get

it

to

go.

And

a

loose-ball

foul's

gonna

go

against

the

Rockets.

Now,

how

many

forwards

in

this

league

go

deep

to

rebound,

lead

a

break,

kick

it

to

a

great

player

who

misses

and

try

to

secure

the

offensive

rebound

and

get

fouled?

There

are

very

few

players

that

have

that

skill

set.

Just

good

help

defense

by

Odom.

Lots

of

shot

rebounds

busted

out.

Great

decision

by

Bryant

wide-open

three

and

then

draw

the

loose-ball

foul

and

get

back

to

the

free-throw

line.

Bruised

lower

back

in

Game

Four;

in

Game

Five

he

played

about

minutes,

coming

off

the

bench

once

again

here

in

Game

Six.

To

me

the

Rockets

have

to

find

a

way

to

get

Scola

in

the

post

instead

of

always

Artest

or

Brooks

on

the

drive.

It's

inside,

up

top,

straight-on

three,

and

Odom

another

rebound

with

that

left

to

Fisher.

Fisher

trying

to

draw

some

contact.

Good

defense

once

again

from

Jane

Ballard.

First

foul

on

Odom.

foul

on

the

Lakers.

Look

at

that

last

possession

by

the

Rockets.

Ron

Artest

got

rid

of

the

basketball.

Shane

Battier

winds

up

with

a

wide-open

three.

That's

a

shot

you

can

live

with.

It's

all

from

the

patience

of

Artest.

Scola

is

trying

to

draw

the

foul.

Let's

go.

He'll

shoot

two.

The

second.

Right

now

Luis

Scola

is

playing

like

that

old

man

at

the

YMCA

who

just

finds

a

way

to

make

plays

and

gets

on

your

nerves.

But

he

winds

up

being

the

first

or

second

pick.

Won

the

gold

medal

in

Last

year

was

his

rookie

year.

He

was

the

oldest

rookie

in

the

NBA.

He's

now

years

old.

Nine

years

of

pro

ball

in

Europe.

I

remember

watching

the

training

one

time,

saying,

He

scares

me.

He's

like

a

vicious

pit

bull.

Guy's

got

a

nice

smile,

Very

congenial.

Pleasant

to

talk

to

and

be

around.

But

he

is

so

competitive

out

on

the

floor.

Won

a

bunch

of

championships

over

in

Europe.

And

that

is

a

very

quick

adjustment

to

playing

in

the

NBA,

Mark,

I

don't

know

if

you're

surprised,

But

I'm

surprised

Jordan

Barnard...

He

has

only

played

a

little

over

five

minutes

in

this

game.

I

thought

he

was

playing

very,

very

well

and

gave

LA

a

good

spark,

scoring

eight

points

in

a

brief

time.

Jeff,

I'm

very

surprised,

and

the

reason

why

is

because

you

talk

about

Jordan

from

my

pop

being

lost

right

now

as

a

player

thinking,

'What

do

I

have

to

do

to

get

minutes?

When

I

play

well

I'm

on

the

bench;

when

I

don't

play

well

I'm

on

the

bench.'

Block

by

Brian.

We'll

be

buying

once

again

defensively.

He's

got

three

blocks

already.

Ariza

in

and

out

by

the

three,

back

up

in

the

left

hand.

Oh,

going

back

a

little,

grab.

He

was

trying

to

make

some

runs;

they've

trailed

by

as

many

as

Scola

there's

a

spin,

ball

reverse.

For

Lori

Scola,

that's

just

bad

defense.

That

is

awful

defense.

Artest

trying

to

walk

away

from

Kobe

Bryant

after

the

two,

and

a

technical

foul

was

called

on

Kobe

Bryant.

Bryant

and

Artest

banged

into

each

other.

Artest

was

upset

and

he

ran

away

from

the

situation

as

opposed

to

confronting

Bryant.

Skola

is

trying

to

calm

him

down.

Artest.

Foul,

but

a

technical

foul

a

tech.

You

see

his

head

snap

back;

the

left

forearm

didn't

look

like

it

really

connected

at

all,

and

that

might

be

an

overreaction

to

what's

going

on

earlier

in

the

series

with

the

two

of

them.

What

has

gone

on?

What

has

gone

on?

Well,

they've

been

very

close

to

an

altercation.

No,

they

didn't.

Kobe

Bryant

hit

him

with

a

legitimate

elbow

blocking

out.

Ron

Artest

gave

his

displeasure.

He

got

a

technical

foul.

They

haven't

come

close

to

anything.

This

is

an

overreaction

to

perceived

physical

altercations.

Now,

The

two

of

them

talking

about

Artest

as

being

very

calm

about

the

matter.

And

I

think

they

probably

both

think

the

same

thing.

The

personal

foul

was

called

on

Artest

before

the

shove,

And

then

the

technical

foul.

Well,

Mike,

If

you

were

on

a

tech,

You'd

be

calm

about

it,

Too.

You

sold

the

play.

You

got

free

throws.

You

got

a

technical

foul

on

Kobe

Bryant.

That's

an

awful

call.

No

question

about

it.

A

missed

call,

And

I'm

sure

the

referees

are

going

to

recognize

at

halftime

that

a

mistake

was

made.

This

was

just

a

little

while

ago

after

the

play,

The

two

were

very

calmly

talking

about

it.

We've

seen

that

throughout

the

playoffs.

Suspensions,

officials

being

overly

cautious

that's

become

a

hot

topic

in

terms

of

how

much

you

let

go?

The

game

is

not

allowed

to

be

physical.

This

ignites

Kobe

Bryant.

He

usually

gets

fired

up

after

plays

like

that.

Brooks

whips

it

out.

Battier

for

three.

And

Farmer's

back

in

the

game,

The

rebound.

Ball

knocked

loose.

Farmer

lost

it.

Brooks

picks

it

up.

And

again,

You

guys

laughed

at

me

the

other

day,

But

that's

five

technicals

on

Kobe

Bryant.

And

I

agree

with

you.

You

didn't

deserve

one

there.

But

on

the

seventh

one

of

the

playoffs...

You

get

suspended

for

a

game.

He's

got

to

be

careful.

Sometimes

you

get—what,

can

you

be

careful?

You

didn't

deserve

it.

What

do

you

want

him

to

do?

Sit

down,

that

move

was

doing

work.

He's

gonna

be

sitting

over

there

doing

work

now.

Bring

that

up,

Jeff.

The

NBA

could

look

at

that

and

rescind

the

technical,

say

he

didn't

deserve

a

technical

for

that.

Yeah,

But

you

just

gave

him

a

point

in

a

critical

game.

But

I'm

talking

about

the

possible

suspension;

there's

a

problem.

I

know,

but

that's

why

you

don't

overreact.

You're

not

just

allowing

them

to

rescind

it

later.

You're

giving

people

unearned

points.

That's

the

third

foul

on

Hayes,

So

he's

in

a

little

bit

of

foul

difficulty.

Coming

up

at

halftime,

Game

coming

up

in

Boston

on

Sunday.

There's

a

reason

this

is

the

first

free

throw

I

Got

legitimate

guys

that

played

this

league

for

a

long

time

blowing

up

my

phone

right

now

saying,

'What

is

going

on?

What

is

going

on?

That

is

a

bad

call.'

And

it's

disappointing

to

watch

time

and

time

again.

Now,

the

Lakers

I'm

not

as

upset

with

this

one

technical.

This

is

how

they're

told

to

call

it.

That's

nothing

either.

That's

not

a

foul.

That's

not

a

foul.

But

my

point

is,

I

don't

have

a

problem

with

the

individual

officials.

I

have

more

of

a

problem

with

how

they're

being

directed

to

call

these

technicals

and

flagrants.

To

me,

This

is

coming

down

from

their

bosses.

It's

not...

Not

just

them.

Yeah,

but

in

my

opinion,

I've

got

to

be

mad

at

that

call.

That's

nobody's

order

to

make

that

call

you,

as

a

referee,

saying

that

Kobe

Bryant

drew

contact

and

you

overreact;

that's

bad.

Brooks

hits

the

free

throw.

Now,

several

years

ago,

as

David

Stern

after

the

wall

of

the

palace,

they

really

cracked

down

on

that

stuff.

It's

something

that's

talked

about

now.

The

question

is:

have

they

gone

too

far?

Have

they

started

to

call

it

too

tight?

It's

something

the

NBA

constantly

monitors

and

addresses.

Brian

throws

it

down

because

it

seems

some

of

the

points

you

guys

talk

about

are

true.

Maybe

it's

getting

too

much

in

terms

of

trying

to

police.

Why

is

our

test

learning?

Tobey

right

now

instead

of

Batty

A,

and

he's

been

on

him

for

a

number

of

possessions

in

this

second

shot

clock

At

six,

Scola's

pass

deflected

out;

Brooks

for

three.

His

team

will

go

into

the

locker

room

down

by

A

little

different

story

from

Game

What

a

rollercoaster

ride

this

series

has

been.

Luis

Scola

sensational

in

the

first

half

for

the

Rockets

with

points,

Nine

rebounds.

He's

with

Doris.

Luis,

I

think

most

people

thought

after

you

got

beat

by

you'd

have

a

hard

time

coming

out

here

and

responding.

What

has

allowed

you

guys

to

dominate

this

first

half?

We

knew

it's

a

win-and-go-home

game.

We

got

to

give

everything

we

have.

We

know

we

play

hard,

And

we

play

the

way

we

have

to.

We

got

chances.

We

play

exactly

the

way

we

wanted

to

play

in

the

pregame

plan,

And

that's

why

we

picked

it

up.

When

we

didn't

do

it,

We

lose

by

That's

just

exactly

the

way

it

is.

You

had

a

terrific

half

offensively.

Where

did

you

personally

hurt

the

Lakers?

I'm

sorry?

Where

did

you

hurt

them?

Yao's

out.

Tracy's

out.

Everybody

got

to

put

a

little

bit

more

than

usual.

There's

going

to

be

more

shots.

We

just

got

to

make

them.

Thank

you

very

much.

Mike.

The

Rockets

were

down

at

halftime

of

Game

They're

up

by

at

halftime

of

Game

Our

halftime,

Mark

Jones,

Avery

Johnson,

and

Jalen

Rose

will

look

more

into

the

first

half

of

this

one.

And

a

terrific

Magic

win

in

Orlando

to

force

a

game

seven

in

the

Eastern

Conference

semifinals.

Two

quarters

complete

here

in

Houston.

Rockets

trying

to

keep

their

season

alive

and

force

a

game

seven

on

Sunday.

Two

quarters

complete

at

the

Toyota

Center.

Rockets

Lakers

This

was

Kobe

Bryant,

the

Lakers,

after

they

fell

behind

to

in

the

first

half,

trailing

by

They

cut

it

to

a

couple

of

times.

But

as

we

get

set

for

the

third

quarter,

the

Lakers

find

themselves

down

by

A

lot

of

similarities

to

game

four.

Our

first-half

stats,

shooting

numbers

for

the

Rockets,

excellent.

The

Lakers

really

struggled

scoring

from

the

field.

What

a

difference

a

game

makes

after

losing

by

in

Game

Rockets

have

bounced

back

beautifully

here

in

Game

And

hello

again

everyone

with

Mark

Jackson

and

Jeff

Van

Gundy.

Mike

Green

on

hand.

We'll

check

in

just

a

moment.

Just

a

wild

first

half

again

here

on

their

home

floor.

And

you

always

wonder

who's

the

guy

that's

going

to

pick

up

the

slack

for

the

team.

Luis

Gola

was

the

guy

for

the

Rockets.

Well

he

did.

He

went

to

work

on

the

Lakers

in

the

low

post.

And

that,

of

course,

And

you

watch

here.

He's

backing

in.

He's

always

going

to

get

back

to

his

right

hand,

jump

hook,

but

no

contest

by

Andrew

Bynum.

You've

got

to

leave

your

feet.

Do

your

work

early.

Again,

deep

post

catch.

He's

at

six

Feet

from

the

basket.

No

contest

by

Gasol.

And

then

this

is

just

great

footwork.

Half

spin

spins

right

by

Lamar

Odom

for

the

layup.

And

you

see

Scola

averaging

points

a

game

in

the

series.

His

average

in

the

series

is

and

he

has

All

right,

So

now

the

Lakers,

Again,

A

couple

of

times

they

got

back

into

the

game,

But

they're

down

by

a

huge

number.

What's

the

key

for

that?

Mark,

To

get

back

into

it?

Well,

They

have

to

play

with

a

sense

of

urgency.

That's

top

to

bottom.

Right

now,

They're

going

through

the

motions,

And

they're

being

exposed

by

a

Houston

Rockets

team

that's

outworking

them.

You

talk

about

pick

and

roll

defense.

Derek

Fisher

jumps

on

the

side.

Scola

makes

the

adjustment.

Four

guys

should

be

in

position

to

help.

Everyone

knows

in

this

situation

Aaron

Brooks

is

having

his

way.

Nobody

there.

The

help

is

too

late.

How

about

Kyle

Lowry?

The

blow-by

in

a

straight

line

to

the

rim

makes

the

play

for

Landry.

And

then,

Once

again,

feet

away,

No

help.

Able

to

get

all

the

way

to

the

cuff.

Lethargic

defense

by

the

Lakers.

Keep

on

doing

what

you're

doing.

You're

going

to

keep

getting

what

you're

getting.

Make

an

adjustment.

And

again,

What's

so

surprising

is

after

game

four,

where

so

many

people

called

out

the

Lakers—rightfully

so—after

a

poor

effort,

a

poor

performance,

they

came

back,

looked

so

terrific,

their

best

game

of

the

playoffs

in

game

five.

They

said

all

the

right

things.

It's

all

right.

They

know

they

need

to

focus

and

here

they

are

once

again

in

another

huge

hole.

It's

a

team

missing

key

players.

The

ball

deflected.

Ariza,

nice

little

fake

and

an

extra

pass

Fisher

for

three.

An

untold

story

in

the

first

half

was

Chuck

Hayes'

defense

on

Gasol.

There,

He

could

not

get

anywhere

he

wanted

on

his

back

down.

I

think

Gasol

has

to

face

Hayes

up

and

try

to

go

off

the

dribble.

It's

amazing

as

Brooks

kicks

it

out.

Man,

pass

stolen

by

Ariza.

It's

going

to

be

an

easy

two

for

Ariza.

A

guy

like

Chuck

Hayes,

who's

averaging

two

points

per

game

in

the

series,

has

such

a

pivotal

role

in

who

wins

and

loses.

Well,

He

is...

Legitimate

post

stopper;

you

can

shoot

over

him,

but

you're

not

going

to

back

him

down.

He's

almost

a

foot

smaller

than

Yao

Ming,

the

man

he

replaced

in

the

starting

lineup.

They

list

him

as

Brooks

dribbling

off

the

foot

of

Bynum

kick

ball

as

we

check

in

with

Doris.

The

Los

Angeles

Lakers

talked

in

their

locker

room

about

the

defensive

end

of

the

floor,

saying

essentially

we

need

to

affect

Houston

and

not

allow

them

so

much

freedom

in

operating

their

offense.

When

I

asked

about

the

offensive

end

of

the

floor,

with

them

shooting

They

felt

like

once

they

got

down,

They

abandoned

their

offense

and

went

to

too

much

individual

play

on

the

offensive

end.

It's

all

about

poise

and

composure

despite

the

fact

that

they

are

down

by

significant

numbers.

Guys.

All

right,

Doris.

Thank

you,

Brooks.

This

is

a

three-pointer.

Trying

to

guard

right

back

down,

Ariza

is

open

for

three

hits

it

again.

How

about

Trevor

Ariza

from

three-point

range

in

the

playoffs?

At

that's

why

we

run

up

test.

You

got

to

run

to

the

body

of

Trevor

Ariza;

you

can't

let

them

step

in

rhythm.

Three-point

ball.

I'm

gonna

call

an

offensive

foul

on

Artest.

This

is

good

ball

movement;

Bryant

with

the

drive

finding

a

reason.

If

you

run

Artest

you

got

to

run

him

off

the

spot,

send

him

into

the

help

defense.

He

didn't

and

he

paid

the

price.

Let's

just

look

over

the

top.

Aren't

you

good?

I'm

kind

of

asking

because

that's

two

or

three

fouls.

No

idea.

That's

the

second

foul

on

Artest.

But

you

got

to

like

the

Lakers'

intensity

defensively

to

start

this

half,

and

a

run

to

start

the

third

quarter.

Brooks.

Goal

on

the

drive.

Trying

to

draw

some

contact

and

get

it

to

go.

Here

comes

Kobe

Bryant.

Ariza

will

try

another

three.

That

piece

of

it

gets

back

to

Kobe

Bryant

in

his

hands.

That's

gonna

be

history.

Don't

you

touch

on

what

you

like

about

the

Lakers

to

start

this

third

quarter

is

multiple

effort

plays

on

both

ends

of

the

floor,

keeping

the

ball

alive,

contested

shots.

Just

a

better

job

of

setting

the

tone

in

the

third

quarter:

seven

straight

points

to

start

the

third,

there

within

nine.

A

very

particular

The

Lakers

become

the

first

NBA

team

in

playoff

history

to

sweep

back-to-back

best-of-seven

series,

Taking

them

to

the

NBA

Finals.

No

sweeps

for

the

Lakers

in

this

series.

They

lead

three

games

to

two,

down

by

nine,

but

have

started

to

turn

around.

Mark

here

in

the

third

quarter

is

a

seven-point

run.

What

do

you

like.

And

it's

no

secret.

It

starts

on

the

defensive

end.

I

like

that

they're

competing.

You

talk

about

fighting

over

the

screen.

Derek

Fisher

with

high

hands

to

contest.

So

now

he

stays

in

front.

He's

low

and

he

lifts

when

Aaron

Brook

lifts.

How

about

the

big

guys

using

their

left

and

then

Trevor

Reason

reading

the

passing

lane.

You

get

good

defense.

You

get

transition

points

and

then

unselfish

play.

Triple

drive.

Scola

right

there,

and

that

was

again.

A

pretty

good

defensive

sequence.

Gasol

fought.

stole

a

hard

one

in

the

post.

They

got

an

open

three.

But

they've

got

to

block

out

and

finish

their

defense.

Kick

ball.

A

little

inbound.

When

you're

in

rotation

and

you

have

Bynum

chasing

out

to

the

corner.

Someone

else

has

got

to

help

the

helper

and

put

a

body

on

Luis

Scola.

What

I'd

like

to

see

in

that

situation

is

perimeter

guys

also

rebound

if

you

have

a

responsibility

to

rebound

also.

Six

left

on

the

Top

of

a

Brian

hits

a

three-pointer

and

it's

a

six-point

game.

This

is

the

closest

they've

been

since

the

early

minutes,

Mark.

That's

a

similar

play

that

they

ran

last

game.

You

got

to

understand

what

they're

trying

to

do.

How

can

they

hurt

me

and

what

are

they

trying

to

run

in

these

situations?

That's

a

mental

breakdown

by

the

Rock.

Toby's

starting

to

heat

up.

Brooks

steps

back.

Can't

get

it

to

go.

Brian,

the

rebound.

And

that

was

a

great

block

out

by

Fisher.

Just

what

you

were

talking

about,

Mark.

Perimeter

players.

Jump

ball.

All

you

want

is

your

guys

to

compete.

This

is

good,

competitive

basketball

by

both

teams.

The

ball

hits

the

floor;

guys

from

each

team

on

the

ground.

That's

just

good.

Solid.

Hard

play

in

basketball.

The

salt

will

jump.

You

know.

Mike,

As

a

young

coach,

I

can

remember

Jeff

Van

Gundy

diving.

Showing

us

how

to

get

out

the

loose

ball

in

the

middle

of

practice.

Did

he

really?

I

will

never

forget

it.

Yeah.

I

also

took

a

charge

on

Luther

Head.

I

still

remember

that,

USF,

because

he

hadn't

taken

a

charge

his

entire

career

and

he

knocked

me

into

the

wall.

He

hit

me

so

hard.

He

was

a

little

guy.

I

never

did

that

again.

We

all

remember

the

flagrant

foul

on

Alonzo

Mournas.

Oh,

that

hasn't

been

talked

about.

Ariza

that's

a

three.

A

good

start

here

in

the

third

quarter

for

the

Lakers,

who

trailed

by

as

many

as

in

the

first

half.

Brooks:

that

whole

scramble

situation

started

with

Luis

Skola

beating

the

bigs

of

the

Lakers

down

and

forcing

a

double

team

because

Trevor

Ariza

had

to

pick

him

up.

Good

defense

from

Kobe

Bryant.

That's

deep

in

the

paint;

ducks

it

in

four-point

game.

Look

at

the

Lakers

bench

right

now;

they

understand

how

to

win:

locked

and

loaded,

ready

to

compete

from

top

to

bottom.

It's

inspiring

watching

this

team

play

a

run

to

start

the

third

quarter.

They

turn

it

over

that's

the

fourth

turnover

of

the

period,

tenth

for

the

game.

The

ball

kicks

out

up

top;

Fisher

for

three

won't

go.

Bynum

keeps

it

alive.

And

stripped

and

stolen

by

Hayes.

Good

activity

by

Bynum.

He's

just

got

to

keep

the

ball

higher.

When

he

secures

the

rebound.

Bill

Jackson

told

us

he

played

big

in

game

five,

meaning

he

played

like

a

seven-footer.

Scola

flips

it

up

and

won't

get

the

roll.

Ball

backing

around.

Bynum

comes

down

with

it.

You

see

the

Lakers

right

now

making

an

adjustment.

They

are

double-teaming,

leaving

Chuck

Hayes

and

forcing

Scola

into

traffic;

Scola

puts

it

up

and

Battier

raises

his

hand,

But

it's

not

on

him

it's

on

Chuck

Hayes.

And

that's

four

on

Chuck

Hayes.

It's

Kobe

Bryant

trying

To

make

a

play,

he

comes

off

the

pick-and-roll.

He

is

in

full

attack

mode

creates

the

contact

Shane

Batty

and

wants

to

take

the

fresh

off

of

Chuck

Hayes.

Just

show

the

replay

on

the

big

screen;

it

obviously

disagrees

with

the

steal.

Inside,

Count

it.

And

a

foul.

The

Rockets

kneel

out

as

Landry

with

a

chance

for

a

three-point

play.

Careless

turnover

by

Kobe

Bryant

on

one

end,

trying

to

thread

the

needle.

Getting

the

ball

to

Pau

Gasol,

And

what

the

Houston

Rockets

do,

Make

them

pay

for

the

careless

play.

Good

job.

Batty.

Active

hands.

And

then

off

to

the

races.

Get

the

ball

into

the

hands

of

Aaron

Brooks.

A

score

in

one.

But

this

time

makes

a

crisp

bounce

pass

to

Landry.

On

point.

Gets

the

basket

in

the

cup.

Landry,

five

points

off

the

bench.

The

Rockets

are

back

up

by

five.

To

Brian

will

be

right,

looks

up,

puts

it

in

for

Kobe

Bryant.

Brian

actually

upset,

felt

like

there

was

contact

on

the

shot

attempt

by

batting.

He's

got

nine

points

already

here

in

the

third.

Brooks

tied

up;

Andrew

can

score,

gets

it

out

to

Scola,

stole

away

short

value

the

rebound.

Just

his

second

field

goal.

The

Rockets

finally

getting

some

buckets.

Scola,

win

for

the

steal.

Knocked

out

of

bounds.

Last

touch

by

Gasol.

The

entry

pass

into

Gasol.

Up

with

the

steal.

And

then

an

offensive

rebound

and

the

putback.

That's

an

outstanding

job.

Making

sure

you

execute

on

both

ends.

Battier's

working

so

hard

on

the

defensive

end

to

try

and

make

life

a

little

difficult.

I

don't

think

it's

too

strong

to

say

Shane

Battier

is

a

born

winner;

he

has

every

quality

that

you're

looking

for

to

be

a

complementary

player

on

a

championship

team.

As

we

said

earlier,

every

team

should

have

somebody

like

Shane

Battier

in

terms

of

competitiveness

and

professionalism.

He

was

hot

early

not

that

time.

Rebound

tipped

and

taken

by

Artest,

and

you

think

about

the

rock

at

that

time

doubled

off

the

ball

with

Aaron

Brooks

allowing

him

to

step

into

rhythm.

Offensive

foul

call

with

Battier

leading

the

following.

You

know,

coach,

if

I'm

Jordan

Palmer

that's

an

adjustment

I

have

to

make:

I

have

to

recognize

they're

doubling

off

of

me,

I'm

gonna

catch

and

be

aggressive,

and

it

doesn't

have

to

just

be

a

three-point

shot;

it

can

be

dribble

penetration.

He

has

the

quickness.

The

Rockets

have

no

shot

blocking

in

the

game.

You

can

get

to

the

basket.

The

Rockets

are

starting

to

turn

it

over

here

in

the

third

quarter.

Five.

Six

in

the

entire

first

half.

Bryant

gets

hit,

and

he

gets

knocked

down.

We'll

go

right

back

to

the

line.

I

like

what

he

did

in

that

situation.

First

of

all.

Palmer

didn't

Don't

force

anything.

The

rotation

came.

They

got

rid

of

the

basketball.

And

then

Bryant.

Instead

of

settling

for

the

three.

You've

got

to

find

a

way

offensively

to

stop

depleting.

Get

to

the

free

throw

line.

Puts

the

ball

on

the

floor.

Aggressive.

Hard

move.

Creates

the

contact.

And

goes

to

the

line.

Bryant.

In

front

of

the

free

throw

line.

And

the

big

third

quarter.

And

they're

getting

off

to

a

slow

start.

Second

quarter

as

well,

since

that

was

double

figures

in

each

of

the

second

and

third.

This

must

be

a

tight

spot.

Bill

Jackson's

out

of

his

seat.

Score.

Five

on

the

shot

clock.

Cortez

back

to

Scola.

Good

extra

pass.

Back

shot's

good.

The

lead

back

to

eight.

And

that's

actually

good

execution

on

both

sides.

That's

good

defense

from

the

Lakers.

Better

offense

from

the

Rocks.

Most

points

Scola

has

scored

in

the

playoffs.

Now

Gasol

trying

to

find

some

room,

back

to

Bryant

inside,

gets

it

to

go.

When

Gasol

puts

that

ball

on

the

floor,

very

few

bigs

have

the

lateral

quickness

to

move

with

him.

Brooks

On

the

drive,

get

inside.

Pull

those

guys

aside

today,

push

the

basketball,

continue

to

look

to

make

plays.

Don't

look

at

the

clock.

We

want

you

to

keep

your

foot

on

the

gas.

Throw.

This

is

a

heck

of

a

move

by

Aaron

Brooks,

inside-outside,

gets

the

lake

of

pigs

on

the

hills,

creates

the

goaltending,

forces

the

model

into

Bob

on

a

little

bit

of

a

push

there.

Odom

has

not

had

a

field

goal

so

far;

that

one

won't

go,

gets

it

back

and

there's

his

first

field

goal.

Six-point

game

as

we

come

up

on

two

minutes

remaining

here

in

the

third.

Popping

under

a

pretty

bold

for

Carl

Andrew.

Brian

kicks

it

out.

Ariza

for

three.

Not

that

time.

Battier

takes

it

away

and

a

loose

ball

foul

is

going

to

go

against

Houston.

They

bumped

into

Gasol.

Rick

Allen

would

not

be

pleased

with

the

call.

They're

not

in

the

penalty

yet.

Battier's

third.

Let

me

tell

you

something.

I'm

sure

you

agree

with

it,

coach:

the

shots

that

the

Rockets

are

making

right

now.

Those

are

tougher

shots

if

you

don't

start

the

game

off

to

they

gain

confidence.

They

believe

in

themselves,

and

right

now

they're

making

plays

off

the

momentum

they

started.

It's

all

about

setting

the

tone.

Farmar

comes

up

with

an

offensive

board;

the

shot

clock

did

not

reset.

Farmar

will

try

a

three

that's

good.

Farmar,

strong

play

off

the

bench:

points

in

minutes.

Once

again

the

extra

pass

by

Bryant,

a

forced-up

one

with

a

contested

hand

of

Gasol,

and

he

came

in

instead

and

gave

the

ball

up.

The

defense

tests

him

a

seven-footer

with

a

hand

in

his

face

on

the

spin

from

a

double

team.

Boy,

what

a

pretty

move.

And

see,

that's

where

Landry

is

not

a

strong

individual

post

defender;

that's

why

the

foul

trouble

on

Chuck

Hayes

is

so

critical

Hayes

has

four.

As

the

ball

is

knocked

out

of

bounds

by

Bryant,

Landry

is

a

better

offensive

player

than

Hayes.

Talk

about

the

Rockets'

offense:

when

you

start

the

first

quarter

shooting

percent

from

the

field,

all

of

a

sudden

guys

think

I'm

Kobe

Bryant

on

the

floor.

That's

over

a

contested

hand

of

Pau

Gasol,

But

you

can't

turn

it

on

when

you

want

and

off

when

you

don't.

Final

minute

of

the

third

quarter.

Brooks

on

the

drive.

Gets

inside.

Banks

it

in.

How

did

he

put

that

in?

for

Brooks.

They

needed

a

big

game

for

them

tonight.

And

on

the

drive,

on

goal,

rebound,

Scola.

And

the

Rockets

will

hold

it

for

the

final

shot

of

the

third

period.

Scola.

And

that

ends

the

third

quarter.

The

Rockets

weather

the

storm.

They're

up

by

at

halftime.

Lakers

came

back

and

cut

it

to

two.

Houston

giving

themselves

a

little

bit

of

breathing

room.

Aaron

Brooks,

points.

The

second-year

point

guard.

And

he's

getting

huge

help.

The

best

playoff

game

of

his

young

NBA

career:

Scola

with

We

head

to

the

fourth

with

the

Rockets

up

nine.

Will

there

be

one

more

game

for

the

Houston

Rockets

or

is

this

the

final

quarter?

Right

now

here

in

game

six.

They

lead

by

nine.

Time

for

our

late

game

adjustments.

So

let's

go

to

Doris

Burke

with

Rick

Alleman.

Lakers

started

that

quarter

on

a

run.

Coach,

how

were

they

successful

early?

We

just

stopped

being

aggressive.

We've

got

to

be

aggressive.

We've

got

to

push

the

ball.

No

matter

what

they

do,

We've

got

to

push

the

ball

and

take

care

of

it.

As

They

have

all

year.

Your

guys

responded.

What's

most

important

in

the

fourth

quarter?

I

think

it's

the

same

thing.

We've

got

to

push

the

ball

out

of

them,

Keep

the

ball

moving.

And

get

open

shots.

We

start

walking

it

up.

It

just

feeds

right

into

their

hands.

Coach,

Thank

you.

Thanks.

All

right,

the

Rockets

seem

to

have

been

a

great

story

all

year.

They

won

games

despite

having

some

huge

injuries.

They

lost

Tracy

McGrady

back

in

February

for

the

season.

They

also

had

Shane

Battier,

one

of

their

key

players.

He

missed

games,

our

test

is

games

and

a

lot

of

difficulties.

They

have

the

incident

with

Carl

Andrew

work

in

that

carjacking

incident;

he

got

shot.

They

had

their

share

of

adversity

throughout

the

course

of

the

season,

but

the

one

thing

you

could

count

on

was

they

always

played

hard.

And

here

against

the

Lakers,

They

were

heavy

underdogs.

Especially

after

Yao

Ming.

He

went

out

with

the

injury.

But

they

had

that

fantastic

victory

in

game

four

and

here

with

a

golden

opportunity

to

force

a

game

seven,

and

you

know

the

beautiful

thing

about

it:

how

many

times

we've

watched

teams

all

season

long

make

excuses

for

injuries

and

being

shorthanded

give

the

Rockets

credit.

No

excuses,

go

out

no

matter

who's

in

uniform.

It's

energy

and

effort,

and

good

things

happen.

Just

a

tough,

gritty

team.

And

I

like

this

move

by

Rick

Adam

with

Kyle

Lowry.

Brooks

has

got

the

hot

hand;

he's

critical

to

their

penetration

game,

particularly

their

high

pick-and-roll

game,

and

that's

another

part

of

the

Rockets'

season.

They

traded

their

starting

point

guard

Raven

Ralston

back

in

February,

but

Rick

Adams

said

he

was

very

concerned

when

they

made

the

trade;

he

was

comfortable

with

Alston's

two

young

point

guards

getting

the

job

done.

And

he

gets

the

rebound

as

well.

Phil

Jackson

is

sitting

Kobe

to

start

the

fourth

quarter,

hopefully

looking

to

spot

who

took

him

in

the

back.

So

with

the

shot

clock

winding

down,

Landry's

got

to

do

a

better

job

of

preventing

the

catch.

He's

playing

straight

behind,

allowing

the

catch,

and

then

he

doesn't

have

that

physical

base

to

prevent

the

back

end

by

Gasol.

Andrew

gets

thrown

the

other

way

and

forces

up

the

shot.

He

puts

them

in.

That's

why

Landry's

on

the

floor.

He's

four

for

four

from

the

field.

Landry

forcing

the

issue

that's

a

tough

shot,

very

fortunate

that

it

went

in.

How

about

voyage

going

to

the

bench;

that's

bad

offense.

Complaining

about

a

foul

first

of

all,

it's

no

foul.

It's

a

bad

shot.

You've

got

to

be

much

more

patient.

Phil

Jackson

has

had

enough

and

is

going

with

Shannon

Brown,

just

shooting

from

the

field

in

this

series.

It's

such

a

great

playoff

run

last

year

but

he's

struggling

this

season;

Brooks,

falling

away,

won't

Goes

to

secure

the

rebound.

Good

individual

defense

by

Jordan

Farmer.

Back

to

Favon.

In

and

out.

Walk

the

rebound.

Shannon

Brown.

They

go

to

Gasol.

Stole

it

on

him.

Gasol's

triple

team.

Out

to

Brown

for

three.

And

Gasol

is

able

to

track

it

down.

Lakers

just

of

from

three-point

range.

Gasol

inside.

Misses

and

Odom

right

there

to

clean

it

up.

But

this

is

the

way

that

Pau

Gasol

has

to

play

offensively,

not

making

shots

the

last

couple

times.

He

is

looking

to

be

aggressive,

playing

with

force.

Good

defense

from

Brown,

deflecting

Lowry;

blocked

again

by

Odom.

That's

a

little

out

of

control

a

couple

possessions

where

Andrew

picks

up

his

third.

They're

going

to

play

you

defensively

with

force,

so

you

have

to

play

offensively

with

force.

Tough

shot,

but

it

creates

an

opening

for

Lamar

Odom

to

attack

the

offensive

board.

In

addition

to

those

two

blocks,

he

has

rebounds.

Wide-open

jumper,

stolen

strip

by

Brown;

it's

still

Rockets'

ball

and

we'll

have

a

timeout.

Houston,

trying

to

force

a

Game

have

a

seven-point

lead

here

early

in

the

fourth

ESPN's

presentation

of

the

NBA

Playoffs.

Chuck

Hayes

of

the

Houston

Rockets,

up

by

seven.

Still

early

here

in

the

fourth

quarter

at

a

packed

Toyota

Center.

including

one

very

interested

spectator

who's

with

Doris

Burke.

One

very

interested

and

happy

spectator.

I

think.

Commissioner

David

Stern.

And

yet

another

compelling,

Competitive

postseason

game

in

the

NBA.

What's

the

best

part

of

being

the

boss

and

choosing

to

go

venue

to

venue?

I

get

great

seats.

And

when

I'm

not

here,

I

get

to

listen

to

good

announcing

teams.

It's

a

great

time

of

year.

The

NBA

has

always

been

very

proactive.

You

evaluate

every

season,

things

you

want

to

change.

One

of

the

things

you

talked

about

pregame.

One

of

the

things

you

talked

about

pregame,

Commissioner,

was

instant

replay

being

'a

bit

more

aggressive,'

I

believe

was

your

word.

You

know,

if

you

had

your

druthers,

what

would

you

see

instituted?

Something

at

endgame

where

we

let

the

fans

know

we're

even

trying

harder

to

get

it

right.

I

don't

want

to

do

anything

that

would

please

Jeff.

The

other

thing

you

talked

about

was

arena

security.

And

obviously

Denver-Dallas

was

a

cantankerous

series.

You

have

intimate

atmospheres.

What's

the

challenge

of

keeping

that

and

the

balance?

We

don't

want

to

give

it

up.

This

is

a

great

atmosphere.

Everyone

gets

a

little

crazy

this

time

of

year.

Anyone

stepping

over

the

line

has

to

be

brought

back.

The

thing

about

the

NBA

that

has

been

so

great

over

the

years.

They

do

take

a

look

at

areas

that

need

improvement

and

try

to

make

those

improvements.

I

like

the

fact

that

we

have

something

in

common.

Plenty

of

time

remaining:

eight

minutes

left

in

a

seven-point

game.

Anxious

moments

right

now.

It's

our

test.

That's

the

three-pointer.

It's

back

to

I

like

that

shot.

You've

got

to

be

able

to

lay

it

on

the

line.

If

he

misses

it,

That's

a

horrible

shot.

If

he

makes

it,

Big-time

play

by

attempt.

Gasol

flips

it

up

for

a

quick

bucket.

But

the

difference

when

he

went

up

against

Hayes

right

then

is

he

gave

him

a

little

shake

to

the

baseline

to

move

Chuck

Hayes'

feet

and

then

he

attacked

the

middle.

By

the

way,

Our

tests

have

been

two

for

from

three-point

range

over

the

last

couple

of

games.

Hayes

to

Landry.

Landry

with

the

finish!

I

love

this

guy

staying

in

character.

Chuck

Hayes

knows

he's

not

a

scorer;

the

defense

runs

to

him

and

delivers

the

basketball.

Landry

says,

'Fellas,

all

four

of

you

welcome

to

my

poster.'

Landry

didn't

have

an

easy

path:

he

started

at

junior

college,

had

a

nice

career

at

Purdue,

and

was

a

second-round

pick;

Seattle

traded

him

to

Houston

for

a

second-round

pick.

He

just

works

hard.

He

had

some

knee

problems

in

college.

He

overcame

that.

And

now

a

pit

player

off

the

bench

for

Rick

Adelman.

Bryant

lifts

up.

Won't

go.

Andrew,

the

rebound.

Brooks

looking.

Rockets

have

a

little

bounce

to

their

step

once

again.

Brooks

splits

the

defenders.

Inside

pass

and

a

foul.

Landry

again.

Will

go

to

the

line

as

Odom

picks

up

his

fourth

personal.

Aaron

Brooks

is

just

living

in

the

lane.

He's

got

it

going

for

himself.

Good

split

of

the

pick

and

roll

and

very

good

find

off

the

bounce

pass.

but

he

returned

playing

basketball

and

he

is

playing

some

superb

game

tonight.

Shot

clock

down

to

three.

Big

shot

there

the

Lakers

needed

a

bucket.

The

thing

is,

if

you're

the

Lakers

you

got

to

find

a

way

to

get

stops.

You

can't

trade

baskets

with

the

Rockets

as

it

blows

out

This

ball

Barbar

trying

to

force

it

baseline

gets

inside

in

the

lane,

flips

it

up

short;

rebound

Chuck

Hayes

back

to

Brooks

and

a

new

for

Houston.

Chuck

Hayes

once

again

doesn't

have

big

numbers.

But

he

has

a

big

impact.

Brooks

on

the

drive.

Lost

it.

Marchess,

No

hesitation.

In

and

out.

And

out

of

the

rebound.

Jackson

company

should

have

been

a

kickball

call.

And

the

Lakers

will

call

timeout.

The

lead

is

nine

with

remaining.

Paul

Landry

with

a

huge

performance

off

the

bench.

A

lot

of

ball

movement.

A

lot

of

man

movement.

Chuck

Hayes

delivers

the

pass

to

Landry,

flying

through

the

air

with

the

greatest

of

ease.

Rockets

rolling.

Austin

on

Sunday,

Guys,

Back

here.

All

right,

Mark.

The

Rockets

don't

have

a

dominant

player

right

now.

What

they

do

have

is

a

lot

of

heart.

A

lot

of

toughness.

And

a

nine-point

lead

with

just

under

five

minutes

remaining

here

in

the

fourth.

Let's

listen

in

to

the

coaches'

recent

huddles.

It's

all

about

us,

guys.

It's

all

about

us.

Just

play

on.

Don't

whine.

Don't

look

disgusted.

Just

play

on.

You

know.

They

score.

They

score.

Run.

Get

back

on

defense.

Run

on

offense.

We've

worked

too

hard

to

get

here.

Now

let's

finish

it

off.

Try

to

finish

it

off.

This

is

a

Rockets

team

that,

at

the

start

of

the

season,

many

thought.

They

could

compete

against

the

Lakers,

they

could

battle

the

Lakers,

but

that's

when

they

thought

Tracy

McGrady

was

gonna

be

healthy

and

Yao

Ming

would

be

ready

for

the

playoff

series.

They

have

overcome,

as

we

said,

a

lot

of

health

issues,

and

no

one,

but

no

one,

thought

they

had

any

chance

to

win

the

series,

especially

after

Yao

Ming

went

down.

But

here

they

are,

on

the

verge

of

tying

it

at

three

games

apiece,

forcing

a

Game

Rick

Adelman

has

done

a

tremendous

job

with

this

team.

He's

had

some

good

teams

in

his

career

with

Portland.

So

apparently

nobody

touched

it,

so

now

for

Kobe.

Our

test

for

three,

a

good

shot

there.

Ball

battled

around;

Landry

falls

down

and

he

falls;

timeout.

A

little

bit

of

everything

from

Carl

Andrew,

and

a

full

timeout

for

the

Houston

Rockets.

How

about

this

move

from

Kobe

Bryant

it's

a

brand

new

move

called

the

jersey

in

the

mouth:

he

keeps

it

in

his

mouth,

double

penetration

then

releases

it

upon

the

release

of

the

shot.

Lakers

don't

have

to

find

a

way;

maybe

it's

play

defense

with

the

jersey

in

your

mouth.

Kobe

Bryant,

the

Lakers

were

hoping

to

close

this

series

out

tonight

and

go

face

the

Nuggets

at

home

on

Sunday.

But

it

might

be

a

game

seven.

And

Lakers

game

seven

from

the

Staples

Center

or

Nuggets

and

Lakers

game

one

from

L.A.

Meanwhile,

Orlando

and

Boston

a

great

game

seven.

Still

time

remaining.

But

Houston

in

control

right

now,

Brooks,

On

the

pull-up,

Aaron

Brooks,

It's

back

to

He's

got

once

again.

Pick-and-roll

basketball.

Given

the

Lakers'

props.

Bryant

for

three.

Bryant

very

upset.

He

thought

he

got

fouled.

It

looked

like

some

contact

there.

That's

good

defense

by

Shane

Batty.

That's

not

a

foul.

Right

on

the

hand

as

he

releases

the

ball.

Batty

has

done

an

excellent

job

tonight.

Brooks.

Again!

Aaron

Brooks

puts

him

up

with

three

minutes

remaining.

And

a

great

screen

by

Chuck

Hayes.

To

me,

the

Lakers,

with

Hayes

on

the

floor,

have

to

find

a

better

way.

It's

still

Laker

ball.

And

I

wonder,

looking

for

help

from

Tom

Washington.

They're

going

to

change

it.

Rockets'

ball.

And

that's

the

correct

call.

Ball

out

of

bounds

off

the

Lakers.

Right

now,

the

Rockets

are

the

team

trying

to

close

this

thing

out.

And

that's

off

Pau

Gasol's

hands.

Good

job

by

the

referees,

making

sure

they

got

the

call

right.

Aaron

Brooks

has

been

just

sensational.

Bobby

Bryant

is

still

arguing.

It's

pick-and-roll

basketball.

Good

job

of

getting

to

your

spots

and

taking

advantage

of

the

slow

rotation

by

the

Lakers.

Brooks

is

just

in

his

second

year

in

the

league.

Told

us

earlier

today

that

he

was

nervous

when

he

was

given

the

keys

to

the

Rockets

when

they

traded

Ray

for

Alston

and

made

him

the

starting

point

guard.

He

doesn't

look

nervous

tonight

to

me.

The

Lakers

have

to

figure

out

how

to

make

Chuck

Hayes

a

liability

on

offense

either

hack

him,

or

double

off

of

him.

But

right

now

they've

been

able

to

play

easy

pick-and-roll

basketball.

Brooks

strips

and

Landry

is

down.

Landry

is

six

for

six

from

the

field,

points

and

five

rebounds,

as

Alston

picked

up

his

fifth

foul.

It's

not

a

pleasant

conversation.

Coach,

you

make

a

great

point:

I'm

coaching

against

the

Houston

Rockets.

I'm

not

even

defending.

Chuck

Hayes.

He's

a

liability

on

the

offensive

end.

He's

great

defensively.

So

I'm

forcing

the

ball

out

of

Aaron

Brooks

or

any

other

offensive

threat

and

daring

Chuck

Hayes

to

beat

me.

It's

inexcusable

to

defend

a

guy

that

can't

score.

Timeout,

Lakers.

Houston,

two

minutes

and

seconds

away

from

a

Game

Six

remaining

here

in

the

fourth.

Rockets

now

with

a

lead.

Big

play

from

a

number

of

players.

including

the

smallest

guy

on

the

floor.

Well,

It's

all

about

pick-and-roll

basketball.

Here,

Chuck

Hayes'

solid

screen

is

able

to

attack

Kyle

Gasol,

get

some

separation,

pull-up

jumper.

And

here,

again,

another

solid

screen

by

Chuck

Hayes.

Allows

Brooks

to

get

just

enough

space

to

get

his

pull-up

jumper

off.

Good

offense

by

Aaron

Brooks.

Great

screen

by

Chuck

A.

Brooks.

who

they

list

as

six

feet

tall,

said

throughout

his

career,

high

school,

college,

and

the

NBA,

they've

always

told

him

he's

too

small.

In

fact,

when

he

was

trying

to

leave

the

Staples

Center

the

other

night

after

King

An

usher

stopped

him,

saying,

no,

You

can't

go.

That's

where

the

players

go.

He

had

to

wait

until

they

found

somebody

to

confirm

that

he

was

actually

a

player

on

the

Houston

Rockets.

The

way

the

Lakers

are

defending

him,

they're

playing

to

his

strength.

In

pick-and-roll

situations,

he

has

two

or

three

seconds

where

it's

just

him

and

power.

Saw

one-on-one;

what

they

should

do

is

hit

him,

trap

the

basketball

prior

to

the

screen,

force

him

to

get

rid

of

it

and

then

not

rotate

to

Chuck

Hayes.

game

with

two

and

a

half

to

go.

Think

about

the

production

the

Rockets

have

gotten

from

their

power

forwards

tonight.

As

Bryant

banks

it

in

for

from

the

floor

overall,

the

team

shooting

The

Lakers

just

And

a

key

stat

for

Houston

here

in

the

fourth

quarter:

they

have

not

turned

it

over

one

time.

Brooks

to

the

basket,

blocked

by

Odom

but

a

foul.

Odom

has

just

fouled

out.

Odom

had

rebounds

and

eight

points.

It's

a

pick-and-roll

Aaron

Brooks

keeping

his

foot

on

the

gas,

getting

into

the

thick

of

the

Lakers'

defense,

causing

the

contact

and

sending

Lamar

Odom

to

the

sideline

for

the

rest

of

the

night.

Aaron

Brooks

back

to

the

line.

He

should

have

played

four

years

of

college

at

Oregon

another

one

of

those

Seattle

guys;

a

lot

of

nice

players

coming

out

of

Seattle.

One

of

his

best

friends

growing

up

was

Brandon

Roy,

the

talented

guard

for

the

Trail

Blazers;

they

squared

off

in

the

first

round.

I

thought

last

year

that

the

Lakers

would

not

have

gone

to

the

finals

if

they

faced.

New

Orleans

with

Chris

Paul

because

of

the

problems

that

he

created

in

pick-and-roll

situations.

Aaron

Brooks

is

just

putting

a

stamp

on

exactly

what

I

say;

they

have

so

many

problems

defending

the

pick-and-roll.

Small,

quick

point

guards

just

have

their

way.

This

is

a

dreamland

through

the

rebound

and

the

crowd

is

starting

to

celebrate.

Under

two

minutes

remaining,

the

Rockets

turn

it

over.

Coach,

I'm

sure

you

will

agree:

you

cannot

defend

the

pick-and-roll

five

different

ways.

Master

one

way

and

then

live

with

the

results

and

make

proper

adjustments.

Kobe

Bryant

falls

to

the

floor

good,

aggressive

defense.

He'll

go

to

the

line

for

two.

You're

absolutely

right.

You

have

to

have

a

primary

way

you

play

something

and

then,

if

that

is

not

working

on

a

given

night,

even

with

the

players

making

a

great

effort,

then

you

have

plan

B.

Once

you

start

C,

D,

and

E,

It's

hard

to

be

good

at

multiple

things.

And,

Mark,

I

want

to

go

back

to

a

point

you

made

before

the

game.

Why

do

you

try

to

end

the

series

as

quickly

as

possible?

Just

because

of

that

last

drive

by

Kobe

Bryant.

Think

about

it.

If

he

had

taken

a

fall

like

Lamar

Odom

did

and

banged

up

his

back

and

wasn't

at

full

strength

for

Game

Well,

Kobe's

going

to

need

to

do

some

more

work

on

Sunday

because

it

looks

like

we're

going

to

have

Game

Seven.

What

an

unlikely

Game

Seven

between

the

Rockets

and

the

Lakers.

And

it's

just,

you

know,

fans,

all

sports

fans.

They

love

an

underdog.

When

Yao

Ming

went

down,

Everybody

was

saying

this

series

is

over.

Really

an

inspiring

performance

by

the

Rockets.

Well,

It

says

a

lot

about

the

coaching

job

that

Rick

Adelman

has

done

not

making

excuses.

That

energy,

that

effort

is

contagious,

and

the

players

have

simply

gone

out

and

outworked

the

Los

Angeles

Lakers.

We

have

a

whistle;

the

clock

was

not

moving,

Tom

Washington

spotted

that.

Especially

after

what

happened

in

game

five,

the

Lakers

looked

absolutely

unbeatable

steamrolled

their

way

to

a

win

at

the

Staples

Center,

and

they

talked

like

they

were

going

to

come

back

refocused.

Instead,

they

fell

behind

early,

down

by

in

the

first

quarter.

At

this

point

in

the

year

you

are

who

you

are;

any

team

can

have

a

bad

game.

But

you

have

habits

you

are

what

your

habits

are.

The

Lakers

don't

have

a

defensive

disposition

every

night.

This

is

a

great

offensive

team,

and

the

Rockets

have

to

be

credited

for

great

defense

against

a

great

offensive

team,

trying

to

force

the

turnover.

The

clock

winding

down,

Lowry

in

there

with

some

more

ball-handling.

Lowry

and

Brooks

did

a

nice

job

together.

Lowry

misses.

We've

got

Landry

just

took

it

away.

Most

of

the

crowd

on

its

feet,

cheering

on

their

Rockets

Draws

the

foul.

Shot

won't

go,

and

he'll

go

to

the

free-throw

line

with

remaining.

And

now

you

look

at

the

Rockets.

They

did

win

a

game

at

the

Staples

Center.

Game

one.

But

Yao

Ming

played

in

that

game.

And

Yao

Ming

was

sensational

in

that

game.

He

had

points

and

rebounds.

It'll

be

a

very

difficult

task

for

them

to

win

on

Sunday.

As

we

said,

You

never

know.

What's

the

key

for

them

on

Sunday

to

win

on

the

road?

For

me,

it's:

let

your

head

down

and

bring

the

energy

and

effort

that

you

played

with

here

to

Game

Seven.

Right

now

you're

playing

with

house

money

and

they

should

go

in

thinking

we

should

win,

because

one

thing

that's

going

to

be

consistent

is

that

energy

and

effort.

No

one

knows

which

Laker

team

is

going

to

show

up,

and

for

me,

for

Houston,

as

long

as

they

handle

the

ball

and

don't

turn

it

over

they're

going

to

have

to

make

some

threes

and

hope

that

Kobe

Bryant

doesn't

have

a

Kobe

Bryant-type

of

game.

Walk

fires

away

Lakers

with

just

points

here

in

the

fourth

quarter

and

battling

back

from

down

to

cut

it

to

two.

All

year

long

in

the

regular

season

the

Lakers

did

not

have

one

single

game

where

they

trailed

wire-to-wire;

they've

had

two

in

the

last

three

of

this

series.

I'll

tell

you

what:

when

you

watch

what

this

Rockets

team

has

done

throughout

this

entire

series,

it's

inspiring

it

says

a

lot

about

this

organization.

It

still

does

not

take

Kenny

Smith.

off

the

hook

I'm

embarrassed

by

my

fellow

New

Yorker

wearing

a

red

rocket

blazer

and

a

bull

top

come

on

Kenny

you're

better

than

that

He's

got

a

little

rocket

fever.

You

can't

blame

him

for

having

rocket

fever

here

in

Houston

as

their

team

ready

to

wrap

this

one

up.

So

many

big

impact

players

tonight

for

the

Rockets.

Carl

Landry

off

the

bench.

Superb

job,

Mark.

Coach

talked

about

the

power

forward

play

for

the

Houston

Rockets.

It

started

with

Scola

and

then

Landry

came

in

and

picked

up

right

where

he

left

off.

Time

and

time

again.

High

energy

finishing

underneath

on

the

block.

You

don't

double

team.

You're

guarding

him

with

Lamar

Odom.

He

is

punishing

the

small

defenders.

And

then

meets

you

at

the

rim.

Outstanding

job

all

night

long.

The

power

forwards

of

the

Rockets:

we

had

a

twenty-one

point,

ten-rebound

game

in

the

loss

in

game

two.

Another

strong

game

here

in

game

six,

And

I

think

he

missed

six

free

throws

in

that

game

that

he

had

the

twenty-one

point.

Maybe

seven

of

thirteen

from

the

line.

Bob

are

to

the

basket,

banks

it

in.

remain.

Again,

Not

only

did

they

lose

Yao

Ming,

But

they

lost

to

Kenny

Mutombo

in

the

Portland

series,

his

season

and

his

career

coming

to

an

end,

so

the

two

top

centers

the

tumble

didn't

play

a

lot

of

minutes,

were

played

an

important

role.

And

now

they

start

a

center

with

Chuck

Hayes

and

here

they

are

forcing

the

Lakers

To

a

Game

Seven

the

funny

thing

about

the

Lakers

is

that,

despite

not

playing

well

(much

like

Game

Four),

it

never

seems

to

affect

them;

they've

shown

a

good

ability

to

bounce

back.

You

don't

want

that

inconsistency

as

a

team

that

wants

to

win

a

championship,

but

it

doesn't

affect

their

next

game.

I

tell

you

what:

I'm

absolutely

done

this

year

picking

the

Lakers

I'm

done.

I'm

picking

the

Denver

Nuggets.

I'm

also

going

to

pick

the

win

in

the

Eastern

Conference,

because

those

teams

are

going

to

show

up

it

won't

be

because

they

were

outworked

or

gave

a

disappointing

effort.

There's

no

reason

for

this

Laker

team

to

be

in

a

Game

Seven

against

this

Rockets

team.

I

just

don't

think

anyone

should

jump

to

the

conclusion

that

the

Rockets

are

going

to

go

into

LA

and

get

blown

out

again.

It

may

happen,

but

I

think

it'll

be

closer

than

others

expect

going

into

the

second

half.

The

Lakers

won

Game

Five

by

and

now

come

to

Houston;

the

Rockets

will

trouble

them,

but

a

Game

Seven

in

this

Western

Conference

semifinals

seems

unlikely.

It's

been

a

wacky

series,

with

the

Rockets

delivering

another

tremendous

home

performance.

Game

Seven

coming

up

on

Sunday.

nO3oZ4y0jFE

Who will come off the Lakers' bench for the second straight game?

What was the crowd doing at the end of the window?

Which team is playing at home?
The Houston Rockets.

Who made the tough contested shot over Andrew Bynum to give the Rockets six straight points to start the game?

Which team retained possession after the ball went off Ariza's foot?

What career-high did Aaron Brooks score in game four?

Who hit the three to put Houston up 13-1?

Who is smiling after making a big post move?

How many points per game is Scola averaging in the series?

Who drove inside and short-armed the shot at the end of the clip?

Who pulled up for a three-pointer?
Fisher

Which player is Shane Battier shown guarding closely?

Which player was praised for his defense on Kobe Bryant?

Who is the Lakers coach being shown/interviewed?

Which player is seen with Pau Gasol trying to fire him up?

Who blocked Landry's shot at the end of the sequence?

What was the lead after that play?
12 points

Which player is making his first appearance in the game?

What type of foul was called on Marcus?
An offensive foul — a charge.

Which two Lakers are playing the two-man game to get Chuck Hayes off Gasol's body?

Which arena is this game being played in?

What foul was called at the end of the clip?

Which team is being criticized for dominating the ball and jacking up shots while trying to close the game?

Which player was praised for good help defense and grabbing shot rebounds?

Who is shooting the free throws?
Luis Scola

Who was called for a technical foul at the end of the clip?

Earlier in the series, had Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest been close to an altercation?

Yes — the commentary states they had been very close to an altercation earlier in the series.

Who just came back into the game?
Farmer

Which player has just picked up his third foul?

Who took the three-point shot at the end of the clip?

By how many points were the Rockets leading at halftime?

How many points per game was Scola averaging in the series?

Who was defending Gasol effectively in the first half?

Who was called for an offensive foul?
Artest

Which team was said to be the first in playoff history to sweep back-to-back best-of-seven series?

Who was right there on the triple drive at the end of the clip?

What was the ruling at the end of that sequence after the rebound and block-out?

Where did the player duck into before finishing the play?

Who just picked up his fourth foul?
Chuck Hayes

A replay of a play involving Chuck Hayes.

Which player had the last touch before the ball went out of bounds?

What scoring play finished the sequence after the steal and offensive rebound?

Which player was hit, knocked down, and will go back to the free-throw line?

Who scored on the inside finish after Gasol fed him in the post?

Who drove and banked the shot in the final minute of the third quarter to reach 18 points?

Which team is leading by nine as the fourth quarter begins?

Which team is wearing red uniforms in this footage?

Who did Phil Jackson put into the game?
Shannon Brown

How many rebounds does Lamar Odom have?
11 rebounds

Who is the NBA commissioner sitting courtside with Doris Burke?

How much time is left and what is the current point margin?

Eight minutes remaining; it's a seven-point game.

Who finished the play with the bucket after Chuck Hayes' pass?

What did the shot clock show?
Three seconds

What is the lead and how much time remains on the clock?

What would the Rockets accomplish by winning this game?

They would tie the series at three games apiece and force a Game 7.

How many points did Kobe Bryant have at this point in the game?

Who just put the Rockets up by 13 with about three minutes remaining?

Which player picked up his fifth foul?
Alston

How many points are the Rockets leading by?

Who is going to the free throw line?
Aaron Brooks.

Who will go to the free-throw line for two shots?

Which two NBA teams are contesting this series?

How many points do the Lakers have here?

Which team's power forwards are being praised in the commentary?

Which team won Game Five by 40 points?
The Lakers