Dare to Nightmare?

There is too much potential for a loss for any Laker fan to feel comfortable on this Sunday morning. At this point, I am done with predictions, done with analysis, and done with the semblance of understanding what makes these Lakers tick (or not). In some ways, I am reverting to pure fan status, just waiting with anticipation for the game, which I will watch either with glee or outright depression. I don't know that I like this better, but a Game 7 with a clear underdog is definitely what sports is all about.

That said, looking at this game on paper it would certainly suggest that the Lakers should bounce back. But as they say...

Good thing I have the Dodgers and Fish to tide me over until Showtime!

The Reports of My Demise are Greatly Exaggerated.

I have to admit, I was cursing the baseball gods, breaking stuff, and generally burning things in effigy after the 1-3 post-Manny start. I had lost all faith. I had foresworn the gospel. I was a baseball Judas.

But I have reformed. The Dodgers can play! They do some good little things to win. They play good defense, and the pitching has been remarkably adequate. Don't let the record fool you, the Phillies are a good team and taking 2 of 3 in Philly is huge. Beating Volstad in Florida is no small feat either, given that guy's stuff. And now they face Andrew Miller and Jon Koronka, not exactly the aces of the Marlins staff.

The Dodgers have magically transformed into a "Moneyball" style force that relies on getting guys on base. I have been critical of Joe Torre, and the bullpen (both handling and personnel) remains a mess, but the Pierre, Furcal, Hudson sequence in the lineup really puts a lot of pressure on opposing pitchers and I think it is working for this team. I don't know how long they can continue to prevail like this once Pierre (inevitably) reverts to the norm of his performance, but so far this style of ball has worked and we need to give credit where it is due.

A Riddle, Wrapped In a Mystery, Shrouded in an Enigma

I have spent much of my day trying to understand what is going on with the Lakers. I think we can agree that the series really is about the team from L.A. (not to be too much of a homer). When they show up, they win by 40. When they don't, the Lamar High Redskins could beat them. So what is happening here?

I have come to some conclusions that you are free to tear apart:

1) The Lakers are young and inexperienced. This seems impossible given that they are, well, the Lakers, but this team is really not playoff tested. Beyond Kobe and Fisher, you have Gasol (whose first playoff experience was last year, when they cakewalked to the Finals and then were toasted by a real team), Lamar Odom (experienced), Trevor Ariza (2 playoff games last year), Bynum (no playoff games last year), Farmar (perennial backup, had a horrible playoffs last year), and Vujacic and Walton (experienced, but both struggling this year). The Lakers "best five" (Kobe, Fisher, Gasol, Bynum, Ariza/Odom) basically have no winning experience on the front line.

2) The Yao-less Rockets are a Horrible Matchup. Without Yao, there is no place to hide Bynum on defense. This forces the Lakers to play small-ball, which is not the strength of either this team or the triangle offense. The triangle relies on a good passing bigman in the post, but Gasol is struggling as a post player against smaller, quicker Rockets forwards. Bynum can't play on offense because he is a tremendous defensive liability against the mighty mite offense the Rockets are running.

3) The Lakers are Arrogant. This team succeeded in the playoffs last year when they were the underdogs and everyone thought they were a year away. This team struggled against crappy opponents in the regular season this year because they went in expecting to win even if they are not as sharp as they could be. This team is lacking a Garnett-type leader, a blue-collar, lunch pail type player who jerks them back into focus when they are coasting. The Zen-master is the exact opposite of this type of leader. He is trying to make them relax when it appears the problem is they are too relaxed.

4) Vujacic can't shoot. It is easy to forget that this off-season the Lakers got rid of an energy guy (Turiaf) and resigned Vujacic for big money because of his great shooting in the playoffs. The Rockets are able to clog the lane and prevent Kobe from getting his shots in large part because no one is hitting any 3's (except Ariza, who is not exactly a feared shooter). Vujacic was supposed to play the John Paxson roll on this team, and instead he is playing the Luc Longley roll.

5) The NBA is Fixed. Okay, I just threw this in because I told Laker Girl last night when the score was 21-3 that, if I didn't know better, I'd say the Lakers were throwing the game. David Stern was in attendance after all.

As for Sunday....who the hell knows. At this point, I would be hard pressed to go against the Lakers with their backs against the wall -- but at the same time the Lakers have shown they cannot match the Rockets' mental toughness. If the Rockets get out to a lead I have no faith that the Lakers can mount a rally.

Making Houston Proud

Admit it. If you weren't a Lakers fan, you'd be pulling for the Rockets in this series. Frankly, it's ridiculous that this series is still a series. The Rockets toasted the Lakers in the 4th quarter of Game 6 with a lineup consisting primarily of Aaron Brooks, Ron Artest, Shane Battier, Carl Landry, and Chuck Hayes. No, I'm not kidding. At the start of this season, that was four bench players and Ron Artest for the Rockets. But now - somehow, someway - they have forced a Game 7 versus the vaunted Los Angeles Lakers.

How have they done it? Through some overused sports cliches: guts, grit, hard work, toughness. Usually, those descriptions are reserved for lazy television analysts to describe a team with non-glamorous talent. But here, they are actually applicable. It helps that the Rockets are facing an opponent that doesn't seem interested in putting forth maximum effort until they really have to. It also helps that said opponent, while tremendously talented on the offensive end, consists of a bunch of pillow-soft wusses on the defensive end.

I doubt the Rockets have much of a prayer in Game 7 on Sunday. The Lakers are clearly the superior team (and that's even if the Rockets had their two best players). But I bet the Rockets will show up and put up a good fight. For this Houstonian and bandwagon Rockets fan, how can I ask for more? This is a team that is easy to root for, doesn't make excuses, and gets everything out of what they have. In other words, a heck of a team. Go Rockets.

The Man

Well, you knew this post was coming. Halladay was brilliant on Tuesday vs. the Yankees, throwing yet another complete game. His final line against the Bronx Bombers: 9 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 103 pitches. At one point during the game, he had retired 17 Yankee batters in a row. His record now stands at a MLB-leading 7-1 with a 2.95 ERA.

In his 8 starts in 2009, Halladay has yet to last less than 7 innings in any of them. His IP totals for his 8 starts: 7, 7, 7, 8, 7, 8, 8, 9. He has seven walks over 61 innings pitched this year.

He has now received a decision in his last 25 starts (19-6 over that stretch). A true credit to his consistency in pitching late into every game he starts.

Since 2003, Halladay has 36 complete games to his credit. That is more than 20 major league teams over that same time period. Ridiculous.

Doc, I bow down to your greatness. You provide me three hours of joy every five days for which I am truly appreciative. He's the best thing to come from Canada since...um...Elisha Cuthbert? (Halladay is actually from Denver, but we don't dwell on details here at SLAE.)

Now THAT"s the way to start a roadtrip

Get 2 damn runs against Chan Ho -freaking -Park and lose to the Phillies. I am telling you, we will be lucky to go 20-30 without Manny.

Prediction Time

Some people see sports as a beacon of opportunity. Win or leose, there is almost always a next game, a next season, a next chance to prove you are good enough. I am not one of those people (at least, not this week). I see tonight as another chance for the Lakers to break my heart, kick me in the stomach, and stomp on the remnants of my Fandom. But that's just me.

Prediction:

Rockets 98

Lakers 104