Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets’ Western Conference semi-finals series have very high hopes. While the Lakers breezed past the Blazers in round one of the playoffs. Rockets barely managed to defeat the Thunder in their matchup.

Whatever be the case, the dye has been cast and this series will be exciting for many reasons. For starters, both teams have exceptional star players in their lineups. Moreover, the strategies for the two sides are polar opposites.

The Lakers play with a traditional five-man lineup on the court, but the Rockets have completely eliminated the center position. Head coach Mike D’Antoni opted for the small-ball lineup for his roster.

Houston has faced a lot of criticism for this approach but it has worked out well for them. In fact, they won the season series against the Lakers with two wins and a loss.

NBA legend Isiah Thomas completely supports this unique approach by Houston. Furthermore, he believes this lineup can cause problems for the #1 seed in the Conference semi-finals.

“I think Houston has a chance to give the Lakers all kinds of problems with their small-ball lineup because Westbrook and Harden playing against the Lakers. Both of them guys are from Los Angeles and I know they wanna play well, getting out of this OKC series I think there is a lot of pressure that’s been released from them,” said Thomas.

“But if they are playing the Lakers small-ball let’s just remember, when the Lakers go small-ball that means LeBron James is the biggest player out on the court against the Rockets smallest player, probably Tucker guarding him. So then it’s Lakers in terms of talent when we look at LeBron James and Davis but I do think Westbrook and Harden will play well in this series,” added Thomas.

Will the Los Angeles Lakers face problems against small-ball?

The Lakers have already tasted defeated by the hands of small-ball lineup in the regular season. However, the stakes are much higher in the playoffs. Also, head coach Frank Vogel will be working hard to find a counter attack to the small-ball lineup.

Trending

Possible Shohei Ohtani Ban From MLB Has Shaq Questioning $700 Million Contract

April 16, 2024 05:20 PM EDT

Shaq Makes Big Claim That Can End LeBron James’ Future With Lakers After Nuggets Series

April 17, 2024 06:48 PM EDT

7’4 Victor Wembanyama, Accused of Disrespecting Knicks Star, Gets MVP Shout-Out From Unbothered Jalen Brunson

April 19, 2024 02:58 PM EDT

Why Is Gabbie Marshall Not Invited to the 2024 WNBA Draft Despite Graduating From Iowa?

April 13, 2024 06:21 PM EDT

Is Dawn Staley Married? Details on South Carolina Coach’s Love Life and Special Bond With Lisa Boyer

March 16, 2024 06:41 PM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Moreover, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are amazing two-way players. They might be able to handle the fast-paced Rockets offense and turn it to their advantage as the series progresses.

Who will advance to the Western Conference Finals? Will it be Los Angeles or Houston? Fans will have an answer to that question pretty soon.