“Awful”: NBA Hall of Famer Disregards Houston Rockets’ Chances against Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers face the Houston Rockets tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. After a grueling seven-game series against the Thunder, the Rockets now face an even bigger challenge in the Lakers. With two MVP candidates, James Harden and LeBron James, going head to head, it’s definitely going to be an interesting series.

But Hall of Famer Charles Barkley feels differently. On the NBA on TNT show, Barkley said that the series is going to be “awful.”

He said, “As great as the first round was in the Western Conference, I think these two series are going to be awful. I think it’s a bad matchup for the Rockets. They’re too little and I think Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee are gonna go crazy on the offensive board. So I don’t think it’s gonna be a good series.”

Can the Los Angeles Lakers live up to these expectations?

With the way LeBron James and Anthony Davis dominated in the series against Portland, the Lakers come in as favorites. On the other hand, James Harden and the Rockets struggled against the Thunder. Had it not been for a clutch block by Harden and a fumble by the Thunder, the Rockets would have been sent home in a first-round exit.

Barkley is right when he talks about the rebound advantage. However, in the previous game in the Bubble, the Lakers (sans LeBron) lost to the Rockets despite having 14 more rebounds. Their inability to make the most out of it and their poor shooting let them down in that game.

Like Draymond Green mentioned, in the end, the Lakers need their shooters to have a good series too. Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Kyle Kuzma need to show up and contribute. The Lakers cannot expect LeBron and AD to bail them out in every game.

For the Rockets, they need Harden and Westbrook to get back to form. Both struggled against the Thunder, and it almost cost them the series. If they cannot improve, the Rockets risk a second successive season of a second-round exit from the Playoffs.