How they match up
GUARDS
Since LeBron James operates as a point forward, leading the league in assists for the first time in his career, the Lakers guards’ primary jobs are to spread the floor, knock down 3s and defend like crazy. Danny Green and Kentavious CaldwellPope are well-suited for those duties. Caldwell-Pope hit 38 percent of his 3s in the first round, while Green, a career 39.4 percent 3-point shooter in 10 post seasons, hit 34.6 percent. Green made 58.3 percent of his 3s against the Rockets in the regular season. The Rockets got their MVP backcourt back together in Game 5. That could be especially important against the Lakers. Russell Westbrook averaged 38 points on 62.5 percent shooting in two games against the Lakers this season. James Harden averaged 29 points and 8.7 assists against the Lakers and had 39 points on 11 of 19 shooting with 12 assists in the seeding games win that Westbrook and James missed.
EDGE: ROCKETS
The Rockets’ star guards have to do more than just win the backcourt matchup. They likely will have to dominate. Though used frequently before the February showcase game in Los Angeles, the smallball style had its coming out party that night with the Rockets spreading the floor and unleashing Westbrook. That plan similarly worked for Harden in the restart game last month. Both will face outstanding defensive players but will have to soar. The challenge all season has been to have both clicking at the same time, as will be necessary to beat the Lakers.
FORWARDS
After a sluggish start, Eric Gordon and Robert Covington came on in the firstround series. Covington found his shooting touch and Gordon found his way to the rim. After scoring just 18 points in the first three games of the series combined, in the next four he averaged 18.8. On Wednesday, Covington added 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots and did not commit a turnover. Gordon made 5 of 9 3s in Game 7, scoring 21 points. Both bolster the Rockets’ defense. While the Rockets have a pair of former MVPs in the backcourt, the Lakers have two players coming off MVP-caliber seasons playing in the frontcourt. James was spectacular in the first round, averaging a tripledouble, becoming the first player in NBA history with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a playoff game before getting a 36-point triple double in the first-round closeout game. Anthony Davis, who averaged 29.8 points against the Trail Blazers, had 43 points on 14 of 19 shooting to eliminate the Blazers, and he made 65.5 percent of his shots against the Rockets this season.
EDGE: LAKERS
The matchups are unclear, though it seems certain that other than in switches, the Rockets forwards won’t entirely match up with the Lakers’ stars. Rockets center P.J. Tucker has over the years been assigned to defend Davis and James. This season, with James and Davis on the same team, Tucker has been assigned to defend Davis. The Rockets could change that up, putting Tucker on James and Covington, who did not start against the Lakers on his first day with the Rockets, on James. Gordon could be assigned to defend James. The Rockets switch so often, a variety of Rockets will have to try to slow the Lakers’ stars.
CENTER
JaVale McGee played a limited role against the Trail Blazers, even with the Blazers using a traditional center, averaging just 13.4 minutes per game. But he remains a strong lob threat, keeping help at home. Tucker made 37.2 percent of his 3s in the first round, but he misfired in Game 7 before sinking the game-winning mid-range jumper. He won’t take many of those but will have to shoot at least as well from deep, not just to take advantage of scoring chances but to get the Lakers’ centers out of the lane.
EDGE: EVEN
The Rockets could have the edge if Harden is considered a point center. He is not often described that way, but he could often be assigned to defend McGee. That could put his talents for low-post defense to use much more often than in the Thunder series, but he and other Rockets players will have to help keep him off the glass. The Rockets will need Tucker to knock down 3s, not just for the scoring, but to keep McGee out of the lane and in the way before he hands off the position to Dwight Howard. Tucker made 50 percent of his 3-pointers against the Lakers in three regular-season meetings.
BENCH
The Rockets’ bench could fall under the X Factor category. At least when it comes to scoring, you never know what you’re going to get. The Rockets believe they have solid, versatile depth. The bench was key at the start of the Thunder series. As valuable as the range shooting of Jeff Green and Ben McLemore can be, assuming McLemore gets back in the rotation, along with Green’s perimeter ballhandling and Danuel House Jr.’s more well-rounded game can be, the Rockets bench might have to play a larger role than just providing a sudden boost. The Lakers have gotten strong play off the bench from Dwight Howard, who can especially be a force on the offensive boards. Kyle Kuzma did not shoot well in the first round but has played with great energy and has occasionally lit up the Rockets. The Lakers’ depth seemed to take a hit when Avery Bradley opted out of the restart and Rajon Rondo was hurt. But the Lakers scooped up J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters and had already added Markieff Morris. Rondo is close to returning, but Alex Caruso in an increased role did a nice job while he was out.
EDGE: EVEN
If the matchup of benches comes down to top-scoring Aggie, the Rockets could have the edge with House over Caruso. House is the second-leading playoff scorer among undrafted players, behind only Toronto’s Fred VanVleet, averaged 12.9 points in the first round and has grown into a good answer to Kuzma. He also might have to spend some time defending James. The matchup of Jeff Green and Howard could be most interesting. If Green can take Howard out of the paint, the Lakers could match up small, as they did in the second half against the Rockets in February.
X-FACTOR
The matchup of the Lakers and Rockets seems the ultimate test of the small-ball style. The Rockets have only one starter, Covington, taller than the shortest Lakers starter, the 6-5 Caldwell-Pope. The Lakers clog the paint and passing lanes with great length, along with the physical presence of James. They led the NBA in paint scoring and points off turnovers in the first round. The Rockets dramatically improved in those areas, allowing the fewest points off turnovers and fourthfewest points in the paint in the first round. The Trail Blazers shot well from the 3-point line against the Lakers, but that too is usually a strength of a Lakers defense that ranked third in the NBA in the regular season in 3-point percentage defense. The Rockets could spread the floor to negate some of the Lakers’ strength, as they did in two of the regularseason meetings (one without James) after moving to the full-time small-ball lineups. But that is a lot of strength to negate.
EDGE: LAKERS
Though much will be made of the Lakers’ advantage on the boards, ranking sixth in second-chance points in the regular season and third in the playoffs, the real issue could be how their length impacts the Rockets offense. The Rockets can get open 3-pointers on anybody. But against the Lakers, they will have to shoot them phenomenally well.