The Houston Rockets are all about grit -- and teeth

[NJNJ]

Just for old times' sake, the Houston Rockets, or as they're known in Lakerdom, the Grinches who almost stole last season, won this season's first trip here.

 

Of course, there's a limit to how many times the Lakers can let down against the same team . . . even if the number was getting up there, and they had to fight the Rockets to the wire to win, 88-79, Tuesday night in a defensive struggle, or the NBA version of mud wrestling.

 

Gritty as the Rockets are, starting the night 20-14 without Yao Ming, they couldn't have hit the ocean from a boat in the first half when they shot 36%, and finished four for 23 on three-point attempts overall.

 

Not that the Lakers expect to dominate people with Pau Gasol out, and Kobe Bryant getting smacked across the broken finger on his shooting hand, and having to trot out his left-handed repertoire.

 

Of course, with Pau out, the over/under on Andrew Bynum's points went from 10 to 20. The over came in, with Bynum going for 24 -- his high since Nov. 22, which was, of course, before Gasol started the season.

 

The Rockets are one of this season's biggest surprises, although the Lakers got a preview in last spring's second round when the Rockets came back after Yao was hurt in Game 3 and forced a Game 7 here.

 

That was the Lakers nightmare in which the Rockets trailed, 2-1, when Yao left . . . after which the Lakers mailed in Game 4 and were routed . . . were thumped again in Game 6, before finally rolling over the Rockets in Game 7 . . . when Bryant, asked what he had learned about his team by someone looking for a quote about their heart and/or courage, answered "That we're bi-polar."

 

And Trevor Ariza acknowledged, "We were stubborn. We thought we could win on sheer talent."

 

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