How one unsuspecting hero stripped Rockets of their superpower: Played his a off
Entering their first-round playoff series with the Rockets, the Lakers knew they had to take away their opponent’s superpower. During the regular season, the Rockets averaged an astonishing 15 offensive rebounds per game — the most in the NBA, and the most by a team in 25 years.They also forced an average of 13 turnovers per game.
Layer those together and you’re not just playing an opponent, you’re playing a second invisible game that is allowing them more shots, more chaos, and more chances to bury you. Through the first four games of the series, the Lakers were losing that game badly. They gave up 21 offensive rebounds in Game 1.Then 17.
Then 18.Their turnovers were piling up like traffic on the 110-freeway.
18, 20, 20, and then 23 turnovers in Game 4.By the time the dust settled, Houston had accrued 69 more possessions than the Lakers across the first four games. And yet somehow, despite flirting with disaster, and dancing with bad habits, the Lakers built a 3-1 series lead while hemorrhaging the very thing that defines playoff basketball: extra possessions. Which tells you everything you need to know: they were surviving these games, not solving them. “In order for us to win, we had to protect the ball and rebound,” said LeBron James.
“We understood that giving them extra possessions is a kryptonite for any team.If you give them extra possessions and you don’t take care of the ball, it’s not going to be an ingredient for success against Houston.”In Game 5, something shifted. The Lakers didn’t just compete on the glass — they punched back.
They out-rebounded Houston 41-34, and more importantly, they flipped the offensive rebound battle for the first time in the series, 13-6. What changed from the first four games? Deandre Ayton. Ayton played like a man who finally understood his assignment.He finished with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocks.He became the first Lakers player to have 15 or more points, 15 or more rebounds...