NBA Western Conference Semifinals Schedule: Los Angeles Lakers Face Houston Rockets in Series Opener

The Los Angeles Lakers remain a clear favorite in the Western Conference to advance to the NBA championship game but they will have to get past the Houston Rockets in their best-of-seven semifinals series first.

LA had little trouble getting past the Utah Jazz in their first round series as Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom proved to be too much to handle and the Lakers will almost certainly be looking to the trio against the Rockets. Both Gasol and Bryant can play away from the basket which will open the lane for Bryant to drive without fear of Yao Ming and if Yao stays under the bucket the Lakers guards will have plenty of options on the perimeter.

Much has been made of Bryant and the Rockets use of Ron Artest as a defensive stopper and the direction of the series may be determined by that matchup. Houston will struggle if they don’t limit the Lakers to one shot as they can’t afford second chance points. The Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers with solid defensive play and not an overpowering offense. That will have to be the focus against the Lakers as LA has a deep bench that will keep the pace of the game moving, something the Rockets will have to try to slow.

Offensively the Rockets will need another big series from Yao while also getting the offensive benefits Artest provides. That could be difficult if Artest is busy expending a lot of energy on Bryant and that would mean guys like Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks would have to provide the offensive output. While Houston doesn’t have the same deep bench as LA they do have quality and plenty of guys that have played minutes and if the series is close it could come down to which bench proves most valuable.

Tip-off is set for 10:30 p.m. ET.

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