Apparently the Mavs aren't the only team that consistently forgets who their best player is.

[Murphy3]

Houston 102, LA Lakers 91

Preview - Box Score - Recap

By CHRIS SHERIDAN, AP Basketball Writer
April 24, 2004

AP - Apr 24, 12:56 am EDT
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HOUSTON (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal was a non-factor for half of the game, and he wasn't happy about it afterward.

The Houston Rockets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 102-91 Friday night, cutting Los Angeles' lead to 2-1 in their best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series.

Steve Francis hit two late acrobatic buckets, and Yao Ming and Maurice Taylor made solid contributions. But the main factor in this game -- or non-factor, as was the case -- was the Lakers not sticking with what worked early and late.

``I'm proven like two plus two. I shouldn't have to say anything. They should know,'' O'Neal said. ``We have to stick with what got us the lead. I got the ball and I was doing my thing, then I didn't see it for a while. That's been going on all year.''

It was a rare Game 3 loss on the road for a team coached by Phil Jackson with a 2-0 series lead. His teams, when given a chance to take an all-but-insurmountable 3-0 lead, have historically gotten it.

In this case, however, the middle two quarters proved to be the Lakers' undoing. O'Neal scored 25 points, 11 coming in the first few minutes and 10 more in the fourth quarter.

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``Well, maybe we should get him the ball more,'' Karl Malone said.

Francis had 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, Cuttino Mobley added 21 points, Yao scored 18 and Taylor came off the bench to add 16 as the Rockets thrilled their fans in the first playoff game in Houston since 1999.

The series resumes with Game 4 on Sunday.

``We haven't done anything. This is not about pounding our chests after one win,'' said Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy, who pulled Yao and Francis away as they were about to do a live television interview shortly after the game.

Aside from the mysterious 24-minute disappearance of O'Neal, another huge factor was Houston's 3-point shooting.

The Rockets, who had made only five 3s in the first two games of the series, had nine of them -- including four by Francis and three by Jim Jackson.

Los Angeles was hurt by 10 missed free throws -- nine by O'Neal.


AP - Apr 24, 12:51 am EDT
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After Francis drove through several defenders and hit a twisting layup while being fouled for a 92-86 lead with 1:07 left, Bryant jacked up a long 3-pointer that missed. Francis then banked in a difficult off-balance shot with 40 seconds left and completed a three-point play for a 97-86 lead.

``Playoff basketball: Sometimes it's up, sometimes it's down,'' O'Neal said.

O'Neal had 11 of the Lakers' first 13 points, having his way against the single coverage of Kelvin Cato before the Rockets started double-teaming him and the Lakers stopped passing to him.

``He probably got tired from scoring so much,'' Van Gundy said.

O'Neal took just one shot in the second quarter and missed it, and he picked up his second and third fouls late in the quarter and walked angrily to the bench.

It was 56-43 at intermission, and it took O'Neal almost four minutes to get his next field goal. The Lakers pulled to 62-56 on a 3-pointer by Gary Payton, but they never got any closer until 2:08 remained.

With Los Angeles trailing by 10 late in the third period, Bryant tossed up a 3-point shot with plenty of time remaining on the shot clock. It missed, and coach Phil Jackson shook his head in disgust as the teams went the other way. Taylor scored the final basket of the period to give Houston a 74-62 lead entering the fourth.

With Taylor providing the bulk of the offense, the Rockets were able to stay in front by at least six points throughout most of the fourth quarter.

``I had to be aggressive and turn it on for us to win,'' Taylor said. ``I hadn't been aggressive in the first two games.''

A leaning bank shot in the lane by Bryant made it 90-86, but Yao answered with a soft left-handed half-hook shot to start the decisive 7-0 run.

Kobe Bryant scored 21 and Karl Malone 18 for the Lakers.

Payton, angered when he was benched for the entire fourth quarter of Game 2, did not play in the fourth quarter again.

``I don't care. Whatever he (Jackson) wants to do. It's on him,'' Paytonsaid.

Notes

Kobe Bryant spoke with the media after the game, ending an 11-day boycott. ``I put it behind me and move on.'' ... Referee Eddie F. Rush left with an injury late in the fourth quarter, and the other two officials worked the final 1:51 without him. ... Lakers F Slava Medvedenko was out with a strained right Achilles' tendon. ... In Lakers history, they have gone 32-1 when taking a 2-0 lead in a playoff series. The lone loss was to Boston in the 1969 NBA Finals. ... In his last 19 postseason games, Derek Fisher is shooting42-63 from 3-point range.

[bernardos70]

And it gets them to loss. I find it unnacceptable to have the single most dominating player in the game and not giving him the ball. He gets the ball, scores, now suddenly here comes the double team, and with the double team comes open shots. And then we have the Mavericks......... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

[Epitome22]

O'Neal did funk all in the first 2 games and The Lakers won. This is the first time in this series he actually decided to take some initiative.

[chumdawg]

That team is getting ready to implode. Man, what a circus.

[mary]

I watched the game last night and honestly, neither team was doing a real good job of utilizing their big men. Yao was completely tenative up until his clutch shot in the fourth. He only got to the line 1 freaking time - that's insane. Even though Francis was pretty clutch last night, during the course of the game I thought he did a really poor job of running the offense. He stills spends too many possessions trying to get off his own shot. If Houston wants to get anywhere, they need to move him to the 2 and get a legitimate PG in there.

The Lakers obviously have a problem with the pecking order, but I don't think it'll stop them from wrapping up this series. I do expect them to move on to the second round (where they'll be promptly turned into dogfood).

The Payton thing is pretty intriguing. He looked pretty steamed sitting on the bench for the entire fourth quarter.

[Richard]

Originally posted by: bernardos70
And it gets them to loss. I find it unnacceptable to have the single most dominating player in the game and not giving him the ball. He gets the ball, scores, now suddenly here comes the double team, and with the double team comes open shots. And then we have the Mavericks......... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

No, you have three prima donnas and Karl Malone which, fortunatley is nowhere near the mavs. In addition to Shaq being po'd he didn't get the ball enough last night. I read where Payton was po'd he didn't minutes enough. Ha. There will never be enough basketballs to go around to keep that team happy. The only question is whether they can cooperate enough to win in the playoffs. Last night they couldn't. But, unfortunately, they still might learn to be unselfish just enough to get another championship. Now, that'll be sad.