Rockets show resilience, more playoff observations

Aaron Brooks scored a career-high 34 points as the Rockets evened their series with L.A. AP Chris Mannix's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Chris. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Chris Mannix on Twitter

Five playoff observations from a stunning upset and a spectacular last second finish.

1. Uh...what?

Simply put, the Rockets are amazing. Sitting in a 2-1 hole, with a career 51.0 points, 25.7 rebounds and 5.7 blocks per game in the form of Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo sitting on the bench in street clothes and with little left to prove after advancing to the second round for the first time since 1997, Houston submitted one of the most impressive performances in franchise history, thumping the Lakers 99-87 (RECAP | BOX) in a game that wasn't anywhere near as close as the score indicates. After a seven-point, one assist effort in Game 3, Aaron Brooks torched LA's backcourt for 34 points (on 12-for-20 shooting) and four dimes. Brooks also had the highlight of the night when he converted a length of the court alley-oop with less than a second remaining in the third quarter.

The Rockets resilience is not only a testament to their players, but also to the shrewd maneuvering by GM Daryl Morey and the coaching acumen of Rick Adelman. Brooks's performance was exactly the kind of point guard play Morey was hoping for when he cut ties with longtime incumbent Rafer Alston in February and handed the keys to Brooks and second-year guard Kyle Lowry.

"We want to play more up tempo," Morey told me at the time. "We want to push the ball and attack the basket."

Well, that's exactly what Brooks did. With Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar taking turns playing the role of a turnstile, Brooks penetrated at will, setting up easy short-range shots for himself and catch-and-shoot opportunities for his teammates. When the Lakers backed off him, Brooks fired away, connecting on four of his nine three point attempts.

Credit Adelman, too, for creating a Yao-less game plan in less than 48 hours that was effective enough for Houston to build a 29-point fourth quarter lead. No coach would want to be without the services of a 7-foot-6, All-NBA center. But Adelman may be the most equipped to do it. In the past, Adelman's offenses have been very perimeter oriented (see Sacramento, Portland) with the center often playing the role of facilitator at the elbow. The Rockets will undoubtedly miss Yao soon enough (probably in Game 5) but on this night, Houston proved that there is life without their star.

2. Paging the L.A. Lakers

It's hard to believe a team coached by Phil Jackson and led by Kobe Bryant could turn in such an uninspired performance.

Consider...

• After scoring 30 points in each of his previous four games at Houston, Bryant chipped in with 15, his lowest playoff scoring output since 2007.

• Derek Fisher scored just two points in 20 minutes in his first game after serving a one-game suspension, and the Lakers were a whopping -26 when he was on the floor.

• Lamar Odom? Two points in 25 minutes before being forced out of the game with back spasms.

• Trevor Ariza? Five points.

The only Laker who looked like he wanted to be there was Pau Gasol, who carried L.A. with 30 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

L.A. shouldn't panic; they regained home court advantage and on paper have an enormous advantage over the crippled Rockets. But they shouldn't expect Houston to fold just because Yao Ming is gone. They didn't when McGrady went down. They won't now.

3. Joe Smith must be looking pretty good right now

Remember when the Celtics were shopping for a big man before the March 1st free agent signing deadline? Smith was their No. 1 target, but with uncertainty over a potential buyout clouding the picture (Smith was initially included in the Tyson Chandler trade, which was rescinded when Chandler failed his physical) Boston grabbed Moore instead. And in the playoffs, Moore has been a bust, averaging 1.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game. On his first possession in Game 4, Moore left Rashard Lewis open in the corner and Lewis converted a three-pointer. On the next possession, Moore fouled Dwight Howard underneath the basket. Two possessions later, Lewis got Moore off balance with a simple jab step and knocked down a 15-foot jump shot.

Glen Davis gave Boston's front line a boost when he knocked down a 17-foot jump shot to give the Celtics a thrilling 95-94 win on Sunday night, but with Smith scoring and rebounding while providing quality minutes for Cleveland (which was believed to be his No. 1 choice all along), Boston has to wonder what their depleted frontcourt would look like had they waited a few more days for Smith to wriggle free.

4. He said what?

NBA referees have faced a lot of criticism -- some of it deserved -- for questionable calls during the 2009 postseason. But I'll say this: they take an awful lot of verbal abuse out there. And they take it in stride. On Saturday, Josh Howard had to be restrained from going after anyone with a whistle after a controversial non-call at the end of the Mavericks' Game 3 loss to Denver. Then there is J.J. Redick. The Magic shooting guard was ejected from Game 2 after whispering something to referee Bennett Salvatore after the veteran official called him for his sixth foul. According to a team source, Redick told Salvatore "[expletive] all you guys" before walking off. I'd say that warrants an ejection.

5. Monday's games

Two teams, two enormous mountains to climb. No team in NBA history has bounced back from a 3-0 deficit, which is the hole the Hawks and Mavericks find themselves in on Monday. Atlanta faces the more impossible task of slowing down the LeBron James buzz saw that has torn them apart in the first three games of their semifinal series. James is averaging 36.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists this series, production that has earned him the respect of his opponent.

"Give LeBron credit," said Hawks guard Joe Johnson. "He's making some tough shots."

It's won't be much easier in Dallas. The Mavericks will have to move past the frustrating ending in Game 3 to try and claw their way back into their series with Denver. One Maverick who will need to step up his game is Josh Howard. After averaging 18.1 points in the Mavs first round win over San Antonio, Howard, who has been battling injuries to both ankles, has seen his scoring dip to 9.7 points against the Nuggets.