Playoff preview: Rockets draw Lakers in first round

Did Kevin Durant and the Rockets (52-30, No. 5 in Western Conference) get an unexpected gift by drawing LeBron James and the injury riddled Lakers (53-29, No. 4) as their first-round opponent?

Hosted by Ben DuBose and Paulo Alves, Wednesday’s show breaks down the pros and cons of the playoff matchup, from a Houston perspective. Topics include series X-factors; where things could go right or wrong; a key starting lineup decision for Ime Udoka; and predictions.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Rockets fans, Welcome to The Rockets Launch Pod, an exclusive
podcast from the home of the Rockets, Sports Talk seven
ninety Red Nation. Get Ready, Ready, Get Ready. The Rockets
Launch Pod starts now.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome aboard, Welcome back to a special playoff episode of

(00:51):
the Rockets Launch Pod, presented by Clutch Fans. As always,
I'm your host, Ben Dubo's joined by Paolo alf You
can follow me on social media at Bendubo's, Paolo at
Palo Alves, NBA and as of our recording on this Wednesday,
the fifteenth of April, the Rockets are back at practice
today getting ready for their upcoming first round playoff series

(01:12):
against the Los Angeles Lakers. I predicted it in our
last pot. Unfortunately that's the result that came out for
the Rockets. Houston finished the regular season at fifty two
to thirty in the fifth spot in the West, the
Lakers fifty three to twenty nine the number four spot.
That does mean you're on the same side of the
bracket as the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, so
you'd likely be playing them in the second round. But

(01:34):
we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now,
it's more of a celebratory vibe because the Rockets drew
a Lakers team that all season long we said was
probably the friendliest matchup among their first round potentials, and
now they're missing, at least to start the series both
of their leading scorers in Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves.
Not for sure they'll be out the entire series, but

(01:55):
at least to start, you're getting an injured version of
what was already most likely your friendliest matchup, and when
the alternative was the Denver Nuggets, who won the NBA
Championship just a couple of years ago, have probably the
best basketball player in the world in Nicole jokicch and
finished the season with twelve straight wins. I think clearly
your odds of winning a playoff series for the first

(02:17):
time since twenty twenty went up a lot by the
Rockets drawing the La Lakers. That's not disrespecting them in
any way. They're still a capable team led by Lebron James,
one of the all time greats, and they do still
have plenty of shooting. But let's just be real. What
the Rockets got on Sunday night was a gift with
the Nuggets playing Nikole Jokic for one half and other
than that mostly backups against this first team that other

(02:40):
than Wemby, was all out there and playing until deep
in the fourth quarter, and somehow, led by Rockets legend
David Roddy, the Nuggets got it done and stayed as
the three seed and holding the Lakers at the four. Well,
they'll play the Rockets in the first round, so we'll
talk about the series today, what needs to go right,

(03:01):
what could go wrong. Probably talk a little bit more
about what could go wrong, because I think everybody acknowledges
that on paper, the Rockets are the better team against
a short handed Lakers squad. ESPN's picks had eleven for
the Rockets one for the Lakers. In the betting odds
that I've seen, Rockets are something like minus seven hundred
minus seven fifty. So on paper, games are played on

(03:24):
the court, not on paper, but at least in terms
of what you can reasonably expect going into the series,
the Rockets are in an advantage position. So I'm going
to look more today at what could go wrong than
what could go right, because honestly, going right is the
status quo. The Rockets should be the better team in
this series, and Houston closed the season going nine to

(03:45):
one in its final ten games, so they seem to
be peaking at the right time as well. But Paolo,
I'll start by looking back, just how much of a
paradigm shift was what happened Sunday night in terms of,
you know, the odds have been out of the first round. Obviously,
there's now greater expectations. If you were to play the Nuggets,

(04:06):
I think you would have been basically playing with house money,
going up against a great team without pregnantly without Steven Adams. Now,
all of a sudden, if you lose, it feels like
something probably went very wrong for you, and it says
something bad about the players, the coach maybe accommodation of
the two. There's certainly more pressure now, but there's also
more of an opportunity to advance at least to the

(04:28):
second round of the playoffs, which you have not done
since twenty twenty. So how just your general thoughts on
what we saw Sunday night and how important it is
in the grand scheme.

Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah, I was a bit confused because having me into
Sunday night, I was totally expecting the Nuggets to just
Bank and I'm just unsure if they were unable to
because the Spurs were playing the Amon Fox lating to
that game and Harrison Barnes, and so it seems like
the Spurs are trying to win more so than the Nuggets,
who said yok at a Cettain point after he hit
whatevering twenty five minutes it was to be aligible for rewards.

(05:01):
So to me, it seemed like the Spurs were trying
to win, but that the Spurs without Wemby are just
that terrible that they couldn't beat the Nuggets backups and
then and I mean that would fit my narrative in
my opinion from where early on in the season, which
is that might be you know, top three most impactful
players in basketball, maybe maybe top two, just behind the

(05:22):
guy when he was playing a games. So going into it,
I did not expect it. It is a massive break
for the Rockets. I don't think that's you know, that's
surprising anybody. As far as what you said about pressure,
I don't think, well, I think this basically gives everybody
a pass because if the Rockets had drawn the Nuggets

(05:45):
and lost in the first round, I think the organization
would would have taken like massive feats from from fans,
from national media. Just you don't buy into KD and
then come out with the same result that you had
the year before. Whether or not KD is a win
now move doesn't really matter. You have to be at
least better than anywhere before otherwise. But they make the move,

(06:06):
and obviously injuries and that new once comes into it
working for other people that you know, be overshadowed by
the fact that you made a move for KD. The
fact that they get the Lakers, which I don't want
to drink it, but it's a free way, right unless
Lougill comes back, it's a free in it. It's not
seem not it's not looking likely just judging by what

(06:27):
by what Kate Hereticks said, he's you know, doesn't have
a timeline for a return. That could be gamesmanship for
him returning in the middle of the series and it's
be unexpected. But there's also reports that diagnostic in Spain
of his hamstring is actually more serious than what he
was diagnosed with in the US. So just expecting him

(06:50):
and Austin reeves not to play. It's just it's as
you said, it's hard to find ways for the Rockets
to lose this series, which means that if they do
lose the series, heads got a role. I don't think
there's any It's been conservative about major changes throughout the
entire off season. But if they lose this series, that's
the type of outcome that gets people fighted what people,

(07:12):
I don't know, but certainly people or major trades would
happen if that were to happen. But then again, which
means in this why it's a pass, which means that
you do get to the second round, which you can
spin into a successful season. You were better than you
were last season. Technically, I guess you can spin it
as a win. But at the same time, it allows

(07:33):
people who were already done on the season to maintain
their points, which is, yeah, you got the second round,
but you know, did you really face a worthy opponent
in order to get there, Which means that if we
are to be objective and put it as much weight
into the way because being awful as we put into
the Rockets getting into the second round, which means that

(07:55):
what defines this is a successful season or an ugly
forward is likely how much of a fight they put
up in the second round, and god knows, maybe they
win in the second round, which would be unlikely, but
you know, Rockets standard just seems to make weird things
happen all the time. So yeah, it's it massively changes
how what the outlook and what the decisions will be

(08:20):
going into the off season because it buys the organization
a lot of leeway to say, hey, we got to
the second round, whether that is with fans, whether that
is with national media, whether that is with ownership. Did
it technically improve? And obviously you play who's in front
of you, you can you can play someone who isn't,
so that comes into play as well. And the last

(08:41):
one I want to make on the implications is it's
kind of wild that if the Rockets didn't have as
mediocre of a season as they did, they would likely
face a tougher opponent in the playoffs and they are
going to like, let's play out a scenario where the
Rockets win more game and they are the four seed, right,

(09:02):
That could mean that Rockets won some of the games
against the Lakers, which might mean that the timber Wolves
actually surpassed the Lakers as well, and Rockets don't face
the Lakers as the four to five matchclub. Let's imagine
Rockets are the three seeds instead and they're likely playing
against the timber Wolves. Definitely the for mattclub. But I
say the Rockets are even better than that, have a

(09:22):
terrific season and are the two seeds and not playing
when of the teams comes out of the play, and
if that team happens to be the Warriors for example, Listen,
I'm I'm not gonna tell you that, like I would,
I feel a lot more comfortable with this Lakers series
than I would with another Warriors series, even though they

(09:43):
are the worst scheam and the standings tell you that,
or if they were the teams to come out of
the play and you can't you know, not have that
come into play as well. So all in all, besides
being i mean maybe even the one seed, the Rockets,
being a mediocre as they were for portions of the season,
ended up giving them the easiest round one might chaft

(10:05):
that they could possibly have, which is kind of ironic
that in the season where so much has gone wrong,
they just got this massive break at the end. And
for the record books in knock on Wood, it's slightly
going to show that the Rockets were not a playoff
team when he made came in, and then first season
they increased by twenty wins or something of the sort,

(10:27):
but they missed the playoffs. Then third season they are
the two seeds, get knocked out in round one, and
then the year after they are the five seed and
get knocked out in a round two. And when you
look at it without the contacts, it was like linear
progression throughout this entire time here, which you know Email's

(10:49):
job is not depending on that, but it does help
you sell that there is linded progression that the next
step is making the Western Conference finals in a year
wherever where a lot of people were making the argument
that you were taking a step back, well turned out
that objectively took a stop a step step forward. And
at the end of the day with the records book,
with the record books, still is is how fare you got,

(11:12):
not who you beat to get there. So yeah, going
in that, those are my thoughts about how the season ended.

Speaker 2 (11:19):
Yeah, and I'm glad you mentioned the parallel of the
twenty twenty five Warriors series, because let's not act like
Houston wasn't o to break last year. They got a
terrible draw that Golden State team relative to the typical seven.
So the seven to eight play in game to determine
who will be the seven in the West was between

(11:42):
Phoenix and Portland. Compare those teams to the Golden State
Warriors of a year ago with Steph Draymond. They traded
for Jimmy Butler at the deadline. That was far far
better than the typical seventh seed. And Night and Day
go ahead.

Speaker 3 (11:59):
You're not scare of the Dylan Green lad Phoenix.

Speaker 2 (12:03):
Suns well, and to feel back the curtain, were actually
recording this before that game goes final, so we'll see
if it's actually the Suns or if it's the twelve Blazers.
But either way, well.

Speaker 3 (12:12):
Don't worry if it's If it's the Blazers, you were
going to watch Lenny as the has shoot twenty three
throws in the playoffs like there's just no choice about it. No,
especially against the Rockets, he seems to drive even more so.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
But the larger point, it's night and Day different than
the draw of the Rockets got a year ago, which
was absolutely terrible for a two seed. And you know,
so much of your success or failure comes down to
the landscape around you. Like the Rockets were fifty two
and thirty in both years, and I would argue that
perhaps the fifty two and thirty this year was more

(12:47):
impressive because you did it without Steven Adams and Fred
van Vleet. Now you did have Kevin Durant, so expectations
were higher. But knowing what we know now in terms
of you know, Fred and Steven being unavailable for most
of the season, DFS not being himself at all for
the entire season, to get to fifty two and thirty

(13:08):
the same record speaks to just how good Kevin Durant
was and continued steps forward from young guys but sortably
Men Thompson and Read Shepherds. Ricemith Junior deserves a shout
out as well. So to get to fifty two and thirty,
you know, it doesn't feel like it because they were
the five seed, but it's the same record as a
year ago. It just so happened that the landscape of

(13:29):
the Western Conference, at least at the top, was a
little more difficult this year. Well, last year, you had,
at least in the regular season, a more favorable draw
in that there weren't any other great teams other than
Oklahoma City. But then when you get to the playoff bracket,
the parody came back to bite you and that you
had a ridiculously loaded seven seed. Well now you're the five,

(13:52):
but you get a much friendlier draw in the first round.
Then ultimately it's up to them to take advantage of it.
But it's not that they weren't o to break. They
certainly were because that team last year deserved better and
just got a terrible draw. Really, the entire organization and
fan base did. Because the factor in not only how
great the Warriors were as a team, they were one
hundred percent going to the Western Conference Finals. If you

(14:12):
watched Game one against the Timberwolves, they were going to
win that series until Steph blewis hamstring and at that
point everything changed. That was a loaded team and Rockets
got a bad draw, and for the organization fan base,
it was made even worse based on all the baggage
that the Rockets have in their history against that same franchise,
even if it was mostly with different teams, different players. So, yeah,

(14:32):
the Rockets were due a break. They got one. It's
up to them to take advantage of it and to
close the loop on what happened with the Spurs and
the Nuggets. It's just I think in that specific game,
it wasn't just not having Wemby, it was also not
having Luke Cornett, so there really wasn't much in the
way of rem protection. And even though Jokic played only
a half, well for starters, he was great in that half.

(14:54):
They also have Yonis Valanciunas. And then I mentioned David Roddy, who,
by the way, Roddy might he needed to be included
in the Kevin Durant trade for financial reasons. If he
hadn't been, he might have ended up playing for the
Rockets this year if they had brought him back on
a two way. Given the depth issues they've had at
the wing spots, with obviously DFS not being himself, there's

(15:16):
a reason Jay Schantate has gotten continued looks. Harry Easton
has been hot and cold and missed fifteen games early
in the year with the oblique, So if the Rockets
had kept David Roddy, he might have gotten a chance
this year. But regardless, he ended up helping them. Nonetheless,
with what he did against the Spurs and with how
physical he is against his first team without any rim protection.
That's how even though the Spurs were pushing, they were

(15:38):
hitting some threes, they just couldn't stop the Nuggets from
getting easy looks at the basket, and that's why they
weren't able to put a sustained run together despite playing
most of their ones. And I just think I'm stunned
at the organizational management by both teams, not so much
the players and the coaches, because they're going to maximize
what they have on the floor at a given moment.

(15:59):
That's what they're trained to do. And honestly, it's not
that surprising that a veteran team like the Nuggets that
has a system that has an identity. Most of its
backups are veteran players that have been around, so they
know what they're doing. I thought Bruce Brown was very
good in that game as well. It's not the same
as when you know, a tanking team decides to tank
and they mostly have super young guys that you know,

(16:20):
don't have any structure, don't know what they're doing, and
they're just going to go out there in jack threes
and turn the ball over a lot. No, they're still
going to play hard, They're going to play together and
so that gives them a fighting chance. But then organizationally,
if you want to lose that game, or if you're
the Spurs and you want to win it. I don't
understand what happened in the days leading up to Sunday,
because clearly the lineups that were out there indicated that

(16:40):
the Spurs wanted to lose the Nuggets preferably wanted or
the Spurs wanted to win the Nuggets preferably wanted to lose.
And that's not what happened. The Spurs played win Vanyama
on Friday to get to the sixty five game mark.
They could have easily played him on Sunday and still
had let that be the sixty fifth game and then

(17:00):
have a week off before the playoffs. Like I know,
he was dealing with the rib contusion, but you can't
tell me that having seven days or having nine days
instead of seven days is all that different. No, they
could have waited on Wembley until Sunday and had him
to go up against Yokich in the first half and
then with Denver, so Jokic could have played Friday against
the Thunder. It was pretty clear that, you know, even

(17:21):
though the Nuggets rested a lot of their regulars on Friday,
that Thunder team resting almost this entire roster, had no chance.
So you could have gotten the sixty fifth Yokich game
out of the way on Friday, had you wanted, And
that way, you wouldn't have had to even play him
for eighteen brilliant minutes against the Spurs to get to
the sixty five d mark where he's eligible for awards.
You could have gotten that out of the way Friday

(17:43):
in a game you were likely to win anyway, because
the Thunder clearly weren't trying to win and the Spurs were.
But then the Cherry on top the game before that
on Wednesday, and this was after you know, the Rockets
were on their streak that had gotten too eight games
in a row, the injuries to the Lakers had happened,
the landscape was pretty known. The Nuggets were down eighteen

(18:03):
points in the fourth quarter at home to Portland, and
they came back in won. They played their regulars, and
they extended it for five minutes into overtime. So the
Nuggets needed just one more loss somewhere along the way
to get to the four seed that they clearly wanted.
And yet they fought back from down eighteen against Portland

(18:25):
team that was playing for everything and played five extra
minutes in overtime as well. So if you're worried about
you know, some people in Denver are spinning in as
oh after previous years. They're worried about health and trying
to make sure they're big guns are in optimal form
for the playoffs. It would have been so easy to
just say, hey, it's not our night, we don't really
need the three seed and shut it down when you're
down eighteen or at a bare minimum, don't let them
play overtime, and maybe the Blazers pull away. Then it

(18:48):
just seemed like not a lot of organizational alignment. And
obviously the Rockets are the big beneficiary, going from being
a pretty clear underdog against the Nuggets to a favorite
against the Lakers. But it just seems like, from both
the Senate only perspective and a Denver perspective, this could
have been avoided had there been a little more strategic
planning in the days before Sunday. I'm very surprised. That's

(19:09):
not to say, you know, it's that to take a
shot at those two organizations, because they each had a
fantastic season, better than the Rockets quite frankly, but just
in the very you know micro here and now, I
thought they mismanaged that final week, and boy did the
Rockets get a break in a way that a year ago,
drawing the Warriors at the seventh seed they did not. Anyway,

(19:32):
let's talk about the Lakers series specifically, and on paper,
I love this matchup. I think even though the Rockets
went one and two against the Lakers in the regular season,
the two games the Rockets lost were in the middle
of March when they were at their low point and
they were still there for the taking with three minutes left,

(19:53):
and Luca played just transcendent basketball in those two games,
combined for seventy six points on like fifty percent shooting,
just insane efficiency got them to the finish line. He
was MVP mode in those games. And he's not going
to be out there to start the series, and if
he does come back at some point, he's likely to
not entirely be himself, although it certainly would be an

(20:14):
emotional lift for the team. Paolo, to your point earlier,
I did see a report someone pushed back on that
Slovenian report of the injury being worse saying no, actually
it's the same, but it's hard to know. That could
be just cover trying to, you know, preserve the illusion
that Luca could come back in this series for strategic
purposes against the Rockets. Maybe the report was wrong, but

(20:36):
it could also be that the correction is to you know,
keep hope alive, so to speak, and to make the
Rockets account for more things. Just wanted to acknowledge that
there was a pushback to that report, although whether it's
actually accurate, I don't know. As far as the matchup
without Luca, look, the Rockets were right there and they
dominated the Lakers on Christmas in La just looked far

(21:00):
more athletic when they were able to get out and
run it was over. The Rockets had two much lengths
and the Lakers looked slow by comparison. Now, the one
silver lining you can point to the Lakers should be
better defensively without Luca and Reeves, but offensively, I mean,
Lebron and shooters is never a bad formula, But a
forty one year old Lebron asking him to pull that
model off four times in seven games, it's a lot.

(21:22):
So on paper, the Rockets are the better team. I
think Kevin's had Kevin Durant a slightly better year than
Lebron to be expected because Kevin's thirty seven, Lebron is
forty one. So I think in terms of the A
ones for both teams to give the Rockets to the edge,
and then after that, the Rockets might have the next
best five or six players in the series as long
as Luca and Reeves aren't playing, and even if they

(21:43):
do come back, they're the two leading scorers for Lakers
this season, but they're probably not going to be in
peak form if they do return. So on paper, the
Rockets are the better team, and that's why, as I
mentioned off the top, I want to look at what
the Rockets could do wrong rather than what they will
do or should do right, because this status quo would
be them winning this series against a short handed Lakers team.

(22:03):
Houston should be the better squad and they enter with
film and I'm having won nine of their last ten games.
With that said, the Lakers, they're not bad. Even after
those two injuries. The Lakers finished the year on a
three game winning streak, average margin in victory about twenty. Now.
I know it was largely against teams playing for nothing,
but still they were able to get wins. These are
competent NBA players. Lebron is incredibly smart. He's still one

(22:27):
of the most talented players of all time. They've got
plenty of shooters. They lose some scoring punch without Luca
and Reeves, but there's enough there that if the stars align,
especially at home, they could give the Rockets a run.
Like crazy things happen in single game samples. And as
far as what I'm worried about going into this series,

(22:49):
there's a macro concern I have and a micro concern,
And I'll start with the macro because I think it
plays into, you know, what may happen on a micro level.
The macro concern I have. I don't think it's a
given that Luca and Reeves are out for the series.
I think it's possible. Maybe Reeves is a little more
likely from just reading the tea leaves what's out there,

(23:10):
But I think it's possible that if the series goes deep,
that one of those guys comes back. They're dealing with
Grade two injuries Luca to his hamstring, Reeves to his oblique.
That's typically a four to six week timetable, but four
weeks is entirely reasonable. Even in the regular season, we
saw Tarry Easton clear to return from his grade to
a bleak after exactly four weeks earlier this season. So

(23:34):
if this gets to a Game six or a Game
seven and the first round is spaced out, the only
date we have confirmed is Saturday's Game one, but based
on historical precedent, you're likely to have a game every
three days rather than every two days. For the most part,
it's going to be close to four weeks by the
time Game six and Game seven roll around, So it's
entirely possible that at least one of those guys not

(23:56):
confirmed but very possible, could come back, and I wouldn't
put it past given the added stakes of the playoffs.
I wouldn't say it's impossible to return as early as
Game three or Game four, which would be around the
three week mark, because of the added incentive the desperation Now,
would they be one hundred percent by that point even
with the European treatment, Almost certainly not, But at the

(24:18):
same time, something is better than nothing. It could provide
an emotional jolt. So the advantage the Rockets have from
a talent perspective going into this series. It could erode
by the end of the series because I'm just not
convinced that it's a given that both of those guys
aren't going to return. I think, if I had to bet,
if the series goes six or seven games, my money
is on at least one of those guys playing at

(24:40):
some point in this series. So that's not to give
the Rockets an excuse. It's to highlight how much of
a sense of urgency there should be to taking care
of business early in the series, to establishing the sense
of inevitability that you're going to advance and not giving
the Lakers home, and that plays into the micro My

(25:01):
concern is that the Rockets this year have had a
tendency to play with their food, to play down to
the competition, and if the Lakers steal a game or
two early in this series, and it looks like it's
gonna go six or seven, that's where there's a path
for them to steal this series. If they can get
one of those two guys back, they get the emotional lip,
you get to a one game scenario, and Lebron looks

(25:24):
at it as a potential late career legacy moment. The
Rockets need to establish themselves as the dominant team early
in this series, and I think JJ Riddeck is a
good coach at mucking it up. We saw in that
first game between the Rockets and the Lakers. Now granted
the first game in Houston when Shangoon wasn't out there,
and that's an important distinction, but they really gummed up

(25:45):
the Rockets offense in the fourth quarter for some terrible turnovers.
Kevin Durant looked lost in terms of how he wanted
to attack, and you know, if you squit hard enough,
there's some things they could do in the half court.
You could have Marcus Smart guards Shangoon at times the
way we've seen some smaller, stockier guys like Grant Williams
Defon Castle have a bit of success with quick hands,

(26:07):
more strength in their lower body than you expect, and
that would allow the Lakers to sash their big DeAndre
Ayton or Jackson Hayes on Amn and sort of float
back sag back into the paint. You could perhaps have
Lebron on Josha Koge or tory Eathan if he's not
making shots, and use Lebron in something of a free

(26:27):
safety mode as well, and the Rocket should be able
to find counters over seven games. And so if you
told me one hundred percent that Luca and Reeves were
out for the series, I'd say, you know, borring catastrophic injuries,
the Rocket should be fine because over seven games they'll
figure it out. But over the course of the season, like,
they haven't always had a super high sense of urgency,

(26:50):
and so I could see a world where, especially early
in the series in LA, it takes them a little
longer than we would like to adapt, be it from
a coaching perspective or the players on the court, whoever
you want to blame, they have not always been quick
to adapt this year, Like, there are definitely counters, even
in this scenario where I give the Lakers a benefit
of the doubt and JJ's able to muck it up
in the half court. Okay, then play with more pace,

(27:12):
get out in transition, use the Christmas model. Use that
as the template, and maybe you have to insert read
Shepherd so that you have a second ball handled that
makes it easier to push pace and get to the
weak spots of you know, the quasi zone or whatever
the Lakers are playing. Defensively, well do it. I mean
there's concerns about Read defensively and how the pairing goes

(27:33):
with Shangoon. Well, for starters, you can play Clint Capella
instead of Shangoon. Capella should have a revenge series against
DeAndre Ayton. But beyond that, I also don't think you
know the Lakers having shooters instead of scorers when you
take out Luca and Reeves, I don't know what the
Lakers have the guys who can really punish Read Shepherd
defensively in a way that most teams would quite frankly,

(27:53):
I would be open to starting Read Shepherd in this series.
And I'm surprised I'm saying that because for most of
you know, the final month or so, I've said I
would start Josh Ortari. I'm not saying it's a clear cutcase.
But against this specific Lakers team, and when you look
at how they can beat you, I find it very
hard to see the Lakers being able to score enough points.

(28:14):
If the Rockets are able to get out in transition
and score before the Lakers can consistently set their defense,
which having a second ball handler would allow the Rockets
to do so, that's a potential counter. It's not that
there aren't trade offs because you know, the defensive data
on read in Shangoon is real. He's also twenty one
years old. Year two, we'll see what he looks like
on the biggest stage. Didn't really play in the playoffs
last year. So you know, it's not to say that

(28:36):
it's a slam dunk decision for ime Udoka, But at
the same time, like sometimes, it doesn't all come together immediately,
and this is a series where if the Rockets don't
make these adjustments in short order, the Lakers can steal
a game. And if they're able to, you know, feel
confident that this series gets to you know, at least

(28:58):
a game six and hopefully a game seven, then everything
can change because the advantage that you have with those
two injured guys goes away if the Lakers are able
to feel confident that this series is going to go
on a while. So that's my micro concern. Can the
Lakers do some things early in the series to gum
up the works for the Rockets offense in the half
court it's been an issue at times, And if they do,

(29:21):
will the Rockets will email Udoka, Will they be able
to adjust on the fly quickly enough to have those
counters before the Lakers can put a win in their
column and inherently extend the series. If you could guarantee
me that Luca and Reeves aren't going back, I'd say
it's nothing to worry about because over seven games, the
Rockets will definitely have the counters. But in this case,

(29:41):
there is an incidentive to have the counters more quickly.
At times this year they have not, so it's something
in the back of my mind. I'm personally not expecting it.
I do think the Rockets will win this series, though
we'll have a prediction segment a little bit later. But
if you want to squad hard enough and search for
a way that the Lakers could have a path in
this series, taking one of those first two games at
home in La shipping away at the notion of inevitability,

(30:04):
and having J. J. Reddick do in the fourth quarter
what he did in the fourth quarter of that first
game in Houston a month ago. To me, that's the template, Palo.
I know I've gone on a while, but that's sort
of my high level overview of what concerns me about
this series. If you're looking at it from Rockets perspective,
what could go wrong besides hashtag Houston sports and over
twenty seven type performance. Aside from something crazy like that,

(30:26):
what are the semi realistic scenarios where where this thing
could go south and it could be a lot more
stressful than we would like.

Speaker 3 (30:34):
Well, it's not that hard to imagine. I've said throughout
the entire season that this team's not elite defensively early defensively,
and they don't seem to have that extra year to
kick into. And that's teams that are related to one
thing at exactly how you beat other flawed teams. Will
our teams are extremely short ended. Last year's Rockets would
just not allow the leaguers to score. They'd score seventy

(30:57):
eighty points a game. And then you know, out of like,
how how often would the team that that that is
not filled with defensive specialists? And the Lakers aren't. I mean,
I'm not even sure if they have one plus defender
on the team right now. Maybe they're the vendor Veilt
Off the top of my head, that's how we like.
If I had confidence on the Rockets to be consistent,

(31:19):
consistently very good defensively, we feel a lot more comfortable.
If I had confidence on Rockets being consistently very good offensively,
I feel a lot better as well. Now, how how
does it happen? It happens the same way the Rockets
lost games to the Pelicans, or the same way the
Rockets lost games to the timber Wolves when and not playing,

(31:39):
and then the same way Rockets have lost games also
the long two teams that are a lot worse than them.
And I don't necessarily think it was always a question
of underestimating their opponents. I think sometimes it's just that
this team doesn't really have a tie identity. I think
that's how it goes wrong. If this turns out to
be a more balanced series then we are expecting to

(32:00):
be or hoping it would be. I think there's some
stuff that Rougets can try to go to try and
even it out before or try to get an extra
advantage before the for Luka and Reeves potentially come back.
It's like the second best offensive player on the Lakers
is very clearly ru Yachimura from a shot creating perspective,

(32:24):
and I think he's exactly the type of guy you're
okay having Oproen shing Gunka, for example, do you go
back to double Big because they're gonna lean very heavily
on the Lebron Aiden pick and roll? Do you slow
Capella back into the starting mineup to match Aiden. Especially
from the perspective of being a lot threat, which is
Shingun's weak point by a mile in and Lebron James

(32:46):
is tailor made to take advantage of that, especially from
a decision making standpoint, I think that that's something that
we may see. We may see Double Big, even without
a competent Big to come off the bench, because I
think the biggest thing is any like well, I don't
think Lebron James by himself could be to knock on
Wood at this one in his career. But I do

(33:09):
think you could see Whu Cannard go for thirty and
shoot them threes. I think you could see reality Mr
catch Fire. He's a very good touror at this one
in his career, and he has a little bit of
a post game. I mean, coming into the league, he
was a personaltile play. He wasn't a role player. Side
was more type I would say, so, I think there's
ways the Rockets cann'tus. I don't think it's and I

(33:32):
and anybody who's a Rockets fan or a fan of
Houston sports in general, or back in Portugal in my country,
I don't know if you have. I mean, I do
know we have some Portuguese listeners. I'm a sporting fan
back then. And then everybody knows what people say a
lot sporting, they find a way to like the most
improbable way for stuff to go wrong. Sporting finds a

(33:53):
way to have that stuff go wrong with historically and
ust some sports is not that different. And and you
and you pay the exact scenario that I'm worried about,
which is it gets murky depending on the injuries, and
if there's a chance that comes back game six or
game seven, Lucas gonna come back game six and or
game seven, and he might be limited. But against the Rockets,

(34:14):
Seed just seems to find another gear and it doesn't
really matter, like he always goes full mine as well
on us uh, And then there is or e much
in the Rockets are like the exact type of team
to take it easy in games one and two because
they're playing away and not go full throttle and let
it extend into a six game series or a seven
game series and have those guys come back like. That's
exactly how it happens. That's exactly how you how you

(34:37):
lose a series like this. Now, I think a lot
a lot will be a lot will be told by
the result of game one. And you said this on
the pod on the last part, which is it's actually
really good for the Rockets that they play the Lakers
at home or in LA before they play at home,

(34:59):
because then and it's guarantee that Luca and Reeves won't
be there, and hopefully you can get the first two games, yeah,
and hopefully can get too big of an advantage that
even if they were to come back exactly wouldn't because
it's already three and zero, right or it's already three
to one, and they might not think that it's worth
it because especially we have string interviews, which is what

(35:20):
Luca has. Those we know by by experience that those
are the ones you reaggraphate and then take along think
that they take well come back from and sometimes don't
come back from fully back to the ex exposiveness that
before even the Luca is not necessarily that explosive of
the players athletically. But yeah, that's exactly how it happens then,

(35:41):
and I can't in good faith put that aside completely
because while we've watched this team, and this team finds
ways to find ways to have the worst case scenario materialize.
But they definitely have, you know, weapons that they could
use to counter. But to me, it's it's gonna be
mostly in that and an attitude type of thing. And

(36:02):
if Shanglun's locked in defensively, I think that goes along,
and Kingun and KD especially are locked in defensively, which
I think they will be in the playoffs, especially kV.
Then you win the first two games, and that's serious.
I think if you win the first two games, there's
zero shot that he lose afterwards, mostly because of the

(36:23):
psychological toll that it takes on the other team. And they,
yes they do have Lebron Games and Obron Games has
been through it all, but I think even he at
this stage in his career not necessarily going to turn
into you a full playoff you know, lock in mode,
because I think going into the series, if the first
two games are just confirming what you're already expecting for

(36:45):
the series, think mentally it's a different kind of playing field.

Speaker 2 (36:53):
And there was a parallel to your point with Luca
coming back late in the year or late and the
series excuse me from a hamstring injury, which is notoriously
easy to reaggravate. That Warriors Timberwolves series I referenced when
Steph Curry strained his hamstring in Game one. I think
that was a grade one or grade one and a half.
There was hope that he could come back by game

(37:15):
six or game seven, but that made it all the
more important for the Timberwolves to take care of business,
which they did to a point where it just wasn't
worth it to try and expedite the process and bring
him back. And what happened. The Timberwolves won the next
three games. They had a three to one lead that
felt insurmountable going back to Minnesota, and the Warriors at

(37:37):
that point just couldn't justify bringing back a player of
that stature down thirty one, even if you couldn't say
one hundred percent that he would reinjerre it. It just
the potential reward was so small that they weren't going
to push the envelope. So I think it's a similar
situation here in that those early series games are all

(37:57):
the more important because if you can put that sense
of inevitability into the Lakers, I think it's going to
make them a little bit less likely to do something
crazy and give Luca a chance to you know, I
say defy the odds, but honestly, I mean, players like
that do it all the time. There's a reason that
he's already a Hall of Famer in my opinion. So

(38:18):
I would rather not have the Lakers with that sense
of hope and taking care of business early in the series,
would do that. HOWO quick follow up? I mentioned being
open to starting Reed Shepherd for potentially pushing the pace
a bit more and having a second ball handler to
attack any gimmicky defenses that Reddick might throw out. You

(38:39):
mentioned Clint Capella and the double big, which I hadn't considered.
I feel like, on paper, Joshua Koge or Tony Easton
is probably the favorite because the high leverage games the
last two weeks of the season, looking at you know,
the Knicks, the two final ones, the Timberwolves that Friday
when they stuck at Kogi on Anthony Edwards, the second

(39:00):
half of the Phoenix game, the Philadelphia game where there
was Maxie and Edgecumbe that was either a Kogi or Tari.
Easton actually was all a koge other than the next game,
which was Tarry Eathan. So I feel like, just looking
at who started the most impactful games and also the
second half in Phoenix down the stretch of the year,
you'd say that Emi Udoka probably wants to start either

(39:21):
a Kogi or Tari as the fifth guy. But you
know this series and how unique it is, and also
being in a rare position as a favorite, it might
force you to think a little bit outside the box.
I mentioned read you mentioned Capella. If it was struggling
your choice Pollo game one Saturday night, who is your
fifth starter alongside him? In Thompson, Jabari Smith, Kevin Durant

(39:41):
and Alfrinschindu.

Speaker 3 (39:45):
I'd go with the Kogi and it's and it's yeah,
and it's and it's what I expect emny of it
to do. I think I think you go into those
gimmicky type of things once you see the wait for
it to have right, yeah, wait for its happened necessarily,
meaning weights to lose round one, to lose game one,
you can make it just one that half time if

(40:06):
you see that, if you're getting absolutely cooked in the
pick and Roll with Aiden and Lebron. But going into it,
I think that's an adjustment, not something you you pull
off right off the bat, especially because like if they can't,
like if they are able to use Lebron Aiden to
punish you the games to your normal team, then there's

(40:27):
no there's no need for you to give up what
you are giving up offensively by playing the little big
because obviously the offensive rebounding is not as big of
an edge as it is with seven Adams, and the
overall finishing at the room Stevens a lot better than
Capella and even passing out of the way even it's
just better than Capella basically everything. But yeah, you you

(40:48):
only take the downside offensively once it's proven that that
isn't an upside defensively that the Lakers are punishing Shanghun
and and and in the in the pick and Roll
with with a Love threats. So yeah, I'm going into
it at just go status quo and like one hundred
percent here that that's what he made that was going
to do, even if I thought otherwise, I would like,

(41:10):
even if I believe that you should go with one
of the Morgimiki lineups. I would still say it's one
hundred percent that they made the ghost status quo.

Speaker 2 (41:19):
And then quickly from an X factor perspective, I don't
want to be accused of being too negative. We've talked
a lot about how things could go wrong. Let's talk
about how things could go right. A variable that would
almost one hundred percent swing this series in favor of
the Rockets, And there's a lot of little things you
can point to. I think, you know, Kevin Durant, as
good as he is, needs to limit the turnovers in

(41:40):
a way he didn't in that first Lakers game last month.
But the big one for me is all for in Shinoon.
I just feel like a men. Thompson down the home
stretch of this year was so dominant, capped by the
three high forty one we saw in his last game
against the Timberwolves. I know the Rockets that was their
lone loss in their final ten games, but that was
an ungodly performance from three point range by the Timberwolves.

(42:01):
You want to talk about magnet ball, that was the
epitome of it. Amn Thompson has been so good down
the structure of this year. I would argue that considering
the offense and defense. He's been at least a top choining,
maybe a top fifteen player in the league over the
final you know, ten or fifteen games. He's been that good.
And I feel like if you combine Kevin Durant with

(42:22):
that version of the Men Thompson, there's just no way
the short handed Lakers are going to have enough. You know,
maybe they have magnet ball shooting enough to win one game,
but there's no way they can come close to winning
four times out of seven. Now, the only way that
you wouldn't have that version of a men Thompson is
if the Lakers are able to do something gimmicky like

(42:42):
we saw the Spurs do. Now has to be said,
the Lakers have nothing close to Victor win Benyama, but
they can certainly try some things, like I mentioned earlier,
having their bigs Andre Lebron Rome more free safety style
coverages to take away the driving lanes. And we know
Amn he has gotten better at the mid rage shot
in recent weeks, but certainly there's no long range shot,

(43:03):
at least not consistently so. And when we talk about
these gimmicky defenses that the Lakers can try, the reason
teams will go to these gimmicks against the Rockets is
by and large to take away the driving lanes for
Amn Thompson. Well in this series, with the Lakers having
no one close to Victor win Manyama, there is no
way that those types of gimmicky defenses are going to

(43:23):
work if the Rockets get the right version of all
for in Shinhoo, I mentioned the Lakers trying to stash
you know, Marcus Smart as a short, stocky, quick hands
guy against against Shangoon trying to follow the Grant Williams
Stefan Castle type template. If Shangoon goes to work and
feast against the guy that's more and a half butt
shorter than him, I don't see how the Lakers can

(43:45):
win this series. And that's before we even talk about
the defensive end, as you just did, Paolo, Like throughout
the year, Shangoon's effort level on defense, you know, the
Rockets go as far as he can take them on
that end of the court. So if he can be
you know, closer to the net neutral guy he was
defensively year ago, even the slight positive as opposed to
the clear negative he's been for most of this year.
I mean we've said that all season long. That's a

(44:06):
huge variable. But then offensively, I just feel like any
of these gimmicks that they might throw out to try
and slow down a men Thompson, to make him not
the version we saw down the home stretch of this year,
they leave a clear path for all Parension Goon, And
if he goes out and handles his business against you know,
defenders that are probably smaller than him, certainly not as
good overall, there's no true rem protection there. I just

(44:27):
don't think the Lakers can win this series. I don't
think they can come close to winning four times out
of seven. So for me, in terms of positive X factors,
I'm looking at all pension Goon. If he goes out
there and handles his business, the Rocket should be just fine.
Polo outside of Shingoon, that might be boring if we
both picked the same guy. Who are you looking at
as I guess an X factor for this series in
a positive way.

Speaker 3 (44:48):
Well, I was gonna say Shangoon for all of the
reasons that're you and listed. It's just but I will
make the case person once, even just offensively, if the
Ruckus have Katie, who's going to b KD it doesn't matter,
and Shann I don't think that that's anyway. The Lakers
can just keep up offensive and so the defense doesn't
necessarily much of an issue, even though that if he

(45:09):
steps up on both ends, it's just it's a four
games week. Beyond that, I could make the case for
a man Thompson, but I don't think it's necessary. I
don't think we need a man to be more than
what he was forout the entire reguar reason to beat
the Lakers, And I don't think him being that much
better changes that much because he cannot really only be

(45:29):
better offensive offensively, because I think defensively, you know he's
gonna do the job that can be done on Lebron,
even at this age, never gonna lock downal Lebron just
to Crafty. So to me, it's between it's between the
two guys that are competing for the fifth starting spot,
whether that's a go gi, whether that's story, I think

(45:53):
you know what you're gonna get out of the war.
I think he performed well last last post season as well.
It's just will a gog Andary be able to knock
down shots and then prevent the Lakers from just starting
Lebron on that fifth guy, because the way the Lakers
beat the Rockets is by playing some style of flawed
defense that's easily exploitable if four guys can shoot and

(46:14):
be okay on defense, and if you take that away,
then there's just really not there's no reasonable way the
Lakers could put pose us right defensively to the Rockets
offense if everybody's knocking down their shots. So the X
factor is can you put five guys out there or
four guys ports up branching gun who can all knock

(46:36):
down their shots at a consistent level, Not necessarily saying
shooting forty percent from three, just saying don't shoot one
for ten and then five for ten the game afterwards,
right that would be you know about will be n
okay three point percentage. Well that'll be posted okay for
three percentage, but it would cost you a game in

(47:00):
the playoffs. That's what you need consistency to out. They
don't need really high highs and really lows because you
want a better team than like. So if the fifth guy,
whoever it is, Tari or Akogi are knocking down their shots,
I think it gets just really impossible for the Rockets
tools the series.

Speaker 2 (47:20):
And to your point on Tari Eason, if you watch
this team down the structure of this year, even though
the overall three point percentage still finished, I think fairly healthy.
I want to say thirty six thirty seven percent. When
he went through his stretch where he was cold, and
in individual games where he was you know, one of seven,
one of eight, teams were leaving him. And I think
that's the point that you're making that if in a
game a guy like that is really cold, it doesn't

(47:42):
matter that you look at the season long data and say, oh,
he can shoot a refectable clip, or even the overall
series total is at a respectable clip. If he's one
of seven, one of eight and defenses can just leave
him alone in the corner and not fear that the
Rockets are going to make them pay, that's where those
gimmicky defenses can have more success. So I see where
you're coming from on that, and I think it is

(48:05):
important to look at performances within each game for that reason,
because even though we can sit here and analytically look
at the numbers for the series overall or for the
season overall and say, well, this is what should happen
in terms of spacing, in terms of the impact on
a given possession, it doesn't always work that way. There
can be variants based on who's hitting who's not in

(48:25):
a given game, and I think to your point, which
is quite valid, if the Rockets are making shots across
the board and at least at a level to where
the defense has to think twice about leaving someone I
guess other than Shogunah, though Shindgoo did have a few
games down the stretch of the year where he made
three so not Gunwood. Hopefully that continues, but I think
you take that as a bonus. If the Rockets are
just making enough shots to where the Lakers can't completely

(48:48):
forget about certain guys and certain spaces on the court,
then yeah, Houston should score enough points to where the Lakers,
at least a short handed version can't keep up. All right,
quickly our predictions, I'm going Rockets in six. That might
sound conservative, but I can't help it. I just the
Rockets have played with their food too much this season,

(49:09):
and especially if they go up three games to one,
It's tough for me to see the Rockets with an
advantage closing the door in their first opportunity, especially if
it's on the road, where they were just twenty two
to nineteen this season, and if it gets to game five,
as I mentioned earlier, there's the possibility that at least
one of Luca or Reeves is able to come back.

(49:30):
So I could see this being a scenario where the
Rockets are good but not perfect. The first four games,
take three or four, they have a hiccup somewhere, and
then they lose a road game five because they haven't
always been good at you know, having that killer instinct
so to speak, and then they finished the deal in
Game six back in Houston. I will say that will
make us sweat because if this thing gets to a

(49:50):
game seven in LA, it would be a legacy moment
for Lebron. It would be very possible that at least one,
if not both, of the two injured Lakers guys come back.
At that point, it would feel inevitable almost that the
Lakers would find a way. So I think if the
Rockets are going to win this series, it probably needs
to be in six games or less, and similar to
the season overall, I don't think they'll make it easy

(50:12):
on themselves, but I do think they'll get it done.
They're simply the better team, and so I think they
win four games to two, move on to face the
Thunder and we'll talk about that series when it comes
in a couple of weeks. Powella, what's your pick.

Speaker 3 (50:25):
Against mine? Better judgment? I'm going to go Rockets in four.

Speaker 2 (50:28):
Oh, I like it. That's spicy, man.

Speaker 3 (50:30):
Yeah, I think I think they're going to surprise us.
And I think that the Lakers I just don't have
They just don't have enough to take a game off
the Rockets. And I think after they lose the first
two games, they just give up.

Speaker 2 (50:43):
Yeah, that's the hope, and I'm in a complete agreement there.
Those first two games are so important on so many
fronts because you have an opportunity, that's the scenario where
not having home court advantage could actually work out well
for you, and that you get the two games that
one hundred percent they're not going to have or Luca,
I mean, technically they'll be reevaluated next week according to

(51:05):
JJ Reddick, but they're not going to go from a
reevaluation to playing that night. It would take at least
a few days of ramping up. So yeah, you know
they're not going to play the first two games, which
will be Saturday and either Monday or Tuesday. In all likelihood,
we'll see what happens after that. But if you can
establish that sense of inevitability, then yeah, this thing might
end sooner rather than later. And you know, we've spent

(51:27):
a lot of this pod and really a lot of
the season talking about, you know, the problems with the Rockets.
But to give them credit, they did win nine of
their last ten games. They were able to finally stack
games down the home stretch of the year. So, knock
on wood, maybe they finally have turned a corner.

Speaker 3 (51:41):
Let me ask you a different question. What is the
worst case scenario?

Speaker 2 (51:46):
The worst case scenario is that they lose the home
game one, or that they lose the road game one
home for the Lakers, and the narrative of this series
gets completely turned on its head. I don't think that
the Lakers are going to run away with it, like
if some of the Lakers won the series four or five,
like barring like an insane amount of injuries, something went
catastrophically wrong. I'm just not willing to go there until

(52:09):
we see it. To me, the realistic worst case scenario
is that you know, the Lakers National TV spotlight game,
you know, rallying around the idea that nobody believes in
us to use a Bill simmonsism, stealing a game early,
building the belief that, and also you know, building the
doubt in the Rockets, which we've seen at times this year,

(52:30):
just expecting the other shoe to drop in high leverage
situations and just making it to where the Rockets margin
err are, Like, if the Rockets lose Game one, they
need to win at least four of the next five games.
Well for the next five, can't win more than that,
but you need to win four out of the next
five or else there would be a game seven. And

(52:50):
for the reasons I just laid out, I would not
like the Rockets chances in a road game seven against
Lebron and the Lakers. So losing that home game one,
raising the the hopes in LA and you know, just
bringing that doubt back into the equation for the Rockets,
who at times have been a mentally fragile team this year.
That's that's my fear. And so if the Rockets go
out and handle their business on Saturday night, I will

(53:12):
feel so much better. I wouldn't put it past the
unit they do that to, you know, potentially laid egg
in game two because they you know, get a little
too high in themselves. That would not shock me with
this team, but I could handle that a lot more
and say, you know what, they've learned their lesson, they
know what they need to do, and then they'll they'll
handle their business back in Houston. If they get punched
in the mouth in game one after a week off

(53:33):
and having time for their you know, high minutes skies
to rest up, that's the scenario where I feel like
doubt would start to enter the equation. That's the worst
case for me.

Speaker 3 (53:43):
Man, your your your worst case seems treaty mild. I
had two cases that are worse than that. The worst
one is getting swept in Florida.

Speaker 2 (53:51):
I'm just not going there. No, of course it's possible,
but I'm just not going there.

Speaker 3 (53:55):
The worst one, though, even I would prefer getting swept
in Flora than this one. The worst one, and this
will always be my fear going into the playoff series
is being the first team ever to lose after being
up three to zero. That's the rock bottom, Like once
an NBA team does that, Like I think I think
it just dispattered the franchise, like if you're the first

(54:17):
one in history to lose after being up three. Oh.
I will remember the Celtics and the Heat a few
years back, they almost like one of the I don't
remember who was coming I think it was the Heat
coming back or was it the Celtics coming back. I
think it was the Celtics coming back where they lost
the first three games, took it to game seven, and
then lost the game seven. But yeah, that's that's my

(54:37):
worst case in it. And this is very much a
situation that would present itself for that to happen because
because of the Luka and Reeves potentially coming back in
the latter stages of the series.

Speaker 2 (54:50):
Yeah, well, I'm not for the sake of positivity, I'm
not willing to go there yet. I will say hashtag
Houston sports. We have had some recent history on the
astro side, becoming the first team to lose four home
playoff games in a single series, not once, but twice,
the twenty nineteen World Series and then the twenty twenty
three Alcs against the hated Rangers. Now that's not quite

(55:12):
as embarrassing as it sounds, because honestly, there haven't been
that many teams with a chance to lose four games
in a series, because typically if you lose your first
three home games, the only way you would have a
fourth is if you're good enough to then go three
to zero on the road to force a game seven.
So while it's certainly history, it's not quite as peak

(55:33):
futility as you would think at face value, simply because
other teams would have lost four games at home. It's
just they didn't get to play four games at home
because they had already lost the road games at least
one of them beforehand. But nonetheless, it is history. It's
happened in recent hashtag Houston sports. So until it doesn't happen, yeah,
I'm right there with you. You can entirely rule it out anyway.

(55:55):
I will rule it out for today, not going down
that road far because we're already an hour in, and
let's be positive for change. Rockets have one nine to
the last ten games that got a favorable playoff draw,
So we'll punt those dire scenarios back until at least
the Rockets lose a game and we're forced to explore
some suboptimal outcomes, and we'll see if that's the case

(56:17):
when we next record, which will be early next week.
Not sure if it will be between game one and
Game two or between Game two and Game three. That's
because the full schedule is to be determined. We'll try
and do it in a spot in the schedule where
there's a couple of consecutive off days, so the pod
has a slightly longer shelf life. But regardless, either between
game one and Game two or between Game two and
Game three, we will be back early next week, so

(56:37):
stay tuned for that. I'll also have the postgame shows
and perhaps a preview as well with Dave Hartesty over
on the Clutch Fans YouTube channel. All Right, for tonight,
I think we're done, and if you want more content
before our next show, the best place to get it
is at Launch Pods seven ninety on Twitter slash x,
where if you go to the link tree in the
bio you can find links to friends, partner sponsors, Clutch Fans,

(56:59):
Sports Talks ninety, USA, Today's Rockets. Bar I mentioned the
Clutch Fans YouTube page where we have the live shows,
and then you can also follow Polo and myself on
social media. Pallo at Palo Alves NBA and me at Benjubos.
All Right, with that, I believe we're done for today.
For Polo Alves, I'm Benjubos. As always, we appreciate you,
guys and girls so much for listening and please come
back soon for more new episodes of The Rockets Launch

(57:21):
Pot The Rockets