If the NBA season ended Thursday, the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers would meet in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs as the fourth and fifth seeds respectively.Coaches Confidential: Showtime II could be horror show for Chucky
Sunday's meeting at the Great Western Forum will be a preview of that possible matchup, although all the key players won't be on the floor.
The biggest hurt on the Rockets' end is the loss of Clyde Drexler, who is out five to six weeks after having surgery on his right knee.
"It means 20 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists ... it means a lot, you know," Houston's Robert Horry says. "We lost a big player. We can't dwell on it. We have to step it up from the 12th man to the first man."
Added star center Hakeem Olajuwon, "It's like a new team out there. But the key is for us to do the best we can while all these players are out."
Without Drexler in the lineup, Hakeem and Co. still the beat the Lakers 96-94 last Saturday.
The once-forgotten Kenny Smith's four fourth-quarter 3-pointers carried the Rockets late in that game. His 12 points in the final period were only eight fewer than the total points Eldridge Recasner, Sam Cassell, Tim Breaux and Sam Mack had through three quarters.
"I called the Kenny Smith shots," Lakers coach Del Harris said. "The guy hadn't played and I said he'll come out, and he'll try to show them why he should be playing.
"And I said, 'This is the guy we'll have to watch when he gets in the game. We don't want him to come up with anything.' "
"Magic left and I came in," Smith said with a laugh following the last meeting.
On the Lakers' end, Magic Johnson's effectiveness last Saturday was minimal. He played only 11 minutes before leaving with tightness in his right thigh, but is expected to play Saturday.
"Well, we know Magic will be pretty healthy Sunday, and he'll be getting the ball a lot and his post-up ability is amazing," Cassell said. "The guys shoots left-handed jump hooks, right-handed jump hooks; his passing ability is still great.
"It will be a tough matchup Sunday."
The return of a healthy Magic gives the Lakers depth at power forward behind Elden Campbell, whose foul trouble limited him to just 25 minutes in Houston last Saturday.
"(Magic's) another weapon they have, and he's playing the power forward, so we've heard of point forwards but you rarely hear of a point power forward," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "You know it's interesting. He gives them different looks."
Another key for the Lakers will be the play of Cedric Ceballos, who nearly put the first game into overtime with a rebound attempt at the buzzer. Ceballos finished with 26 points to lead L.A., and the Rockets are aware of his presence.
"We've gotta find a way to stop Ceballos," Horry said. "He came out and got his game out and got a lot of fast breaks.
"They're a very, very aggressive team pushing the ball up the court, so if we slow that down, we'll be in the ballgame."
