Man what a game from Gasol and Howard tonight. They both appear to be back to their old selves, although they really had no choice but to step it up.
Gasol could have had something more like 15-16 assists if his passes to open shooters didn't miss a bunch of times. He seems to have some height back in his jump too. Getting up higher for rebounds.
Dwight, what a beast on defense tonight. He really kept the Lakers in the game during that first half, while the rest of the team played absolutely horrible defense. Even if his offense was bad that first half, his energy was high. Second half, he really shut down many of the plays the Rockets were attempting to run. Just stood in the middle of key and dared people to drive on him, while constantly moving out to give help. It was impressive to watch. Harden made that one miracle shot off the top of the backboard, but his big ass was there waiting for them every time.
Meeks with that drive and drunk. Blake suddenly producing. I'm not sure if we can keep expecting that kind of play out of those guys. Good news for LA is that Nash should be back for the first round. Hopefully healthy enough to do some vintage Nash magic. See if Metta is in better shape by then as well.