Spring Break
Unlucky Number Seven
Texas A&M Students React to Rocket's Loss to Lakers
By: Brett Sebastian
Issue date: 5/11/09 Section: Sports
Despite injuries to their two stars and a career ending injury to a hall of famer, the general consensus among A&M student is that the Houston Rockets surpassed all expectations in this years playoffs. The young Rockets came together to get past the first round for the first time since 1997. Houston followed that victory up by taking the Los Angeles Lakers, a popular pick to make the NBA Finals, to the brink of elimination.
"I was surprised the Rocket's took the Lakers to game seven," said senior kinesology major Dana Prentice. "Losing by 40 was dissapointing, but it was great to see them win the other three games, even without two of our starters. It was sad that Yao was injured and out, again."
The Rockets played an up and down series against the top seeded Lakers and pushed a game seven on Sunday which they lost 89-70. The Lakers took home a game one victory against Denver in the Western Conference Finals Tuesday night while Houston had to settle for the moral victory.
The Rockets started out slow in game seven, not scoring until midway through the first quarter. The Lakers would take that momentum, lead wire to wire, and send the Rockets packing for Houston.
"If Chuck Hayes was the man to end the rockets 0-14 field goal drought, then the Rockets were in big trouble," said junior buisness major Daniel Granger of the Rocket's poor start in game seven. "Nevertheless they played strong when no one believed they would and for that every Houstonian should be proud."
The series against the Lakers turned into a shocker for many who believed the Lakers would roll past the Rockets and to a berth in the NBA finals. Instead the Rockets young line up played the Lakers in a physical and heated match up that saw a suspension, several ejections, and several technicals throughout. Houston's All-Star center Yao Ming went down in game one with a knee sprain but came back before being knocked out of the playoffs in game three with a broken foot. Lacking Yao as well as Tracy McGrady who was injured earlier in the season and Dikembe Mutumbo who was injured against Portland in the opening round, the Rockets had to turn to their young role players to handle the Lakers.
"I was surprised the Rocket's took the Lakers to game seven," said senior kinesology major Dana Prentice. "Losing by 40 was dissapointing, but it was great to see them win the other three games, even without two of our starters. It was sad that Yao was injured and out, again."
The Rockets played an up and down series against the top seeded Lakers and pushed a game seven on Sunday which they lost 89-70. The Lakers took home a game one victory against Denver in the Western Conference Finals Tuesday night while Houston had to settle for the moral victory.
The Rockets started out slow in game seven, not scoring until midway through the first quarter. The Lakers would take that momentum, lead wire to wire, and send the Rockets packing for Houston.
"If Chuck Hayes was the man to end the rockets 0-14 field goal drought, then the Rockets were in big trouble," said junior buisness major Daniel Granger of the Rocket's poor start in game seven. "Nevertheless they played strong when no one believed they would and for that every Houstonian should be proud."
The series against the Lakers turned into a shocker for many who believed the Lakers would roll past the Rockets and to a berth in the NBA finals. Instead the Rockets young line up played the Lakers in a physical and heated match up that saw a suspension, several ejections, and several technicals throughout. Houston's All-Star center Yao Ming went down in game one with a knee sprain but came back before being knocked out of the playoffs in game three with a broken foot. Lacking Yao as well as Tracy McGrady who was injured earlier in the season and Dikembe Mutumbo who was injured against Portland in the opening round, the Rockets had to turn to their young role players to handle the Lakers.
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