LET’S GO ROCK-ETS!
• Houston is without injured center Yao Ming, who is 7-foot-6 and is lost for the remainder of the playoffs with a fractured foot. With backup Dikembe Mutombo also out, Houston starts Chuck Hayes, who is 6-6.
• Even though he was having a down year, Tracy McGrady’s season-ending injury leaves Houston without a dominant scorer. Yes, Ron Artest can light it up at times, and Aaron Brooks has ascended, but, c’mon, you’d rather face them than Kobe.
LET’S GO LAK-ERS!
• The Nuggets have fed off an us-against-the-world attitude all season, from being picked to miss the playoffs, to tough officiating, to disrespect from the Mavs. If they play L.A., few people will pick them to win, and maybe that’s a good thing.
• The 2004 Red Sox won their first World Series in ages, knocking out the hated Yankees along the way. Denver, Chauncey Billups suggests, is in the midst of a storybook season. And what better chapter than one about beating the Lakers?
