May 11, 2009 (Part 2); Even without Yao, Rockets beat Lakers by 12

We all know that Yao Ming is out of the postseason. But does that tell everything for the Houston Rockets?

Of course, not.

The Rockets proved that they are more than that. Even without their star center Yao Ming, they still prevailed over the talented Los Angeles Lakers, 89-77, to even up their best-of-seven series at 2 games a piece.

The role players stepped up bigtime for the Rockets as they all know that if they don't, they will be eaten alive by the Lakers. They even led for as much as 29 points, up until the Lakers made a run to keep the score more respectable.

And this goes to show that you don't need a star player to win a game. And actually, it is better if there's no star in a team, you know why? It's because there's no pressure whatsoever to the players. And if ever that team pulls off a win, especially against a team with stars, they would gain the respect that they deserve.

This loss would irrate all the Laker fans around the world, but on the contrary, would give hope and joy to all the Rocket fans.

Aaron Brooks led the Rockets with a career-high 34 points on 12 out of 20 from the field, with 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Shane Battier pulled in 23 points and 4 boards, on 5 out of 10 from beyond the arc. Kyle Lowry provided 12 points and 2 assists off the bench. Luis Scola finished with a double-double performance, scoring 11 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Ron Artest only had eight points, but have managed to do the dirty work, with 10 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Lakers on the other hand were led by Pau Gasol with 30 points and 9 rebounds. Kobe Bryant simply can't find his touch around the hoop tonight, or maybe credit it to good defense, for he just scored 15 points and had 5 assists and 4 steals. Shannon Brown led the role players with 14 points and 3 rebounds.

Game 5 will be played on Wednesday, May 13 at 10:30 AM from Los Angeles.

Game 4
LA Lakers 77
Houston 89
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
LAL: Pau Gasol- 30 pts, 9 rebs, 1 asst.
HOU: Aaron Brooks- 34 pts, 3 rebs, 4 assts.
Series tied 2-2
Game 5 on Wednesday, May 13 at 10:30 AM from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

The Boston-Orlando game is almost done. Details of the game in a while!

The Wizard was here... :)