The Los Angeles Lakers are being viewed as a favorite for this season’s Larry O’Brien Trophy, but Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey believes his team can beat them.
Morey admits that the Lakers should be considered a favorite, but he is confident that the Rockets can stop them:
When it comes to predicting the next NBA champion, Morey argued that the Los Angeles Lakers “deserved to be called the favorites.” When it comes to sizing up teams that have a good shot at stopping that from happening? Morey contended, “we feel very comfortable we can beat the Lakers.”
The Rockets were among the teams that made deals ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. In a surprising move, Houston decided to trade Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a four-team, 12-player transaction. This left the Rockets without a starting-caliber center. Despite that fact, the team still managed to claim a 121-111 victory over the Lakers on Thursday night.
Interestingly, no player in Houston’s starting lineup was taller than 6-6 in Thursday’s game against the Lakers. Small ball, anyone?
“Every time you try something different, these guys have got to believe in it,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said, via ESPN. “And this helps a lot, because if you come in here and get spanked and they’re all little, it’s like, `Oh, maybe we can’t do this.’ So they’re fired up to keep trying. It’s just one game, but the confidence is good.”
Russell Westbrook led the Rockets, scoring 41 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Robert Covington, who was acquired in the Capela deal, had a solid debut, racking up 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.
The Rockets will be back in action on Friday night, when they’ll face off against the Phoenix Suns. Houston will be looking to build on a four-game winning streak.
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