Eric Gordon can make or break the Rockets’ chances of playoff survival according to Salman Ali (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

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With the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers tied at one win apiece, Rockets reporter Salman Ali lends his insight and analysis about the intriguing matchup that’s only just begun. A General NBA writer for Clutch Points, Salman also covers the Rockets for the Red Nation Hoops Podcast, ESPN’s Houston-based FM station, and his own new Substack newsletter called “State of the Rockets.” In the series, he argues, two styles are pitted against each other: Big Ball vs. Micro Ball. Which does he believe will prevail? Tune in to find out.

*Time stamps may vary due to dynamic advertising:

8:00-8:59: “I think when the Lakers started trapping the Rockets yesterday, they were startled, and they hadn’t seen that defense in a long time. And I think Russ[ell Westbrook] just forgot how he usually attacks that defense, or at least he was as shell-shocked as the Rockets were…If you give them [the Rockets offense] time with it, they’re always gonna figure it out because they have so many shooters on the floor. That’s the benefit of trading Clint Capela for Robert Covington. You’re always gonna have more shooters on the floor no matter what roster you throw out there.”

12:52-14:04: “Eric Gordon is a huge X factor for the Rockets, not only in this series but in the playoffs because his 3-point shooting and his drives to the basket unlock so much for them. The Rockets aren’t playing this style of basketball unless they have Eric Gordon on the perimeter. Point blank, he makes a lot of this possible for them…The reason I believe this is a bad matchup for the Lakers is because the Rockets and their floor spacing and the way they play just force so many mismatches for the Lakers. And if they’re hitting their shots, there’s not really a defense the Lakers can utilize that will stop them.”

19:40-19:59: “I cannot shake this feeling that against a team like the Clippers and the Rockets, those two teams in particular, they have the ability to knock this Lakers team off just because of how bad of a matchup they can be on the perimeter for them. They have just a limited amount of capable wing defenders.”

24:46-26:10: “He [P.J. Tucker] is both their best Anthony Davis defender and their LeBron James…It can be problematic that P.J. Tucker is having to defend both guys, but I think against Anthony Davis he’s done a good job, and against LeBron, you look at guys like Danuel House, Eric Gordon, Robert Covington, they have more than enough guys to do…Listen, no one’s gonna stop LeBron. LeBron is LeBron, but in terms of just keeping him under control, making sure he doesn’t have a 40-point piece on the Rockets, they have good enough defenders to at least keep him under that mark.”

34:17-34:52: “If they lost the Thunder series, I thought [head coach] Mike [D’Antoni] was gone. With James Harden getting that block against Lu Dort, I thought that not only saved his reputation; it saved Mike’s job. It definitely does matter what the Rockets do from here on out in the postseason, and it also matters what are you gonna get in the open market that’s better than Mike D’Antoni? This is always the question I ask with Rockets fans that want to replace D’Antoni. So you fire Mike D’Antoni? Fine. Are you gonna find a Hall of Fame-caliber coach on the market?”

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Music: “Who Likes to Party” by Kevin MacLeod.