--Rockets guard Ron Artest did not get a chance to reprise his odd trash-talk duel with Kobe Bryant. In their previous meeting, with Bryant scoring 31 second-half points, including 18 in the fourth quarter, Artest chose to call him out. On Friday, he was matched up with Lamar Odom, taking away that option. But as strange as it might seem to do anything to incite Bryant, Artest said that is actually why he does it.
"It's easy to talk to someone who's going to back down to you," Artest said. "That's easy for a big guy to pick on a smaller guy. Some people might not talk to the guy who actually might (beat) them. So I like to talk to the guy who's going to (beat) me." --Rockets forward Carl Landry stepped up his workload on Friday in his attempt to come back from his March 17 gunshot wound. In addition to his individual rehabilitation, he had been going through shooting drills. But until Friday, he was careful not to jump.
At Friday's shoot-around, he was much livelier in his movements, even dunking on one occasion and then went through much of his usual pre-game routine that evening. Rockets coach Rick Adelman said there is no timetable for Landry's return, but he is not expected to play before the Rockets go back on the road April 9.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "That's why they are a Finals team. In the fourth quarter, they take control of all four games we played them. It's something we knew going in. It happened in the last three games (against the Lakers) and it kind of happened (Friday night), too." -- Rick Adelman.
