YOU might think the game was lost down the stretch when Ron Artest forgot that he could swing the ball around to an open teammate instead of firing up a difficult 3-pointer from the corner.
Perhaps you figure it was lost on the other end when Kobe Bryant, who passed Larry Bird in career playoff points during the game, threw in that ridiculous 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with a couple of minutes to play. Some of you might even want to complain that the seemingly preposterous flagrant foul call and automatic ejection given to Artest for a blow to Pau Gasol in the final minute did in the Rockets .
Oh, those things hurt all right. But the Rockets lost Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers when they failed to bring any energy out of the locker room for the third quarter.
"In the third quarter we just did not show up," Yao Ming said. "We didn't play well, and in the fourth quarter, it was too late."
The halftime buffet must have been loaded with serotonin. Like hundreds of high-priced-ticket-buying fans at the sold-out Toyota Center, the Rockets were a little late coming back from the intermission.
"At the start of the third quarter, I thought we got good opportunities and couldn't finish plays," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "Then we got impatient there and could never get it going.
"Our offense ? we get these lulls and we don't seem to be able to fight through 'em, whether it's turnovers or impatience."
Calling the 12 minutes of third-quarter drudgery a lull is a mild way of putting it.
For all the talk about the physical play of the series and the Rockets being a team that can stand tall with the top-seeded Lakers, we almost forgot that the Rockets have been inconsistent all season.
Seen this before
Stretches of really good play are often followed by stretches of horrendous action, or lack thereof. And we're talking in the same game. Those are the Rockets we know.
They were in the house in the third quarter Friday, and that is why Houston is down 2-1 in the series after taking away Los Angeles' home-court advantage with a win in Game 1.
The Rockets came out rolling, scoring 28 points in the first period with some of the better ball movement they have showed this series. We saw none of that in the third quarter.
After eight assists on 11 baskets in the first quarter, the Rockets didn't manage a single assist in the third, when they were outscored 24-14.
It was a total team effort. You can't have that poor of a period unless everyone contributes. Not one assist in the period. That's what you call teamwork.
Yao, the star big man, came up small. 1-for-6.
Luis Scola, the hard-working sneaky scorer, was really sneaky. 1-for-4.
Artest, who wanted Bryant suspended for this game because of an elbow thrown Wednesday that he claimed contacted his throat, was still coughing on Friday. 2-for-8.
Von Wafer, Carl Landry and Shane Battier were barely seen. 0-for-1 each.
Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry, the two smallest Rockets , were comparatively huge, with both making 1-of-2 shots. Those were the highlights.
After making just three of their first 12 shots, the Rockets cooled off and made only three of their final 13.
Consistency.
"We couldn't put pressure on them offensively in the third, and that's the big difference," Battier said. "We had some layups we missed, and then we got a little stagnant and the ball stopped moving. When that happens, we are usually in big trouble."
The Rockets were actually lucky the Lakers didn't run away and hide. Because they didn't, it probably gave you the false hope that Houston could pull off the victory.
Daunting task looms
Now the team that thrives on challenges faces a Mother's Day test against a Lakers squad that has scored 111 and 108 points in the last two games.
You can't have offensive lulls against the third-highest scoring team in the league. You can't leave your intensity in the locker room against the defending Western Conference champions.
At least you can't do that
jerome.solomon@chron.com
