ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Lakers 4/29/2026 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 5)

Fukkkk the NBA

 

I don’t think so, this would have been his easiest series to win without Luka. Maybe more frustrated with the team etc.

Everything feels off. I def don’t care what this team does going forward if Udoka and Stone stick around. This was probably the most disappointing Rockets season in 20 plus years. Silas era doesn’t count, since we knew they would suck, but at least it was interesting to see them try to figure it out.

 

Shoutout to Eason. Jalen was doing great before last night.

 

full conspiration mode for gm5. Ok, I get it.

 

Katie has constipation too? From bad to worse!

 

Lakers will be insanely amped from the opening tipoff and will smother the Rockets defensively. After getting two days between games again, I expect LeBron to be even more aggressive and refuse to let the Lakers lose. I expect the Lakers to play their best game of the series.

The only chance the Rockets have is to avoid getting blown out early. If the Lakers expend a bunch of energy building a lead where the Rockets remain in striking distance, we'll see. Rockets have to make sure they lock in on defense, don't give Kennard open jumpers and don't get fooled on back door plays. Lakers are a smarter, better coached team who will fire every bullet they have in game 5.

Needless to say, Rockets also need to hit some jumpers. Reed must shoot like he belongs out there and figure out a way to offer some resistance on defense. Jabari and Tari gotta also hit some 3s and Alpi has to play like an alpha instead of going soft.

 

We've got underwater treadmills and anti-gravity treadmills?!?! No wonder Tilman can't afford Severo for halftime

 

I think he's actually hurt but his anti-social nature fueled the fires a bit.

Him not being on the bench in game 3 when maybe he just didn't feel like it. He doesn't seem to be the friendliest of guys. I think after the stink of him not being there for his team they probably suggested he'd be there on the bench for game 4.

The Amen quote about not hearing from KD...people probably looked too much into it. If I remember Harden wasn't all that social with all of his teammates too, Amen was just answering the question honestly.

People talk a lot about NBA conspiracies but the reason for the for the whole "You must play 65 game" thing is because the NBA knows the people want to see the star players. The NBA more than anything wants to see KD vs Lebron, this could very well be the last time they face off in a playoff series...

 

We should all be rebel flag waving toothless hill billies in tax break haven Tennessee to save our earnings better. We'll show Adam Silver we all about the money as well!!!

 

There's just as much story for KD to go back to OKC too and besides...if the NBA didn't see OKC as a draw why in the world are they getting so many calls?

The Rockets are also one of the NBAs biggest draws. If you look at the most watched games this year, Rockets pop up in multiple. I know people are down on this franchise because we only have two championships but this is a historic franchise in a big market that has had NUMEROUS Hall of Fame players...and once an entire country behind them in China. The Rockets are constantly relevant, always in the playoffs, we just unfortunately never had another championship core outside of Hakeem.

The most watched series is the Rockets v Lakers, one of the most watched games this season was Rockets v Lakers (and Rockets v OKC) this is one of the most popular teams in the NBA, the league has all the reason to promote it with Sengun representing a country even.

Warriors are also one of the most watched teams to this day, why didn't the NBA get them in to play OKC? I'd think SGA vs Curry would have done major numbers for them, all they had to do was rig one play-in game and it happens.

I don't think the NBA is rigged.

I do think there's probably refs who are part of some gambling scheme. If there were players that have done it, it makes sense that there might be a ref or two that is invovled in something.

I think there is clear bias. Lebron misses a shot, must be a foul, that kind of thing. I do think refs get star struck but at the same time, players like Curry never got a favorable whistle so I also do think some players are just better at getting the refs to blow their whistle. The head whip back, the flopping, there is an art to it. Harden would literally hold his arms out to show the foul for example. Marcus Smart just falls down whenever he's touched and he's small so it works...kind of why I think Reed's key defensive move should just be to flop...could even grow longer hair (if he can) and have it whip about, bet refs start to give him calls.

Other than that, what you see is what you get. There's no conspiracy behind OKC, Presti is a masterful GM, so they are good.
The Rockets are a really young team with a bad coach...so they make a lot of dumb mistakes.
Lakers are playing better because Lebron is getting rest and so we're seeing shades of his old self.

The fact is, OKC v Rockets or OKC v Lakers, either one is going to probably be the highest rated series in the 2nd round because one team has SGA and the other team will have Lebron/KD

 

If NBA is rigged, the Knicks would have gotten to the Finals instead of the Pacers. Rockets just sucked. Had Reed and Jabari held onto the ball, this series would have been 2-2.

 

The Lakers likely put us to sleep tonight.

 

Bone-to-bone too

 

Yeah there's not a top-down massive conspiracy to engineer which teams end up in which series and so on. That's too hard to actually pull off (a team getting really hot from three can instantly break it, for example) and the rewards aren't worth the risk.

I agree there are shady and biased refs though, and the quality of the officiating in general has been a major problem.

 

Orlando @ Detroit John Goble (#10) Curtis Blair (#74) Kevin Cutler (#34) Tre Maddox (#23)
Toronto @ Cleveland Scott Foster (#48) Sean Wright (#4) Gediminas Petraitis (#50) John Butler (#30)
Houston @ L.A. Lakers Tony Brothers (#25) Mitchell Ervin (#27) Pat Fraher (#26) Marat Kogut (#32)

 

The league wants to get this game over with quickly, give LA proper recovery time. They sent their best hitman early.

 

man could you imagine this season with healthy FVV and Steven Adams?

damn. even with this fraud a$$ coach….woulda been something.

 

no, as LA / Phoenix would bring in more revenue.

eg phoenix market pays higher TV advertising rate than OKC​

If so, it'd be LA vs. NYK every year.

but NYK hasn't won the ring since 1972. so much for your conspiracy theory!