The Western Conference semifinals matchup between the Lakers and Rockets is technically a battle between Los Angeles and Houston. However, there are actually more L.A. natives on the Rockets than there are on the Lakers.
That might not be saying much considering the Lakers don’t have a single player on their roster from California — let alone Southern California — but the number of players on the Rockets that grew up in the Los Angeles area is still notable. Between Tyson Chandler, James Harden, Austin Rivers and Russell Westbrook, there are four players on the Rockets that were born in the Golden State.