Throughout history, every opponent gets up for the Lakers.
The 2009 Western Conference semifinals weren’t any different, with the Houston Rockets upsetting Phil Jackson’s squad in Game 1 and threatening to return to Texas with a commanding series lead.
Fresh off a painful loss in the 2008 Finals, the purple and gold won 65 games in the regular season to become the No. 1 seed in the West. However, a scrappy team led by the artist formerly known as Ron Artest loomed as a serious threat – ready to shock the world or to go down swinging.