LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The Houston Rockets in the NBA bubble are a science experiment inside a science experiment, and the beaker just cracked. They did not just lose Game 4 to the Lakers; they lost Game 4 in the first half. They are now down 3-1 in the series, and they say it’s not over, which is true but begs the question: If it’s not over, why did they play like it was?
“Just a lack of … spirit,” coach Mike D’Antoni said afterward, in an empty gym adjacent to the mostly empty gym where the game was played.