Lakers Dominate Game 7 To Move On

The Rockets proved much tougher than expected, and stretching the Lakers to game 7 was not anticipated. But the Lakers came out firing on all cylinders in the final game, and never let the Rockets challenge.

Defense was one key, as the Lakers in Game 7 held the Rockets to 25% shooting in the first half, and 36.8% for the entire game. In fact, Aaron Brooks of the Rockets had just 13 points on four-for-13 shooting. Luis Scola had 11 points and Ron Artest had only seven.

Meanwhile, Pau Gasol of the Lakers was a force during game 7. Gasol had 21 points and 18 rebounds, leaving to a standing ovation with 3:34 left in the game.

Kobe Bryant of the Lakers finished game 7 with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Andrew Bynum tied his playoff career high with 14 points on six-for-seven shooting, and Trevor Ariza had 15 points.

The Lakers host the opener of the conference finals against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.