Lakers vs Rockets
Lakers vs. Rockets: A 2020 playoff clash.
The Lakers and Rockets have met in the NBA playoffs multiple times, including in the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals, where the Lakers won the series in five games.
- First Major Playoff Meeting
- 1987 Western Conference Finals
- Most Iconic Series
- 2004 Western Conference Semifinals
- Key Lakers Figures
- Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal
- Key Rockets Figures
- Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady
- Total Playoff Meetings
- 5 times (1987, 1990, 2004, 2009, 2020)
- Rivalry Status
- Historic Playoff Rivalry
Lore & Background
Article, the Lakers faced the Houston Rockets in the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals and won the series in five games.
In Their Own Story
The air inside the Great Western Forum was thick with humidity and anticipation. Magic Johnson dribbled past the half-court line, his eyes scanning the defense, while Moses Malone anchored the Houston paint like a fortress. In a different decade, the scene shifted to the Staples Center, where Shaquille O'Neal, now wearing red, backed down Kobe Bryant in the low post. The crowd roared as Hakeem Olajuwon's Dream Shake left a defender flat-footed, followed by the thunderous slam that echoed through the arena. It was a collision of eras: the fluidity of Showtime meeting the immovable object of Houston's big men, each series writing a new chapter in the annals of basketball history.
Reader's Guide
The Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets in the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals, winning the series 4–1.
Did You Know?
- The Lakers and Rockets met in the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals.
- The Lakers won the 2020 series against the Rockets in five games.
More in Great Rivalries & Feuds
Elsewhere in the Los Angeles Lakers universe
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