On the stat sheet, Charles Barkley had put up 34 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists, shooting an incredible 62% from the field.
He scored 22 points over Horry, 8 over Grant, and 4 over O'Neal.
Every number was brutal proof—proof that the Houston Rockets' strategy had been right, proof that he was the key to this series, proof that the Lakers had no one at power forward who could stop him.
Hakeem Olajuwon contributed 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He held his own against O'Neal in the low post, even making the young Shark pay on several possessions.
Scottie Pippen recorded 16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. On defense, he held Kobe to just 18 points on 41% shooting, while forcing 6 turnovers.
For the Lakers, O'Neal had 28 points and 12 rebounds, Kobe had 18 points and 6 assists, and Glen Rice had 14 points. Their numbers were not bad, but compared to Houston's Big Three, they lacked something—that ruthless drive to grit their teeth in crunch time and take the game.
At TNT's commentary desk, the three analysts exchanged looks.
"Well," Kevin Harlan said after taking a deep breath, "I didn't see that coming. I don't think most people did either. The Houston Rockets beat the Lakers on the road and took Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals."
Bill Walton shook his head, his expression somewhere between shock and admiration. "The Lakers played well today, really well. O'Neal dominated the paint, and Kobe created plenty of opportunities on the perimeter. But the Houston Rockets played better. Barkley went absolutely wild in the low post. Horry, Grant, even O'Neal—none of them had an answer for him. That was Houston's strategy: use Olajuwon to contain O'Neal, have Pippen lock Kobe down, then let