In the second quarter, the Houston Rockets tried to mount a comeback.
Barkley repeatedly backed down Oakley in the low post and scored. He put up 8 points in the quarter, each basket seeming to tell the Lakers—we haven't given up yet. Olajuwon hit two hook shots from the low post, finding room to shoot despite O'Neal's defense. Though his knees protested every time he landed, he gritted his teeth and kept playing. Pippen knocked down a three from the perimeter, finding an opening under Kobe's defense. Though his release point was five centimeters lower than usual, the shot still fell.
But the Lakers responded even faster.
O'Neal scored three straight times in the low post, Kobe hit two consecutive mid-range jumpers from the outside, and Fisher buried a three from the top of the arc. The gap did not shrink; instead, it widened.
At halftime, the score stood at 58–40, with the Lakers leading by 18.
The fans at Compaq Center began to fall silent.
They knew this might be the last game the Houston Rockets' Big Three ever played together.
In the third quarter, the Lakers gave the Houston Rockets no chance at all.
O'Neal continued to dominate the paint, dunking twice over Olajuwon, once over Barkley, and once over Kevin Willis. Kobe continued to showcase his complete offensive arsenal on the perimeter, hitting mid-range jumpers over Pippen one after another before finishing a fast break with a one-handed tomahawk dunk. Rice knocked down two more threes from beyond the arc, and every basket made the Compaq Center crowd fall even quieter.
At the end of the third quarter, the score was 82–58, with the Lakers ahead by 24.
The fourth quarter became complete garbage time.
Tomjanovich kept Olajuwon, Barkley, and Pippen on the bench, sending