Another Battle with Houston!

"This is the second meeting between the Lakers and Houston in three years!"

"The team with the most stars in the league versus the star with the strongest individual ability in the league!"

"Shaquille O'Neal battles Hakeem Olajuwon again! Another showdown between two of the Four Great Centers!"

"OK versus five superstars!"

"A clash between the league's strongest bench units!"

"The Spurs are not as dominant as people imagined. The winner between the Lakers and Houston will advance to this year's Finals!"

Before the series had even begun, the hype surrounding the Lakers-Houston matchup had already reached a fever pitch!

Though the Spurs and Jazz were both strong teams, they relied primarily on defense, had fewer stars, and did not boast particularly luxurious rosters on paper. As a result, they drew far less attention from fans.

The matchup between the Lakers and Houston was completely different!

Between the two teams, there were enough stars to count on both hands!

Their benches were also the best in the league, stronger by more than a level than the Hornets, Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference.

This year's Sixth Man of the Year was Houston's Cassell! In just 25 minutes per game, he averaged an outstanding 15+5! If he were placed on a bad team and made its leader, no one would be surprised if he put up All-Star numbers of 22+8 per game.

Cassell's contract with Houston was set to expire this year!

Several teams had already extended olive branches to him! The 29-year-old point guard was in the prime of his career! Even landing a contract worth ten million or more would be perfectly reasonable.

Among the players who had competed most fiercely with Cassell for Sixth Man of the Year was the Lakers' rookie, the "Argentine Eagle," Ginobili.