These are the two teams starting lineups:

Houston

Alston
T-Mac
Battier
Scola
Mutumbo

Lakers

Fisher
Kobe
Vlad
Lamar
Turiaf

We are better in the SG, PF, and even C position. Mutumbo really can't play anymore.

Hopefully we can win this one, we really need it.

First, the facts: The Houston Rockets have won a staggering 21 games in a row, the second-longest streak in NBA history. Nine of those victories have come since they lost Yao Ming and were forced to make some drastic adjustments. At 45-20, they're tied for first in the West with the Lakers, whom they host Sunday afternoon.

To the victor goes the top of the conference. If it's the Rockets, they would continue their improbable tear. If it's the Lakers, they would prove why, since the acquisition of Pau Gasol, they've been considered the West's strongest team.

The Lakers will be without Gasol, who sprained his ankle on Friday and is expected to miss at least the next three games. Gasol's size, speed and skill would likely have given the Rockets fits -- without Yao, they've had to rely heavily on undersized rookie Carl Landry and the ancient Dikembe Mutombo. Heck, if the full Gasol/Andrew Bynum/Lamar Odom frontcourt were in place, you'd be crazy to pick the Rockets, no matter how magical they've been.

But with the star Spaniard watching from the sideline, these two teams are almost mirror images of each other. Both share the ball, work for the smart shot and are governed by arcane offensive schemes that no one really understands. And the success of each team now begins and ends with a superstar guard whose all-around game nearly matches his scoring prowess.

Both Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady began this season at low points. Bryant was coming off of a turbulent summer in which he demanded to be traded, wasn't, and then tried to act like he'd never insulted half the Lakers organization. McGrady had once again failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs, losing to Utah after he had loudly put all the responsibility on his shoulders. Kobe was looking like a malcontent who had sabotaged his career, McGrady a player for whom injuries and disappointment had taken their toll.

Now, they're two legit MVP candidates leading their teams in every way imaginable. Kobe has finally learned how to make fitting in look natural instead of forced, while McGrady is like a second point guard in the Rockets' uptempo, unselfish attack. While both still pile up the points, neither one has been more versatile. That makes Sunday's game a dream come true for ABC: a star-on-star matchup, it will nevertheless showcase teamwork and have something very real at stake.

One caveat: Bryant's state-sanctioned play has come first with rising star Bynum in the lineup, and then with Gasol. That's not to underestimate how important the arrival of rock solid vet (and longtime Kobe confidant) Derek Fisher has been, or how much Jordan Farmar has improved. Or the return of Vladimir Radmanovic from deep space nine.

But without Gasol on Friday, the Lakers lost to New Orleans 108-98. On the other hand, last Saturday, the Yao-less incarnation of the Rockets won out over those same Hornets, 106-96. It's as if McGrady has stepped up now that his team is lacking All-Star size.

There had long been whispers that T-Mac didn't fit Jeff Van Gundy's conservative offense. However, these last few games have made it seem as if he has been stifled by Yao -- or at least by not having the system geared toward his strengths. With his team running, taking advantage of matchups and always trying to get one step ahead of its opponent, McGrady looks like a whole new player.

What's gotten the Rockets this far isn't just McGrady. It's Rafer Alston's transformation from a liability into, in Van Gundy's quirky estimation, one of the league's best point guards. It's 27-year-old rookie Luis Scola stepping into the starting lineup and contributing. It's Shane Battier, steady as ever. And it's the aforementioned Landry and Mutombo, a punchline of a duo that has actually worked out well for Houston.

But in the end, this game will come down to one thing: Bryant vs. McGrady. For Kobe, spoiling the Rockets' streak offers the role of a lifetime. And T-Mac, whose motivation has been questioned in the past, is not about to let that happen.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/vi ... p?t=384229