Houston lead the Western Conference First Round 1-0. They showed who was the better team tonight with a convincing 108-93 win over Memphis. Although not exactly a blowout, Houston coach Bob and his players outplayed Memphis from start to end. "I was hoping for a better outcome," said Memphis coach Bob during a post-game interview. "But they just overpowered us, and there was nothing we could do to adjust. Bob's team was more talented and better-prepared, and it would have taken quite a bit of luck for us to overcome that."

The loss was tough on Memphis fans, who had expected great things from their team after some offseason moves. "I think reality is starting to sink in," said one team. "We didn't expect to see other teams outplaying us this badly, but Houston sure made their point."

Houston was led by Vigil (9 points, 6 boards, 16 assists), Thompson (14 points, 12 boards, 0 assists, a steal, a block), Smith (10 points, 3 assists, 3 blocks). Memphis was led by Atkins (13 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, a steal), Maxwell (13 points, 1 assists, 2 steals, a block), Smith (17 points).

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