So remember four years ago when Steve Nash and Dwight Howard had that magazine cover and it said “NOW THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN”?
Well, it definitely wasn’t fun that particular season but if I was good at photoshop, I would mock up a cover of the Laker kids with that same exact headline. Yes, this season is going to be really fun. And it was off to a good start with a 120-114 mild upset against the Houston Rockets.
No, we’re not expecting the Lakers to be challenging for the playoffs, let alone the title. But boy, was this fun to watch. Sure, it helped that the opposite team thought that defense was equivalent to chicken pox. But Luke Walton had the guys playing loose and it was like a new feeling for most of them. Players had to no longer look over their shoulders or worry about being pulled for a mistake; Luke let them play through it.
James Harden was unstoppable for most of the game for the Rockets as he went for 34 points, 8 rebounds, and an incredible 17 assists. And of course, he went to the free throw line at will like only the bearded one can. But the Lakers had surprising poise throughout the contest as they kept pace with Houston.
D’Angelo Russell (20 points) looked like he was happy to play in the NBA for the first time as he seemed to celebrate every shot he made in the first half. Nick Young (inserted into the starting line-up) didn’t have a great game offensively but did all the dirty work defensively. Sometimes, that’s all you can ask for. Julius Randle (18-7-6) had an excellent all-around game and was very controlled tonight. Brandon Ingram stayed within himself and was solid in his first NBA game (4/6 for 9 points and was a +10!).
But I was definitely happy for Jordan Clarkson, who scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half. He made a huge three to put the team up four with 1:47 left in the contest. He followed that up with a big putback 30 seconds later to get back that four-point lead. And did you see him and D’Angelo DIVE for the ball to get the steal? That was fantastic! And really fun! That play right there seemed to explain the difference between last year’s team and this year’s. I love this new crop of Lakers!
Obviously, there is a lot to fix with this team. And it was honestly hard to gauge this squad as they were going against a team that was also willing to go 100 miles per hour. But for now, let’s enjoy this win. They have a better record than the Warriors right now!
Perhaps the Lakers will be all right, after all.
netgarden says
Tonight definitely showed that the Lakers have a nucleus. Who would have thought Nick Young would start the game and close the game? Who would have thought Nick Young would even be with Lakers?
Clarkson made every play down the stretch, and put himself in the right place at the right time, time, again and again down the stretch. Russell played well, and dominant at times, but also needs to clean up boneheaded mistakes. Randle showed more control, but no less aggression, at getting to the basket.
The Lakers have a lot of players that can operate as primary ball handlers.
Randle and Clarkson are closers. Randle showed it last season, and again tonight. Clarkson really showed poise, coming off the bench, no less.
Guys diving for lose balls. Getting STOPS down the stretch.
I like the role Ingram is easing into, operating with the ball. I think he will be good. He’s clearly a cerebral player, who needs to wrap his head around the NBA Game, and will be fine.
The Lakers were always animated and engaged tonight. There is light. Exciting times ahead.
Renato Afonso says
Nice win. Now we can start judging their progress throughout the season.
Positives:
– A win.
– No hero ball for long stretches of the game.
Negatives:
– It was a win against a MDA-led team with Harden playing 37 minutes. Basically the Rockets decided not to play defense this season.
– Transition defense.
– Weakside help from ALL perimeter players not named Luol Deng (really, it was terrible).
– Gesturing and posing after scoring a mid-game bucket in the first game of the regular season. Grow up and be profissional kids – looking at you Russell and Clarkson. I just hate it when they do that…
Busboys4me says
Once Ingram learns to look for his shot, he is going to be dangerous. He was more effective than Dlo handling the ball late in the 4th quarter tonight.
I think we need more length at the 5 when Mosgov is not in the game. I would love Nerlens Noel as a back-up.
stats2 says
Currently working overseas for a few months and frustrated I can’t watch the games. Waking up this morning was like Christmas, though, with the Lakers 1/17th of the way toward an improved record and the Galaxy winning their knock-out match.
Watching the game highlights and box score, I was surprised by a few things:
1) how fluid Mozgov looked… but it was just highlights. I’d love to hear comments on his play; is he going to be more effective than many had thought?
2) the efficiency of Randle.
3) Ingram with 24 minutes. (Glad to see it, though).
4) Nick Young starting and finishing… I wrote him off, but he’s risen like the Phoenix. Last night was a tough game statistically, but not one to judge him on. There are a lot of folks in the league who are going to have off nights when their trying to guard Harden. 19 assists is ridiculous.
Shaunis007 says
There was a period where we had dangelo,clarkson,ingram,randle,amd nance on the court at the same time which was really cool to see since the nucleus is getting time together
Mozgov was good – we were getting killed by cappela when he wasnt in the game –
mindcrime says
I hope Luke pulls out the box score and tells everyone to ignore every state line except for the quarter-by-quarter scoring, and starts drilling into this team that they won last night, and will continue to win some here and there that they otherwise might not if they focus on defense. LAL won the game last night because they held HOU to 43 points in the second half and 18 in the fourth–not because of the offensive heroics. He needs to couple that with pointing to the scrappy defensive stops they managed to pull out late (Randle had a couple of great defensive plays when he got switched onto Harden, JC/DAR diving for the ball to secure a steal, etc.). I agree with another commenter–when Moz is out of the game, this team is going to get murdered in the paint for awhile.
OA1972 says
Only 6 comments after a Laker win? I love the site but I am missing all of the comments. Use too be high double digits. Don’t know if the fact that the site makes you sign in is the problem. Another username & password that I have to remember.
matt24 says
What really stood out was the coaching subs, and how the coaches adjusted in the 2nd half, they came out looking different defensively, Luke and staff are looking good in their first real game. Also our team rarely played with this type of desire last year. Biggest improvement on our team definitely the coaching.
JuanJ says
From commenter stats2:`Waking up this morning was like Christmas´
Yeah! For me too.
Nice write-up Rey; `…the Lakers had surprising poise throughout the contest as they kept pace with Houston.´
This is a major point, and I certainly hope that our squad can build on it. Why? you my ask: as you all know, any top caliber championship team has POISE [ok ok – future championship team 😉 ] & the fact that Rey has pointed it out doesn´t escape me.
Also, some of last nights post-game comments, and mindcrime´s comment below, are spot on. Good stuff all around.
Yes!! A Lakers win is evidence that the universe in which we´re immersed, and are part of, is a heck of a good place to be man!
JuanJ says
matt24
Good point!
ED 10 says
Now the real tests start, on the road against more conventional teams. Defense and RB will have to be at a high level to compete.
Pbz06 says
I loved how Randle played more in control; he still used his burst of speed/power, but it felt like game speed and more calculated. He was able to recognize the different types of defenders covering him and adjusted his moves accordingly. Hopefully he shows continued growth, because I really see him in that Draymond Green role (although not as good of a shooter, ever). I LOVED how he would switch on Harden, by design, and was able to play good D and contain him to a reasonable extent down the stretch.
My other main takeaway was the coaching! It just felt like things were happening by design, whether it was the substitutions for matchups or change of pace or playcalls. The halftime adjustments just exemplifies this as well. It was a delight to see a balanced game all the way around, and the Lakers were picking and choosing their exploits.
Say what you want about Houston D, but 120 points is still good and we saw a lot of things from execution.
After D’Lo shredded Houston, they started putting Ariza on him which expectedly worked. But then the Lakers switched to Clarkson taking advantage of Harden, and had him go in attack mode. Then they tried hiding Harden on Ingram, and even Ingram attacked him! It was beautiful because the Lakers purposely attacked weaknesses, whether it was Harden or Anderson or McDaniels. Their D assignments were also better in 2nd half, chasing off the 3 and good switching on Harden.
The coaching staff deserves this win.
Yes, the team has warts and will lose a lot of games, but I don’t want to focus and nitpick every game about their defense. Lakers are one of the youngest team in the league. At least there’s a plan and vision, and everyone is playing BASKETBALL.
Last year, in 1st quarter after Harden got hot, it would be Kobe trying to match him and say “I got this, I’ll get you guys back” and try to go 1 on 1 with Harden every game. Last night, they were able to stay calm, trust the system, and claw back and hang punch for punch. We had balanced attack all night.
I can see how Houston gave the Lakers their best punch but couldn’t take them out. Lakers’ youth and excitement was relentless, diving for loose balls, and playing smooth.
5D2 says
This is the best Lakers game I have seen in a long time. Sending world peace in 3rd quarter to defend baby Mr. T was a stroke of genius. Beating that Pringles face and the rockets was so much fun, even without Dwight Coward. Go Lakers
JohnKennethPress says
The Lakers are going to go 82 – 0 this year! This year, I’ll be right. And, you heard it here first –
GOOoooooOOOO LAKERS
JohnnyP!!
JohnKennethPress says
OA1972 Can we get a Lakers role call? Who is in the house??????
JohnnyP is here! OA1972 is here! FAITH???
stats2 says
Busboys4me length = ZUBAC!! 😉
_ Robert _ says
Excellent win to start Luke’s tenure.
And fitting start for MD in Houston (high scoring loss).
_Craig W says
General observation: You don’t need to add an extra space when going to a new paragraph. The new format automatically adds extra space after each paragraph. If you add an extra ‘carriage return’ everything looks too spaced out.
Vasheed says
Check one win towards 30+.
Mozgov looked amazing. I was really impressed with how well he played. Solid contributions on both ends.
I was impressed when Randle fired at an open 3 with zero hesitation. However, most of his points came in the paint with lots of left handed floaters. Really bad defense on him by the Rockets. The team defense looked significantly worse with Randle on the court vs off of it.
Nance played his usual solid D and had a nice put back or two. I didn’t like his hesitation. He received a pass at the 3pt line with no one within 5 feet of him for a straight on shot. He hesitated and instead threw a pass into traffic.
No help defense. Black came off Capella several times to cut off the path to the basket. No one found Capella who rolled to the rim for easy lobs from Harden.
Overall the offense was great. The ball moved around and lots of guys got involved.
bluehill says
Agree, Vasheed. Was just writing how I liked Mozgov’s play. So much better than Hibbert and he only sts $500k more than Hibbert’s salary last year. His length, mobility and offense skills are a good fit for this offense. Once the other guys learn how to play PnR a little better he’ll seem better on defense. They put him in bad positions a number of times last night, but they got better in the second half.
LordMo says
Nice win young fellas!
Also, you guys know I’m very critical of Randle’s game but he played well last nice under control and within himself. If he can give us that stat line and type of play consistently… we might have something!
However, that was a Houston led D” Antoni team and we know defense is not on his agenda.
Probably, a tailor made first game for a young Lakers team which is more skewed towards offense but you still got to go win it and win they did!
LordMo says
_Craig W
And here I thought it was those magic brownies I was eating! 🙂
LordMo says
Pbz06
Actually… The Lakers are not one of the youngest teams in the NBA just one of the worst lol.
But hope springs eternally in LakerLand!!!
i_am_puddle says
Every player was used in a way that would take advantage of his strengths. Imagine that.
Byron can step on a Lego.
Vasheed says
Busboys4me
It seemed to work pretty well, having Ingram in as a playmaker, while having Williams on the court.
Lakers Future says
5D2
“baby Mr. T” is hilarious! I never made that connection until now. I used love watching The A Team as a kid.
Anyway the pups looked great last night. It just feels like the team is actually moving forward again. Utah will be a tough test. In fact, I measure the Lakers more by what they do against teams like Utah than what they do against teams like the Warriors. I’m really excited to see Luke and these guys grow and get better.
A Horse With No Name says
You wrong on Randle. He’s going to have ups and downs all season, but he’s a player. Just watch him grow.
A Horse With No Name says
My thoughts exactly. Thoroughly entertaining, great individual performances, and awesome coaching by Luke and his staff.
A Horse With No Name says
Mozgoz was everything the team hoped for. Great signing by management. Haters: you suck man…
A Horse With No Name says
Excellent post!
Pbz06 says
LordMo Pbz06 Their core and best players going forward are 19, 20, 21, 23, and 24 😉
You are absolutely correct there’s hope
FredP says
This was a tale of two games. Houston won game 1 aka the first half by outrunning the Lakers. Toward the end of the 3rd quarter, both teams looked gassed. The difference was when Luke looked down his bench he found players who could come in and perform at the same level as the starters. When MDA looked down his bench he did not. Harden for one half is the best point guard in the league. He is not in the physical condition he needs to be in to run for a full game. Houston may struggle a little more than expected this season. Kobe and Scott probably smiled at Clarkson’s output to close the game. He continually probed the defense and looked for his shot. I was also impressed by Young’s energy on defense. He showed quick hands and his long reach. That allowed him to stay on the floor when his shot was not falling. Lastly, is there a chance the Warriors miss Luke? He certainly seems to understand when to let players play and when to pull them.
Vasheed says
A Horse With No Name
I have been critical of the Mozgov signing but, he looked really good last night. It is only one game but, just the way he played, not even the results impressed me. He really looked like the guy the Cavs got 2 years ago. I believe I was wrong about him.
I’ve also been critical of Randle for a very long time. My view of him has improved somewhat over time but, while he does have good games I haven’t seen him fix too many things that bother me about his game.
A Horse With No Name says
There’s hope for you yet. 😉 He’s twenty, and effectively starting his second season. His block of Harden was a big time play–a portent of his defensive potential (very quick feet)c
Jokr says
This was a good win. However, Jordan should not be playing less minutes than Nick. Jordan only played 24 minutes but he was the best Laker on the floor. Luke could have easily given the 6 minutes allotted to Huertas and MWP to Clarkson. I hope we see some adjustments to rotations and for the young guys to get more minutes.
LordMo says
A Horse With No Name
Hope so Horse!
LordMo says
Vasheed A Horse With No Name
Vasheed Randle played the best overall I have seen him play. And again I have seen Randle play more than anyone here.
Lived in DFW for 20 years and he played the most in control I have ever seen him play. He really played a lot of bully ball back then but he was so big size wise it worked. At this level he will have to use both size and skill and use them appropriately… he did that last night and within the flow of the game!
LordMo says
Vasheed
30 might be stretching it but conceivable if Ingram starts beasting.
But my guess based on his body he is one to two years away from being a truly front line player. Ups and downs will occur especially on the long roadtrips and the dreaded “Texas Triangle” but they seem tuned in when maybe they had tuned out last year.
LordMo says
Jokr
The Lakers seem to want to make JC a reserve guard … go figure!
Hersho Barazi says
The Lakers opened their season with a win over the Houston Rockets- no small feat for a team that had to deal with a scorching hot James Harden, who finished with 34 points, 7 rebounds and a career high SEVENTEEN assists!
Those who downplay this win by alluding to D’Antoni’s defensive schemes (or lack thereof) are missing the greater point: this team is young, fun, hard-working and have truly bought in to the system! This is as refreshing as can be after two seasons of stern, stoic, arm-crossing from a certain coach who shall not be named in this post.
I’d like to add a few take-aways that others here have not pointed out.
1. Jordan Clarkson clearly was not stymied by his new role off the bench, as he completely exploded for 23 of his 25 points in the second half, making key plays down the stretch on both ends of the floor. If he’s given starter minutes and chances to close out the game, I don’t think he even cares that he’s coming off the bench, which is great to see.
2. Julius Randle played a great game like many noted, but what NOONE has mentioned so far is that the only two shots he missed were a three point attempt and a midrange jumper. This may seem like a negative for those who crossed their fingers while hoping to catch a glimpse of his so-called “improved” outside shot, but let’s not write him off just yet as he is a 21 year old who for all intents and purposes is basically beginning his sophomore year. Furthermore, this means that he finished 9-9 AT THE RIM! He did not miss ONE shot! I was shocked noone caught that or mentioned that considering it was one of the biggest areas that troubled fans and analysts alike last year, when he finished in the low 40’s at the rim. This is why I would say, to Mr. Mid Wilshire , that JR deserves the #2 player of the game.
3. Tarik Black looks a little undersized in the paint when guarding guys like Clint Capella but he really does bring every ounce of energy that he can muster to every arena he steps in. Unfortunately, he does not receive much support from our other players when he helps on penetration drives. Help the helpers fellas! Come on!
All in all, this was a fantastic game that I truly enjoyed watching. The last two regular season Lakers games (Kobe’s 60 points) have really been something to smile about. The future is so bright that I finally decided to create an account to comment on this brilliant forum that I’ve been following for a couple years now. I’ll admit I know almost all of the regular’s names by heart, but have always felt that if I was going to sign up, I better be consistent with commenting. This season brings plenty of incentives to do just that. Thank you to the best Laker forum community, and to Darius for the consistently superb analysis.
Vasheed says
Hersho Barazi Mid Wilshire
Actually your review of Randle’s game goes to a lot about what I didn’t like seeing. Some of the things I’ve been waiting for are an improved jumper and a better right hand. Last night all of Randle’s made shots came right at the rim. Almost everything I saw was a left handed shot. Going to the rim with the left hand is what he is already good at. If the other team let’s him do that then he should have a good game. Which he did. I want to see games where he does things he wasn’t already good at.
Hersho Barazi says
Vasheed Hersho Barazi Mid Wilshire Well I believe he showed much more poise and control driving to the rim than he ever did last year. Again, he was a below average finisher at the rim last year, even when going to his left. But your displeasure with seeing him revert back to old habits as opposed to showing the new tools in his arsenal that he has (supposedly) developed is justifiable and fair enough.
In pre-season Randle seemed to display more prowess finishing with his right hand than he did all year, but in that same stretch of eight games could not find the bottom of the net when attempting a shot further than ten feet from the hoop. One would definitely like to see more outside shots attempted and made from the guy, and more finishes with his right hand. However, one must also acknowledge that such a small sample size cannot be used to draw any concrete inferences or generalizations. We’ll just have to hope he starts trending in the right direction.
new rr says
_ Robert _
Excellent start to the season, and I knew that Robert would enjoy beating D’Antoni.
Clay Bertrand says
i_am_puddle
“Byron can step on a Lego.”
_____________________
Uniquely put my friend. ; )
Clay Bertrand says
Lakers Future 5D2
Bro, your handle is cool…….But man, it’d be SOOOO MUCH BETTER if you changed it to B.A. Baracus!!!!! Or BOSCO BARACUS, which was his actual name in the backstory of the show.
C’mon bro!!!!! Do it!!!! ; )
“I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER……”
PS: Remember the 2 Hour Pilot Special for The A-Team????? They had some totally different dude playing “FACE MAN”!!!!!! WTF!!!!!!!???????????We taped that first show on our BETAMAX VCR. TECHKNOWLEJEE BABY!!!
Clay Bertrand says
stats2
Dude, totally!!! I DVRd both games and watched the Lakers, then the Galaxy back to back. I only got 4 hours of sleep and I felt great this morning and all day!!!!!
I saw people wearing Laker schwagg WITH PRIDE again. Even saw one Laker Flag!!!!!
Its gonna be an up and down ride but its gonna be a fun one.
Clay Bertrand says
Busboys4me
“I think we need more length at the 5 when Mosgov is not in the game.”
________________________________________________
Spot on observation IMO. I totally agree. Black has good energy and footwork, but in reality, the guy is like 6’8.75″ and definitely not an effective rim protector. Even if the rotations are good the lack of length is pretty evident. I wondered why Zubac didn’t get any limited minutes but then saw he was inactive and it made more sense why Black was getting all the back up mins. ESPN doesn’t enlighten people to the roster inactives. I HATE watching games on ESPN.
Perhaps, Luke will have Robinson inactive when we play bigger teams. The Rockets are not a very big team but they sure had their way inside against us. Let’s see if any adjustments are made on the upcoming roady.
new rr says
A Horse With No Name
It’s one game, dude. And like I said: the issue isn’t Mozgov’s granular skillset in any case: it is the length and amount of the deal, Mozgov’s age, and the fact that it is guaranteed.
That said, I noted in preseason that the fact that the Lakers specifically targeted Mozgov in the first three hours of free agency suggests that they think they know something about him and how he is likely to age, and maybe they do. We’ll see.
Busboys4me says
I have no problem with Clarkson posing because he is proud of his increased muscle mass and that the intense work he put in on his 3-point shooting are both paying off. I watched his work this summer, he deserves it. He is one of the few Lakers who put in work on his deficiencies (Nick Young being another) and improved vastly. I like his dedication, moxy and game. Again, I hope his dedication and determination rub off on Russell and Randle.
Vasheed says
LordMo Vasheed
I agree about Ingram. Love the talent, just needs to fill out. I forget who but someone had mentioned that at over 30 wins Walton would be in COTY running. 30 seems to be like a magic number to get back over. I think the Lakers are an improved team. I just don’t get a good sense of how much better yet. But winning their first game is a great start.
Vasheed says
cournoyer21 I’m not from the Los Angeles area so I don’t know much about the place. I suppose you frequently visit this establishment?
On a more serious side I’m honest about my opinions. This site would be boring as watching paint dry if there were never any dissenting views. I know enough not to bring an agenda to every post about the same topic everyday making everyone miserable.
If you think for 1 second I would be hushed because of whatever innuendo you are implying, you are going to be very disappointed.
bluehill says
Jokr My guess is that Luke will take some time to figure out substitutions and in turn minutes. JC provides good scoring and facilitating capabilities so maybe playing with the second unit helps keep the offense from dropping off too much than if Lou and Nick were running it. Also, having JC come off the bench helps everyone get their touches a little easier. Maybe JC settles into a Ginobli-type of a role.