Wow, what a wild way to start off the year. Kobe booed at home, blowing out the Rockets early, getting blown out late, furious comebacks, game winning shots, intentionally missed free throws, controversial calls late, all in the first game. If that was any indication of what's to come, this is going to be an exciting season.
The Lakers got off to a strong start early, with Kobe trying to win the fans back after the less than welcome reception he received from the home crowd. He scored 13 in the first quarter to go along with two assists, and most importantly zero turnovers. Buoyed by Kobe's scoring and strong team defense, the Lakers ended the first quarter leading 25 to 13.
The Lakers defense softened up in the second quarter and allowed the Rockets a chance to get back into the game- an opportunity Houston seized. With Kobe on the bench, the Rockets really began to roll and took a small lead late in the first half. Led by a mini-run by Derek Fisher the Lakers were able to even the score at 43-43 by halftime.
One of the Lakers' old nemeses, allowing opponents to go on runs to open and finish quarters, returned as the Rockets came out hot in the second half. The offense really became stagnant early in the fourth period, and the Rockets lead grew. The Lakers didn't help themselves by playing poor defense and missing free-throw after free-throw.
With about 3 minutes remaining in the game, your faithful columnist began formulating this post game report, safely assuming the game was "in the fridge".
Obviously however, the Lakers were not going to give up without a fight. The Lakers showed that the season may yet have promise, playing frantic defense, executing offensively and basically running a perfect basketball two-minute-drill, as they erased a twelve point lead in the final 1:36.
However, Shane Battier made sure the Rockets didn't leave Los Angeles empty handed. He hit a huge three with Luke Walton in his face, and made the key stop of the game on the next possesion. With the Lakers needing a three pointer to force overtime, Battier fouled Kobe immediately after he received the inbounds pass, right before he could get three free-throws by forcing a shot. Kobe did indeed try to earn the extra and crucial free-throw, but the referees made the right call in saying the foul was on the floor, and awarded Bryant only two free-throws.
Kobe was able to keep the game exciting by intentionally missing the second free-throw and getting the rebound himself, but he couldn't get the tip-in to go. There was a lot of contact on the play, and it looked like the referees could have, and probably should have, blown the whistle. But they did not. Ballgame. Houston 95, Los Angeles 93.
All in all it was a decent first game for the Lakers, here are my final thoughts:
1) Remember, this Laker team was missing Lamar Odom: their second option on offense and leading rebounder. They are going to need him to get healthy, and fast, to really compete. But considering he was inactive tonight, the Lakers looked pretty good.
2) Good performances by Kobe, Luke Walton, Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, and my player of the game: Derek Fisher. Fisher went 6-9 from the field for 17 points, to go along with 4 steals, great leadership and some clutch play down the stretch.
3) What cost the Lakers: free-throws, free-throws, free-throws. They got to the line 45 times-which is great, but they could only make 27, a measly 60%. Kobe was perhaps the leading culprit going 18 for 27. I can't remember the last time I have seen him miss so many free throws. Was it just his writst injury? Or has all of the trade speculation gotten into his head and affected him during the most mentally challening aspect of the game? I hope its the former, and I hope he recovers soon.
Another problem was the Lakers over-reliance on Kobe-a re-occurring problem for the post Shaq Laker teams. Kobe had to really carry the load, and had 45 of the team's 93 points- nearly half. That's not going to get it done.
Other random thoughts:
These TNT games go way too long. They start too late and the commercial breaks are too frequent and too long. But speaking of commercials, there were some good ones. Dwyane Wade and Lebron James had competing black and white spots, that were both very good. I think the Wade one is a little better- I love the passion for the game you can see in his face as he introduces himself to the empty stadium. But the best commercial of the evening was the new NBA spot. The classical music and great still photos make for an incredible thirty seconds.
That's all for tonight- hope you enjoyed the game. The Lakers play Phoenix next, Friday at 7:30pm on ESPN. Should be a really great game, it's one of the few true rivalries in today's NBA.
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