LA vs Oklahoma: Now that was fun!
Posted by: SPQR on Apr 22, 2012 - 06:42 PM
lakers-blog
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Sometimes we get too involved in debating each other, scrapping with each other, arguing with each other about all things Lakers: Does Kobe shoot too much? Is Drew mature enough? Do we pass enough? Do we defend good enough? Is Brown a good enough coach?
But then you see a game like todays, a game that reminds you that we are all Lakers fans and that we all watch hoops because we love it. It brings you back to the beginning. Why you became enamored with the game, how it got in your blood. What drove you to become a life long, die hard Lakers fan. Yes, Oklahoma is a problem for us. No, it’s not the greatest thing to struggle so hard to beat them, just once, at home. But man, watching that game, I wasn’t thinking about that, or Brown’s coaching, or Kobe’s shooting, or Drew’s maturity or any of those other things.
I was just enthralled by a great, great game where the Lakers came back from their biggest deficit to win in the entire season and the heart and determination of the Lakers to finally put a notch in the gun belt against that team.
What stands out in my mind? What are the indelible images that still are in my mind as I write this? Kobe hitting that clutch three and some other must make shots to keep us going. Jordan Hill and Steve Blake playing their**es off In every way, giving us 14 points and 15 boards and 13 points respectively. And we needed each and every one of them. Hill played like a man possessed, like he was screaming after all this time, “I can play basketball, damn it!” Blake doing his best Clutch Kobe impersonation. Devin Ebanks chipping in 8 points and five rebounds, playing that hard D in lieu of Metta World Peace, who was anything but peaceful today. Andrew Bynum, blocking shots like he was hitting at a volleyball. All these things stand out in my mind’s eye as replay the double overtime triumph over Oklahoma, who thought they had the game wrapped up.
I also have to give Coach Brown creds. Yes, he has come under scrutiny and I think some well deserved criticisms. But he showed some real guts, real character in keeping Hill, Ebanks and Blake on the floor throughout the fourth and both overtimes, when he could have easily gone back to his security blanket of starters. He rewarded those guys for their efforts, and the reciprocated by turning in big play after big play in earning the victory.
Finally of course, I can still see that monster elbow of Metta World Peace nearly decapitating Harden. World Peace has come to an end, at least for the one, brief moment of history. Yes, he will get a suspension. And yes, we will see the elbow forever, all night, on ESPN. And yes, we will read a few overstated, overblown, hyped -up columns about Metta, talking about him as though he pulled a gun and killed twenty fans in the audience, not that he threw an elbow in a basketball game.
And no, I am not downplaying or absolving what he did. It was wrong and he will pay a hard price. But I have to say, in all honesty, when I watched those endless, slow motion replays, saw the look of pure, atavistic joy, triumph and emotion on his face, running down that court, after that dunk, yelling and then throwing that blow on Harden, I laughed. It looked all the world to me like the emotion our far off ancestors felt, at that moment of ultimate triumph when bringing down a mastodon and knowing they would eat well indeed.
I am glad Harden is OK. And I will accept Metta’s punishment without complaint or qualm. And I am glad I watched such a tremendous game and performance by our team. It was the most fun I have had watching a Lakers game all year, elbow included.
No matter how it goes in the playoffs, no matter what feelings I have about this team and their ultimate fate, today was fun. Today was a day to revel in the Lakers, every single man who played in that game, to glory in that win, to just flat out love being a fan of the NBA.
Man, that was fun!!
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