The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, but that result was hardly unexpected. The manner in which it came, however, shocked more than a couple analysts. After a couple blowout losses and a thinned out roster, the Lakers were projected to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference. The Clippers, on the other hand, have high expectations that include a deep playoff run and a possible trip to the NBA Finals.
After 47 minutes of the 48-minute contest on Friday night, the Lakers trailed by only one point.
Uncharacteristically, Kobe Bryant was unable to get his shot going late in the game, and one of the greatest closers of all time only hit one of his seven shot attempts in the final period. Those missed shots, along with a couple questionable calls, cost the Lakers their first win of the 2014-15 season.
"I couldn't be more pleased with this loss, actually," Bryant said after the game. "I think we figured a lot of things out."
One morphing component that took a massive step forward for the Lakers was Jeremy Lin finally asserting himself into the offense. In his first two games, Lin only managed five shot attempts per game and failed to leave any meaningful imprint. On Friday night, however, the 26-year-old scored 17 points, logged nine assists and ran the Lakers' offense.
"We started trusting each other a little more and learning what that means," Lin said after the game. "We're growing and figuring out how to trust each other the best way."
One play in particular summarized Lin's growth. With just under five minutes to play in a tie ball game, Bryant asked for the ball repeatedly, but Lin refused each time. The Lakers' point guard then dribbled around Bryant and hit a fall-away three-pointer to take a three-point lead just as the shot clock expired.
Lin described the play after the game, "In limited words, in limited time, I was trying to say, 'you're double teamed. Just get out of the way.'"
Telling the five-time champions alpha male to "get out of the way" in the fourth quarter of a tied game is not an easy proposition. To his credit, Bryant appreciated and welcomed his teammate being assertive.
"I don't want chumps. I don't want pushovers. If you're a chump I'm going to run over you," Bryant said after the game. "You got to put your mark down, man. At some point, you got to piss on a fire hydrant."
Asked if he'd ever been this happy after a loss, Bryant responded, "Probably never."
The Lakers may still be winless after three games, but Friday night was an example of a young team taking strides, and no Lakers’ player took a greater step forward than Lin.
"This is the blueprint for him," Bryant said about his point guard. "He asserted himself."
