Us fans love our Lakers, but as the dust settles from last night, with the addition of a dismal press conference by Kobe Bryant, we may have to admit that OKC is the better team. This isn’t to say we have already been signed a death wish; but, it does mean that to beat this Thunder team, the Lakers have to be on top of their game. No more reliance on Kobe as the player to bail us out. No more lack of defense, letting Russell Westbrook aggressively drive up the middle. No more finicky play by Gasol and Bynum. And we need to watch our turnovers. The Lakers need to be 110% in the game. Hopefully, we see a better team come out and play tomorrow, and if not, maybe home court advantage can spark a fire in this team.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 20 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Andrew Bynum also had 20 points, and pulled down 14 rebounds (four offensive). Metta World Peace had 12 points while Pau Gasol scored a low 10 points and seven rebounds (five offensive). Matt Barnes had eight points and Jordan Hill had four points and six rebounds (three offensive). Ramon Sessions was the on of the biggest disappointments of the night, with just two points and three assists. Steve Blake was the other, being scoreless with four rebounds and four assists.
Remember, tomorrow the Lakers play Game 2. If you live in the LA area, come to the ESPN Zone at LA Live and hang out with all of your Lakers Nation favorites. We will be giving away some crazy prizes to our awesome fans!
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Lakers News
Lakers Look Like Rookies During Thunder Jam Session [LA Times]
What Happened to Ramon Sessions? [Forum Blue and Gold]
Rested Thunder Roll Over Lakers [Silver Screen and Roll]
Kobe Gives One Word Answer to Reporter [The Red Carpet]
Thunder Draw a Giant F on the Lakers Foreheads [Eye On Basketball]
Metta Gives Harden a Little Elbow [CBS Sports]
Metta World Peace Poses on Cover of Lowrider [OC Register]
Thunder Energy is Just Too Much for the Lakers [LA Times]
Thunderstruck: OKC Dominates Lakers [SB Nation]
NBA News
Rose Out 8-12 Months [ESPN]
Can the Clippers Upset San Antonio? [OC Register]
The Truth Hurts, And the 76ers Know It [ESPN Boston]
Trying to Understand the Ugliness of the Boston Celtics [Celtics Blog]
Miami Heat Defense Having One of Those Stretches [SB Nation]
San Francisco Trying to Woo Warriors [ESPN NBA]
Kendrick Perkins Re-Injures Hip [Yahoo Sports]
Ebanks and Other Dumb Ejections [OC Register]
Westbrook’s Press Conference Outfit was a Bold Choice [SB Nation]
Thanks Coach Vogel, Now What? [ESPN]
Pacers Need to Keep Feeding Roy Hibbert [SB Nation]