Written by: Emily Wilson
As if to carry over from last season, the Lakers opened the 2010-2011 regular season with a two point come-from-behind victory over the Houston Rockets last Tuesday night at Staples Center.
Although they dominated the Warriors by 24 points on Sunday night, and Memphis on Tuesday night, that close opening game brought back memories of last season’s many nail-biters.
Of the 82 regular season games last year, 35 of those were won by margins of 10 points or less. And of those 35, twelve were within 5 points. They also lost 12 close games and went to overtime 5 times.
Those statistics could easily be analyzed as proof of a talented NBA evenly matched, and while that was sometimes the reason behind the close competition, it was not always the case. The Lakers often went toe-to-toe with obviously less talented teams.
As a fan, here’s the catch: you want your team to decisively beat teams that deserve decisive beatings, but you’re also a sucker for those close, intense final minutes of a game, no matter the opponent.
So while the Lakers were intermittently frustrating last season, they were also consistently exciting.
Next: More of the Same?
With only four games down this season, it’s impossible to tell if it’s going to be similar or different—if there will be a multitude of close games or if those white knucklers will be sparse.
But regardless, the most important, deciding factor is how a team closes the game. As ESPN analyst J.A. Adande tweeted earlier this week: “Vinny Del Negro sums up the NBA in 5 words: “The best teams have closers.””
And while the Lakers have many capable players who have proven their end-game prowess (the game against Houston saw Shannon Brown and Steve Blake come up big in the final minutes) they also have one of best closers to have ever played the game of basketball in Kobe Bryant.
If you need proof of this, watch the video below of the six game-winning shots he made last season alone.
No matter the game or opponent, it’d be hard not to wish for a few more moments like these during this season.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpD0EyDnLnU&feature=related