I’ve got goose bumps by simply hearing the phrase “the Lakers will face the Warriors at the Forum in Inglewood, CA on tonight”. Call it a blast from the past but great to hear. The Lakers started the 2009-2010 Pre-Season right where they ended last season convincingly beating their opponent.
The exhibition run gave everyone a look at what this team is capable of doing.
Ron Artest had a nice debut for Los Angeles with a 12 point, 9 rebound and 7 assist night. Andrew Bynum lead the Lakers is scoring with 24 points showing a lot of athleticism finishing at the rim early and often.
He also showed that he is fully recovered from the knee injury that plagued him in the playoffs and prepared to be a presence in the paint. Hopefully for the Lakers on both ends of the court.
Kobe Bryant put up 22 points and grabbed 9 boards as the defending NBA champions used a balanced scoring effort to win their pre-season opener big in Anaheim.
The same two teams will match up again this evening under a different roof. Always great to see the start of another basketball season but and even better sight on Wednesday night was to see the Lakers reserves put up 47 points. The bench production in 2009 wasn’t as solid or consistent as it was in 2008.
Earlier indications are that this area was addressed by the coaching staff and will improve with Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar & Adam Morrison consistently knocking down open shots. The Lakers won it all last year by playing solid defense and that needs to be their calling card this season. The addition of Ron Artest works toward accomplishing that goal.
Just as in the first game you’ll see Coach Phil Jackson stick to traditional rotations with Lamar Odom the first player off the bench as well as Jordan Farmar the first guard off the bench. Josh Powell might get extended minutes in the interest of resting Pau Gasol. Look for Adam Morrison to get a longer look with the regulars to help in his development.
It is still early and the Lakers have room for improvement like every other team in the league. The Lakers have to move their feet and play defense without fouling and limit the Warriors to one shot per possession.
Tony Gaffney has to be showing flashes defensively on film but he hasn’t made the roster as of yet. The Lakers will continue to work on getting their timing and chemistry together. I’m looking forward to seeing the Lakers play solid defense and display excellent player movement and excellent ball movement.
*The thoughts and prayers of the Lakers Nation go out to the Ratliff family for their loss and ours; John Ratcliff, the Lakers official scorer for the last 48 years passed away recently and will be missed.
Tip-off: 7:00 PM PST
Television -
• Los Angeles: KCAL 9 (HD)
• Golden State: CSN (HD)
Radio -
• Los Angeles: 710 ESPN (Spero Dedes & Mychal Thompson)
• Golden State: KNBR 1050 (Tim Roye & Jim Barnett)
Injuries -
Lakers:
• None to report.
Warriors:
• PF Brandon Wright (Shoulder)
• PG C.J. Watson
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