Derek Fisher Delivers Defeat to Clippers
As far as ugly wins go this one was Joy Behar topless in a thong. That’s what the Lakers are specializing in these days – winning ugly. Another listless three quarters left the Lake Show in a hole entering the fourth.
If it weren’t for The Renegades this one would have been an L for sure. Shannon Brown continued his stellar play as he took over in the third quarter including a three-quarters court shot that took any remaining momentum from the Clippers at the horn.
From there it was a back and forth battle in the fourth that set the stage for some serious dramatics.
While Ron Artest’s offensive production is at an all-time low, his defense has been off the charts this season. All night long Ron Ron harassed the Clipps forcing turnovers and causing general havoc. With the Lakers trailing late and the Clippers in a position to win, Artest came up with two clutch steals, Kobe Bryant made a clutch shot and that would eventually put this game in the hands of Derek Fisher.
A couple things about the latest entry in Fisher’s manual on clutch shooting. You gotta love how D-Fish got the rock and never even considered KB24. The old man blew by the much faster Eric Bledsoe like his UK teammate John Wall did the Lake Show last night. And what can you say about the composure and execution to drop one right over the long arm of DeAndre Jordan?
Classic Fisher!
As for the Lakers, well, things aren’t getting better. A one point win over the Clippers is nothing to celebrate.
To be sure Blake Griffin is a beast and gave Lamar Odom all he could handle. It’s no coincidence LO fouled out tonight. Bledsoe might just have a strangle hold on the job that he was supposed to only be keeping warm for Baron Davis. And Eric Gordon is quietly becoming an elite level shooting guard. I’m thinking this cat could be Ray Allen with better all around game. His jumper isn’t as wet as Ray Ray’s but EG is an All-Star with Hall of Fame potential. Yeah, I said it!
Meanwhile, the Lakers just look lost. They were awful in the first half and didn’t wake up until they were facing a double digit deficit in the third. Even then it took the bench to spark the run that would get them back into this contest.
Pau Gasol’s production has vanished faster than Antoine Walker’s bankroll at the craps table. All those MVP talks can safely be put on the back burner on very low heat for now.
Yes, tonight’s (ah hem) road game was the first of a 7 game swing that will reveal what this squad is truly made of. Not pretty but it is a win. Only question is how much longer can the Lakers continue to win like this? We’ll find out soon enough as the next stop is in Chicago.