The Kobe faithful packed the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. and he didn’t disappoint. He made threes and fade-aways. He missed a layup and was the recipient of a phantom clear path foul. He banged knees and then waved off Gary Vitti to the cheering crowd. He was worth the price of admission until late in the fourth when he couldn’t make a shot and turned the ball over.
Dec 2, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jeremy Lin (17) warms up prior to the game against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Jeremy Lin was dreadful. The moment his first shot clanked off the rim, he looked lost and confused. He then went on to miss every shot he took. He turned the ball over and hesitated on offense, over thinking. He appeared overly focused on making a shot rather then getting his teammates open looks. On a couple of possessions he came down the court and launched a three without moving the ball.
“Sometimes it happens”, Lin said, speaking of his dreadful shooting performance. “They were great shots. It didn’t go in my favor. It’s alright.”
James Worthy disagreed. “He has to take a self-check before the next game.”
Ronny Price did what Lin couldn’t do. He made shots, especially a big three late in the fourth. He finished with 11 points, making all of his threes. Price limited his defensive mistakes against the speedy John Wall who was tremendous. Price dug in and competed hard. So did Nick Young. He single handedly cut an 11 point deficit in half. But then he was asked to guard Bradley Beal.
Paul Pierce looked odd in a Wizards uniform. He and Kobe laughed all night long and the imagery of these two long standing friends/rivals was another reminder of how the NBA has changed. “It’s refreshing to see someone who’s been in the NBA as long as me”, Kobe reminisced. “He’s the only guy I can trash talk with. The young guys don’t do it anymore.”
As for Kobe’s teammates, they were mostly absent. Carlos Boozer was particularly inept. Jordan Hill looked fatigued on the second night of a back to back. Wayne Ellington missed every open three point shot in the fourth. The Lakers cut the lead to four but Kobe turned the ball over late which led to a Wizards dunk and it was a 14-2 run.
And that was that. The capper to an entertaining game with the Lakers coming up on the short end, their first loss to an Eastern Conference team.
Worrisome is Jeremy Lin who has struggled his past three games. He has missed 21 shots. He has made 5 shots. He struggles on the road, a characteristic of a younger player, not a five year veteran like Lin.
The previous games when Kobe has been the facilitator, it made sense that Lin would be out of sorts. He was reduced to nothing more than a shooting guard. But against the Wizards it was evident early that Kobe was in scoring guard mode. The expectation was that Lin would take his old job back and become the aggressor. Instead, he went into a shell. When things started to go bad for him he was passive and timid.
The Lakers don’t have much at the point guard position. They need something from Lin on the second night of a back to back when they start an older Carlos Boozer and an old Kobe Bryant.
Tonight was his worst Lakers performance.