Lakers: 5 Games To Circle On The Lakers 2016-2017 Schedule
By John Hills
Opening Night Against the Houston Rockets
On Wednesday, October 26th, the Los Angeles Lakers will kick-off the regular season with a home game against the Houston Rockets. Besides the start to a new season, this will be a symbolic beginning to a new era of Lakers’ basketball.
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While the preseason games are a good way to get a feel for the team and prepare for the season, this game will provide the first real look at the future of the franchise.
Aside from the showcasing of the young, Kobe-less roster, this opening night will provide a flashback to the Lakers’ opening night back in 2014, which provided plenty of fireworks. The drama started when Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard got into an altercation after Howard elbowed Bryant in the face after grabbing a rebound.
While teammates were quick to step in and separate the two, cameras caught Bryant yelling “Try me!” and calling Howard “soft” across the court. The incident clearly showed there was no love lost between the former teammates and that Bryant had not lost an ounce of his intensity going into his 19th NBA season.
Moments after the shouting match, then-rookie Julius Randle shockingly broke his tibia midway through the fourth quarter in his first career game. As he fell to the ground in obvious pain, it was evident the injury was serious and was a bad omen to start the year.
It was simply a freak incident on a normal drive to the basket, but the injury would sideline Randle for the entire 2014-2015 season. As the seventh overall pick and a promising rookie, his loss was a tough blow for the Lakers on Opening Night.
With Howard and Bryant now gone from the match-up and Randle fully recovered and ready to build on a strong season last year, the Lakers hope to start off the season on a good note with a win.