James wasnt done, either. On the Clippers last belongings, James glued himself to Leonard. Bottled up, Leonard flipped the ball to George. James changed out on him. With James on his hip, George attempted an off-balance three-pointer that rimmed off.
One defensive ownership, 2 elite defensive plays.
Okay for a 35-year-old in his 17th season.
” Rhythm, as far as offensively, making shots, those things are going to take a little bit longer to get back,” James stated. You can constantly communicate … you can have teammates who back you up when you make an error.
“To me, we have a long method to go to reach the practices and discipline we were playing with when we got in the hiatus,” said Frank Vogel. The in-game experience will continue to be a change– some 300 Lakers fans video conferenced in to view the video game– as will playing without the energy of a crowd.
” When were out there playing, we dont actually observe there are no fans at the game,” Davis said. “We just head out there and contend and simply attempt to get the win. They do a great job with the crowd sound … however when were out there completing, its just the five people … the more we utilize this arena, the simpler it will be.”
The games wont be quite. Four-plus months after an international pandemic halted its season, the NBA is back.
Tie video game, 2 of the Western Conference elite, and in normal times a crowd of 20,000-plus would be roaring. When James tipped in his own miss with 13 seconds left, the only sound came from the Lakers bench.
As he kneeled, his 58-year old knee hurting, Clippers coach Doc Rivers mind wandered to George Floyd, whose death at the knee of a Minnesota cops officer sparked the motion.
” The hardest thing that occurred to me in the game today was kneeling for 2 minutes,” Rivers stated. “My knee would hurt. In the middle of it, Im thinking in two minutes my knee is harming, yet there was a man who had a knee to someones neck for 8 minutes. There were people that needed towels and things to get onto their knee. And somebody kneeled on another human beings neck for 8 minutes. Thats nuts when you think of it.”
The 2 teams integrated for 21 fouls. The Lakers made two of 8 three-point efforts. The Lakers ended it with a 12-point lead.
The Clippers could have folded. 2 of the NBAs leading 6th guys– Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell– didnt play. Patrick Beverley is still working his way back into game shape.
The Clippers didnt quit. They sliced ten points off the Lakers lead in the 2nd quarter. They constructed an 11-point lead in the 3rd quarter. They held a lead entering the 4th. Paul George (30 points) and Kawhi Leonard (28) took over, raining threes, 9 of them, over Lakers defenders.
A head-to-head between two ex-Finals MVPs played in front of a smattering of real faces. The Lakers made two of eight three-point attempts. Two of the NBAs top 6th males– Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell– didnt play. The in-game experience will continue to be a change– some 300 Lakers fans video conferenced in to enjoy the game– as will playing without the energy of a crowd.
” When were out there playing, we do not actually discover there are no fans at the game,” Davis said.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.– Virtual fans and piped in crowd sound. A head-to-head between 2 ex-Finals MVPs played in front of a smattering of genuine faces. A battle for Los Angeles some 3,000 miles from Staples Center.
Lakers 103, Clippers 101.
The NBA is back.
Opening night in the NBAs resumed season was finally upon us Thursday, and what an unusual experience. A late-season Lakers-Clippers game would be a near difficult ticket in Los Angeles. Fans would load LA Live hours prior to tipoff. Scalpers would have a field day. In the bubble, witnesses to this marquee matchup were a dozen or two media members, a couple of more NBA staffers and a handful of gamers who bussed over to enjoy from socially distanced seats.
Lawrence Tanter, the Lakers legendary public address commentator, supplied the intros, pre-recorded.
Throughout timeouts, the Lakers typical in-game entertainment used a courtside screen.
For who, exactly, is a little unclear.
Social justice messages replaced names on the backs of jerseys. A two-minute video highlighting the motion played after warmups. The Lakers and Clippers did the same, linking arms while a pre-taped performance by the Compton Kids Club expanded through speakers hanging from the rafters.
