Numbers 8 and 24 are gonna be hung on top of the Staples Center rafters tonight for the Black Mamba. This is a special open thread and discussion session in the Lakers' matchup vs. the defending champions. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.
Q2
GSW 57 LAL 53
Quite an entertaining way to end the half. The Lakers responded with a couple of runs of their own. I liked that they were aggressive on both ends of the floor. Their game in transition was more effective, getting shots from defense to offense. The free throws and the turnovers are hurting them of course. And they're allowing other Warriors outside of KD and Klay to get involved. They gotta find a way to contain the other players in the 2nd half and stick with the aggressive offensive gameplan to attack the basket.
Quick halftime post, now onto the main course. This is a great tribute video on Kobe. "Dear Basketball" is being narrated by Kobe with a cartoony sketch of his career from childhood to the NBA. Whoever did this cartoon, this is an amazing piece of work and a fitting tribute to a player who has dominated most of my tenure as a Laker fan. A lot of memories watching Kobe play. The 81 point game. 61 points in Madison Square Garden. The best Kobe memory I had is those six game-winners back in the 2009-10 season against the Heat, Bucks, Kings, Celtics, Raptors, and Grizzlies. Those were fun times where I would shout "KOBE!" Of course, the best memories are the championships. Three with Shaq. Two with Gasol. I wouldn't have witness five championship trophies as a Laker without no. 8 and later no. 24. And of course, the 60 point game in his final game against the Jazz. When it comes to compare the 8 Kobe to the 24 Kobe, 8 represented the athletic, afro Kobe. The swagger he had was amazing to watch as a kid. No. 24 solidified himself as the alpha dog, the killer. The origin of the Black Mamba who'll rip the hearts out of the team and their fans. It's always gonna be a debate on who the greatest Laker is between Magic and Kobe, but the most important thing is that he made a legacy of his own and put his own blueprint of the game. It's very rare to see a player have two jersey numbers retired by the same team. That's one more precedent Kobe Bryant set in Lakers history and above all, in the game itself. 20 years in purple and gold and I'm lucky to have witnessed 16 of those years as a Laker fan. I gotta shout this out one last time..."KOBE!" The 2nd half will open up shortly.
Q1
GSW 32 LAL 24
The Warriors figured out the blueprint and used it against the Lakers. To start, Lakers came out and attacked. They got Larry Nance Jr. going early. Brook Lopez is racking up points inside the paint, which is encouraging to see. Early on, the Lakers were dominating in pts in the paint. Then, the Warriors made the adjustments and started to use the same strategy. Kevin Durant was not shooting the ball well, so he dared the Laker defense to come at him, which lead to opportunity for other Warrior players to attack the basket.
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