In every great sports championship, there is a moment when the winning team figures out what they need to do and how they need to play to win. Last night might have been that night for Russell Westbrook and the Lakers.
After an accursed season where injuries undermined promise and the ball never seemed to bounce the Lakers’ way, last night’s inspired overtime win over the Toronto Raptors due to Russell Westbrook’s heroics raises hopes. Russ’ clutch steal with the Lakers down three and ten seconds left in regulation and dagger three to tie and send the game into overtime may have changed everything for him and the Lakers going forward.
It’s easy to ignore last night’s game as just an outlier but there are legitimate reasons to be optimistic that the Los Angeles Lakers and Russell Westbrook may finally be figuring out how to integrate their games and make it work. There were strong signs LeBron and Russ were figuring out both how to share ball handling duties and make an impact off the ball. The player and ball movement last night was outstanding as the playmaking with 33 assists.
There were also signs the coaching staff may finally be getting it together. Frank Vogel finally put 6′ 8″ Wenyen Gabriel in the starting lineup alongside 6′ 10″ Dwight Howard so the Lakers’ size wouldn’t handicap them all night. Small ball is fine when it’s on steroids with LeBron and AD but micro ball with LeBron and four guards just leaves the team undersized and undermanned. It’s not only dispiriting but also a recipe to lose games.
What are the odds last night’s moment could be a momentum changing moment for the Lakers? That Russell Westbrook was the protagonist and catalyst in last night’s win makes the moment pregnant with possibility. Russ figured out last night how to fit his game with LeBron and the rest of the team. While he had his usual dumb turnovers and missed layups, Russ played like Russ, attacking the paint, making right pass.
There was jerkiness and unpredictability about how the Lakers played on offense and defense last night. We made unexpected plays helping on defense and sharing the ball on offense without relying on micro ball. The key was more ball and player movement and fewer isolation plays. While we lost in transition , our half court offense was best we’ve seen in a while as we posted 33 assists, our second best total as a team this season.
Maybe this is a mirage but there’s a chance last night could have been the moment that changed the season for Westbrook and the Lakers. We’ll find out tonight if last night was a false dawn or a genuine awakening.
Adding Wenyen Gabriel to the starting lineup allowed the Lakers to play their small ball style game but with size to not be handicapped in the paint. Did a good job holding their own on the boards and in the paint.
Will this be a turning point for the Lakers. It could be. If we’re going to make any noise in the Play-In or Playoffs, we’re going to need to start learning how to win. Last night was a first good step and the fact that Russ won an unwinnable game is a perfect place to start our comeback.
Tonight, the Lakers won’t let us down. Not this time.
What we have been lacking in the past games is someone who is going to take charge and be the leadoff person to start games. That’s what we had in Gabriel last night. His energy was contagious and the team woke up.
No. This is a season of poor choices, missed opportunities and bad luck. There will be no turning point, corner rounded or switch flipped.
This moment is why I don’t laugh off preseason or chuckle away early season losses. Those were the times we were supposed to be forming good habits and instead the team and much of the fan base went ‘La La’ on the process that builds a successful season. Here’s hoping everyone gets the message that preseason matters, every game counts and the habits you establish in the early part of the season are the ones that define you later on.