Clips Dominate Lakers, But It's Only the Preseason

Finally the NBA season has started. It’s been a rough summer and fall for fans, players, and coaches as the lockout continually plagued the league. Yet now the preseason games have started and we’ve had a taste of what this shortened 66-game season will be like. CP3 looks to hang the Clippers’ first banner, Rip Hamilton will play alongside the reigning MVP in Chicago, and Lamar Odom will be leaving LA and teaming up with Dirk and the Mavs.

There’s been plenty of offseason excitement and a lot of hypothetical talk about how each team will perform in the coming season, but the preseason is always a time of frustration for me. The media affects the world more than any other aspect today. When it comes to sports, the minute a team that should be one of the best plays a mediocre game, sportswriters everywhere begin to say that that certain team isn’t what it used to be. It’s one game and a preseason one at that. Take last night’s Lakers/Clippers game; the Lakers have to adjust to a new coach, six new players on the roster, and their best player dealing with a divorce. Not exactly ideal conditions to start your year, especially when Mike Brown is now walking the sideline. Phil Jackson left a legacy that few if any coaches have. To replace him with a man that has not enjoyed even a tenth of his success, much less had any time to gel with his new players, and expect a win right away is senseless.

The lockout held teams from playing together and learning each other’s styles. The first few minutes of last nights’ Lakers/Clippers game was purely a run-and-gun, street ball-esque game. There was little organization on offense and it was easy to see that the players were not yet comfortable with one another. That’s exactly why the NBA has preseason games, they’re considered a tune-up for when it really matters beginning on Christmas day. However, the media is constantly looking to nit-pick every little fault and blows the whole situation way out of proportion.

In no way am I attempting to make an excuse for anyone, but there comes a point in time where you can’t take everything so seriously. The season is long for a reason and if you watch sports at all you know that anything can happen. Each day, each game is different. If we were to make our predictions based on preseason games, the St. Louis Rams would be playing in the Super Bowl this year after enjoying a 4-0 preseason record.

My point is this, it’s the first week that the players have been in a game environment since June at the latest, don’t jump to conclusions on any team. The Lakers are the Lakers, regardless of who’s on the court; Kobe is one of the best leaders and executers the NBA has to offer and won’t suffer through a losing season. For those of you saying that “Kobe’s lost his touch” or “It sucks Kobe’s gotta go out like this”, just be patient. Would I pick the Lakers to win the Finals this year? No. It’s somewhat of a rebuilding year; they’ve got a lot of spots to fill and a lot of guys need to take more responsibility and step up. However, the media needs to chill out with the talk of the Clippers suddenly owning LA. It’s one game. There are still 66 real ones left to be played.