Opening Night in Los Angeles | Clippers dominate season opener with a 108-92 lead against the Lakers

Photo credit: Harry How / Getty Images 

October 19, 2017 10:30PM EST

Staples Center - Los Angeles, CA

LA Lakers vs. LA Clippers

It's Thursday night at the Staples Center and it's the season opener for basketball in the City of Angels.

I don't know if Clippers actually have a solid roster or if the Lakers' young roster made them look good; either way, Clippers stood their ground, remained in the lead throughout the game, and refused to be intimidated by the legends of the greatness that bleeds purple and gold. Ultimately, they played like the playoff team they know themselves to be. 

Then it was time for Lonzo's debut, the moment Laker fans and NBA critics have all been waiting for. It wasn't so much about him as it was about seeing whether or not he would live up to his father's as well as the media's high expectations. There was a tremendous amount of pressure on a 19 year old just starting his rookie season, especially with the intimidation factor coming in strong from one of the top defenders in the league, the merciless, Patrick Beverly. 

The Balls' failure to match the energy of his main defending opponent honestly didn't shock me at all. Let's be real for a second, didn't we all see this coming? The media is crowding his space all off season, dad is a great parent, who just doesn't understand how or what it means to stay in his lane, shows, brand deals, etc. it just seemed like it was a little hard to stay focused while so much commotion and hype that you're not used to is happening everywhere you turn. I think a lot of people expected him to hit the ground running in his rookie game with this confident, jaw-dropping swag, major scoring ability for a young athlete, and essentially put on a show like  predecessor, Kobe Bean Bryant, but we are all perfectly aware...

...that there can only be ONE Kobe.

By the way, 

According to Drew Garrison, contributor at SB Nation, "Lakers looked like the young, inexperienced team they are." I absolutely agree. Collectively, they just appeared to be indecisive and unorganized; I didn't see on-court chemistry like the last young squad they had with Nick Young present. There wasn't this awe inspiring moment from Lonzo Ball, and for a moment, I felt a little bad for him as I pictured what it must be like to be in his BBB shoes at that moment. However, with 81 games left in the season, the entire team has more than enough time to redeem their mishaps from last night. 

The Lakers' rise to greatness has been a slow, gradual journey and it's not fair to expect anything overnight. To be fair, Brooke Lopez looked good; so did Kuzma and Jordan Clarkson. There is something brewing there on the Laker squad afterall, so we'll see how the rest of the season plays out

Meanwhile, in completely irrelevant sports news, the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series. 

The Los Angeles Clippers ruin Lonzo Ball's regular season debut as Blake Griffin delivers a double-double with 29 points and 12 rebounds as they top the Los Angeles Lakers 108-92.

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