Playing the second unit the entire second half, Mike Brown and his team fell 110-83 to a hungry Warriors team to start the exhibition calendar.
But throw out the box score—it's preseason. The new-look Lakers we saw on the floor at the tip were as electric as could be.
It took all of five minutes for Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace and Robert Sacre (starting in place of the rehabbing Dwight Howard) to build a 10-point lead on the young Warriors and give Laker fans everywhere a glimpse of what's to come.
Enjoying this first game on Time Warner's new sports network, here are my random musings from the first preseason tilt:
Pau Gasol looked in phenomenal shape and was ready to start the season. His silver-medal performance in the 2012 London Olympics over the summer should carry over nicely into the 2012-13 season—similar to the championship start we saw to begin the 2008-09 season when he last spent the summer playing for his native Spain in the Olympics.
Speaking with the Time Warner SportsNet crew of Bill MacDonald and Stu Lantz during the second quarter, Dwight Howard coined himself a new nickname: "Iron Man." The Superman era is behind Howard, as he's embraced a new super hero—and quite fittingly. Before enduring back issues during the 2011-12 season, Howard only missed seven games in his previous seven seasons.
Steve Nash will make the offense easy for every player in a Laker uniform this season. Running the break and finding the open man off the dribble, Nash was spectacular in his limited play. His freedom under the Princeton offense to dribble-drive or swing the ball made for easy baskets during the first half. Nash even showcased some signature flair, tossing a beautiful between-the-legs bounce pass to a stre...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
