A few other thoughts:
- Bynum looked impressive and the Rockets just didn't have the size to contend with him, but he missed a lot of shots around the basket, fumbling what should've been easy points for a player his size. Dunks are kind of maligned these days, but I think there's a lot to be said for going up strong and putting it down with the highest percentage shot in the game. Still, he nailed the free throw that gave them the win and finished with 17, 17 and 5 so it's not too shabby a game on the whole.
- David Andersen was a disappointment in his five minutes, he didn't look too comfortable out there. I was hoping he'd get more of a run and contribute more than he did, but I can't fault Adelman for keeping him out of the game. Gotta give it up for Chuck Hayes, you wouldn't expect him to be the one making clutch baskets but he got a couple down the stretch. Carl Landry played a fine game after missing his first two shots and then coming back to hit nine of his next ten. Luis Scola overdribbled a bit at times and was a bit careless at times but he was solid as well.
- As I mentioned in the other thread, it wasn't really Ariza's night and apart from the big three to send the game into overtime, he wasn't all that impressive. He was just jacking up shots for a while there and the final numbers in the boxscores certainly reflect that, but he certainly seems willing to step into a bigger role this year and try to shoulder more of the scoring load. He's a fine player, but once again I wouldn't call him a bonafide All-Star just yet.
- For the Lakers' sake, I hope Gasol returns soon as I don't think they can afford to have too many games like this. They can win them in the short term because they've got the talent and the ultimate go to guy in the league today, but I'm not sure they want Kobe playing 40+ minutes per game during the regular season and becoming spent come Playoff time...or their other key players for that matter, just to win games in November. Of course, they need to be winning now so they can stay near the top of the West and lock up homecourt advantage come the postseason, but I think overeliance on Kobe - as great a player and as tremendous an athlete as he is - will come back to haunt them.
- Allowing the referees to go to the video on out of bounds calls was a great move. In the end it the Rockets still lost, but anything that allows the referees to make the right call can only benefit the game and with the integrity of NBA officiating under fire more than ever, it's important that calls like that are cleaned up because they are the kind of subtle things that can change the course of the game and if they're making the right call according to what we can all plainly see on video, that's one less quibble we can fairly make about the officiating.
He's really stepped up and I do hope he does not get injured this season.
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