When the Lakers exploded to a 13-2 lead in Wednesday’s season opener, it seemed a quick validation of what we saw the two times the starting lineup played real minutes together in the preseason, as they twice blew a shorthanded Golden State squad off the floor.
Despite it being a Clippers home game at Staples Center, the Purple and Gold fanbase was rocking. They appeared to be a slight majority, and in those first few minutes, the Lakers were the aggressor, the ones with something to prove.
But then, at the 8:30 mark of the 1st Q, Doc Rivers put Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell into the game, and suddenly the Clippers had their known, basic set as a foundation piece, with the two of them in screen/roll action.