World Peace Declares War

The chip on the shoulder was starting to get bothersome so the Los Angeles Lakers finally flexed some frontline muscle as they downed the LA Clippers 96-91 at Staples Center. In the process, the Lakers appeared a little bit more self-assured of themselves after finally defeating their roomies from down-the-hall. The game itself was just another regular season contest but for Laker fans, this was a must-win for the purple and gold. The Lakers played with aggressiveness and energy not seen in recent weeks, perhaps egged on by all of the trash-talking the Clips were busy doing. It got chippy right away as the pushing and shoving led to some heated exchanges. And at the center of all the ruckus was none other than Metta World Peace.

There was a Ron Artest sighting at Staples Center as Metta World Peace set the tone and delivered when he was called upon. Copyrights may apply. All rights reserved.

World Peace (3 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block in 38-minutes) was inspired tonight, playing with passion and brute force that had Staples Center jumping out of their seats. His physical play set the tone and he had a hand in almost every single big play. When he wasn’t diving after loose balls or dishing off dimes for easy baskets, he was busy deflecting the pressure off of his teammates by making himself the focal point. He was involved in every scrum, pushing back and daring the Clippers to retaliate. During one sequence, he poked the ball out of Blake Griffin’s hands, pushed him off-balance, tackled him to the ground, and delivered a kick to the head for good measure. Then he went on to secure the jump-ball against the high flyer.

Pau Gasol (23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block) and rookie Andrew Goudelock (14 points, 2 rebounds) carried the Laker offense early after the Clips came blazing out of the gates. Caron Butler (16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals) scored 11-quick points and it began to look like another Clipper cakewalk. But the Lakers continued to chip away and never let the Clippers pull too far ahead. Kobe Bryant (24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) and Andrew Bynum (19 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 blocks) took over in the second half, and for good measure, Derek Fisher (11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) rang home three, 3-pointers to help sustain the momentum.

Blake Griffin (26 points, 9 rebounds) had his share of Top Ten moments while Mo Williams (16 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound) further secured his role as the leading Sixth-Man-of-the-Year candidate. Chris Paul (4 points on 2-8, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal), in his first active duty since straining his hamstring when the two teams last played, was his usual stellar, playmaking self. But  Chauncey Billups (9 points on 1-8, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound) was cold from outside forcing the Clips to try to overpower the Lakers in the paint. With Bynum and Gasol gobbling up rebounds and altering shots, only Griffin was able to elevate over the Lakers duo. DeAndre Jordan (9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks) got loose for a couple of signature lob-jams, but found himself seated for long stretches after getting into early foul trouble.

Josh McRoberts (2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block in 15-minutes) was another spark for the Lakers even though he found himself ejected out of the game after picking up his second technical foul early in the 4th quarter. But his spirited play and competitiveness, combined with Metta’s play picked the team up when this could easily have been another unexplainable loss in a string of poor showings. McRobert’s stats weren’t impressive but his time on the floor was. And just like the player formerly known as Ron Artest, these former Pacers know a thing or two about playing physical and setting the tone.

The city rivalry looks to be in full swing, and the Lakers were able to silence the critics and the brash Clippers for one night. But one game does not make a season as the team heads out for its first extended road trip of the season with 8 of the next 9 games away from Staples Center. If the Lakers have indeed turned the corner, look out. But it’s going to take much more than an “expected” win over a familiar foe if they hope to make up some ground in the competitive Western Conference. Next up is a Saturday evening contest in Milwaukee followed by a back-to-back against the T-Wolves.