SPANISH HARLEM – On Saturday night LeBron James played his first game in Los Angeles as a Laker and if you didn’t know any better, you would thought it was a movie premiere. The Houston Rockets came to town to play the villain and in the end they left as the victor.
If you saw the game, it was fun to watch from the very beginning. There was a feeling you might see something special. I credit the Lakers for this because they know how to put on a show. James Harden was looking for his first win of the season but no one was there to watch him. LeBron James was the atmosphere early, as it felt like everyone in LA was wearing 23.
The game was great and though it was the second game of the season, it felt like the type of intensity you would expect from a playoff game. The Rockets were the second best team in the west last year and were ready to prove to LeBron that coming to the west would not be as easy. There were times that you saw the potential the Lakers possessed with James yet you saw the discord that comes with playing on a inexperienced team.
As the game headed into the 4th quarter, the best was yet to come. You had to be watching to understand the magnitude of what would happen next. It first started with a shove of James Harden by Brandon Ingram, who for some reason was pissed that a fouled was called on him. Before you knew it Chris Paul was in a situation with Rajon Rondo before the TV camera caught it. That’s when the game became more than a game. A fight had happened and to be honest it stole the show.
https://youtu.be/6qW0XA3vUg0
I’m not sure how you would feel but after video review, it definitely looks like Rondo spit on Chris Paul. While I can’t condone those actions because I write for this site, I totally agree with Paul’s actions. On the playground, the game is understood, when you spit in someone’s face you change the game. Those aren’t the actions you use in the NBA. Those are the actions you use when you want to start a fight.
The game resumed and the Rockets won. It was still a basketball game but it felt like a heavyweight boxing match.
