Lakers review game 1

What a game. I don't even know where to start. I came into tonight with the same expectations for the year as everyone else, a team that would have to heavily rely on Pau and Nash until Kobe comes back if they wanted a chance to win. They showed that this team is a lot more than its big three, as the team had five players score 10+ points off the bench, and none of the starters played in the fourth quarter. The game was close almost all night, with nobody gaining a double digit lead until late in the fourth. I was thinking through the entire first half, just keep up with the Clippers and we can have a chance to win late. They did just that, and the three ball led them on a huge run to pull away and win 116-103. The three was the Lakers biggest strong suit. That was the area where I expected the team to do well in, but nobody thought that they would do this good, as they shot almost 50% from beyond the arc, hitting 14 out of 29 attempts. They didn't play great defensively, but they did just enough to slow them down and get the win. The bench was supposed to be the team's weak spot. Everyone said that they would have the worst bench production in the league, but the bench combined for 76 points, including playing for all of the final 15 minuets. I didn't really know what to expect coming into the game, but Xavier Henry played amazing, scoring 22 points and leading everyone in scoring. Mike D'antoni wanted to use different combinations of players early in the year, after most of their bench players are new this year. He found solid play from almost everyone, as Henry, Jodie Meeks, Jordan Farmar, Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman, Nick Young, and Pau all finished the game double figures.They were also surprising on the glass, out rebounding the Clippers, 52-40. They were able to get a solid 18 offensive rebounds, 7 of which came from Jordan Hill, who is a beast at getting the ball back after a miss. Pau looked very impressive in the short time that he actually played tonight, as he scored 11 of the team's first 13 points. He looked a lot like the Pau we were used to back when the team was winning championships. Without the presence of Howard down low, Gasol was able to assert himself down low, finishing with 15 points and 13 boards in just 24 minuets. Nash wasn't great, but he didn't play much. All this rest for the starters could really help them tomorrow night, when they play on the road against the Warriors. The starters will be very rested and the Lakers will be able to use them most of the night if need be. Overall, I was very pleased with tonight's outcome, and I hope that the team can continue to play at this level for the rest of the season. I will end my review of tonight's game with my pick for player of the game.
Player of the Game: Xavier Henry. Henry played great tonight, hitting 3 out of 4 threes and coming through big time in the fourth quarter to help the team pull away and turn it into a blow out. I hadn't even heard of him until he signed with the team and I certainly didn't expect much out of him in the opener, but he led the team with 22 points.