Thaindian News

By Meena Kar
Oct 27, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Shannon Brown proved his mettle in the opening game against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. In spite of the game being preceded by the feel good ring ceremony for the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA Champions were trailing behind at the end of the first half but pulled up their socks in the third quarter. Dominating the third quarter completely, the Los Angeles Lakers reduced the lead of the Houston Rockets down to 5 points. Many experts felt that though it was Pau Gasol (29 points) and Kobe Bryant (27 points) who led the charge for the Los Angeles Lakers, it was the heroics of Shannon Brown and Steve Blake.

In spite of some fans being skeptical of Phil Jackson’s relying on the youngster at the crucial junctions, the gamble seemed to have paid off for good as Shannon Brown scored back to back threes in the fourth quarter and also had a 14 point spree of his own. Considering that the Los Angeles Lakers were trailing till most of the third quarter, the spurt by Shannon Brown and Steve Blake proved to be crucial for the side’s victory.

Shannon Brown said after the game that he was happy with his performance. He said that he felt confident that he would not be taken out at that point but said that if he had failed to score at the crucial momentum, things could have turned out differently. Phil Jackson, who is known for such gambles was also all praises for Steve Blake and Shannon Brown. Steve Blake said that it was ‘big’ of the coach to trust someone new at the court at the critical juncture of the game. It was his 3 pointer in the final seconds of the fourth quarter that sealed the deal for the Los Angeles Lakers.