Larry Nance and other Lakers work on staying focused after blowout upset of Warriors
Lakers guard Lou Williams is congratulated by teammates after scoring a key basket against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter Friday.
Larry Nance Jr. perused social media, enjoying the memes that emerged from the Lakers blowout win over the Golden State Warriors, and his soaring dunk over David West. Julius Randle couldn’t sleep, so he stared up into the dark until 3 or 4 a.m. Lakers Coach Luke Walton watched a replay of the game, making notes of when certain things occurred, while his bulldog, Gus, sat on the sofa with him.
Hours later they worked to let it all go.
To guard against the hangover that might occur from an emotional upset victory, the Lakers dived right back into their process Saturday. The staff met at 10 a.m. Practice began at 11, and lasted longer than most day-after-game practices do.
“We came in this morning and we watched some clips of our Golden State game and then turned the page,” Nance said. “That was it. We watched some clips of Phoenix and ran it over in practice. I think it was a good transition of that was last night, this is today and here’s what we’re focused on.”
On Sunday, the Lakers (3-3) will play the Phoenix Suns (2-4) at Staples Center. The opponent doesn’t carry the cache of the Warriors, nor are there the same emotional connections between the two teams. But to Walton this is part of a teaching moment. This experience will teach his young team how quickly the highs can fade in a frenetic NBA season.
“Honestly, I think we’re gonna come out a little flat tomorrow,” Walton said. “I just think we are. It’s natural after that type of win. I’m hopeful that doesn’t happen. We’ll prepare and we’ll talk about it but we’ll see how it goes. … The win yesterday means nothing if we come out and lose Sunday.”
Walton learned that mentality in part from former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who coached Walton when he entered the NBA.
Building bonds
After Saturday’s practice, a group of Los Angeles Police Department officers joined a group of players from the Washington Park Recreational Center ages 16-24 for a basketball game. Before the game began, Lakers Tarik Black and Metta World Peace spoke to the group about the experiences they’d had with police, both good and bad.
The event was closed to the media, and was part of a month-long series in November. Each Saturday the Lakers will invite groups of police and civilians to play together in an effort to build bonds and understanding between the two groups.
Before the NBA season began, the league and players association urged its players to find a way to promote positive change in their communities in light of a spate of high-profile shootings by police.
The Lakers have locked arms during the national anthem before every game to bring awareness to the issue. Their second gesture began Saturday.
Bragging rights
Nance’s dunk over West went viral.
He particularly enjoyed a tweet sent by the Twitter account belonging to ESPN’s flagship show, SportsCenter. The tweet showed a video of Nance’s dunk, then a video of a dunk by his father, former NBA player Larry Nance Sr.
“I love when they put clips back to back so that I can send it to him and say, ‘See, I do get higher than you,” Nance said.
NEXT UP FOR LAKERS
VS. PHOENIX
When: 6:30 p.m. PST, Sunday.
Where: Staples Center.
On the air: TV: Spectrum Sports-Net, Spectrum Deportes; Radio: 710, 1330.
Records: Lakers 3-3; Suns 2-4.
Record vs. Suns (2015-16): 1-3.
Update: The Lakers will face another very young team (the Suns have four teenagers on the roster) and one that has played with aplomb. Though the Suns lost their first four games of the season, they took the Oklahoma City Thunder to overtime. They are on a two-game winning streak over the Portland Trail Blazers and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Twitter: @taniaganguli
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